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Re: Metrolink Question
Author: Erik H.
Date: 06-26-2018 - 22:20
Sgt. Joe Friday Wrote:
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> Anyone know why Metrolink has never embraced the
> idea of DMU rail cars? I see a lot of nearly empty
> trains during off-peak hours and weekends, and
> would have thought that a single DMU or two would
> be more than adequate to handle the reduced
> patronage and at a lower operating cost.
So you want Metrolink to have a set of conventional locomotive/coach trainsets for rush hours; then after rush hour, park those trains and bring out the DMUs for the mid-day; then park the DMUs and bring out the locomotive/coach sets?
Two different sets of equipment. Now need storage yards to store more equipment.
Also, the FRA views a DMU as a locomotive, and so it has certain equipment requirements that a coach does not have.
Look at TriMet's WES. It runs as a single car DMU, and yet it is horrendously expensive to operate (notwithstanding the pathetically low ridership). Three engines onboard to maintain; two just to make the train go choo-choo and one so that the train isn't an icebox in January and an oven in July (and, also, to make sure the three riders get "free" wireless internet). Still requires both an Engineer and a Conductor so no labor savings at all.
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> Anyone know why Metrolink has never embraced the
> idea of DMU rail cars? I see a lot of nearly empty
> trains during off-peak hours and weekends, and
> would have thought that a single DMU or two would
> be more than adequate to handle the reduced
> patronage and at a lower operating cost.
So you want Metrolink to have a set of conventional locomotive/coach trainsets for rush hours; then after rush hour, park those trains and bring out the DMUs for the mid-day; then park the DMUs and bring out the locomotive/coach sets?
Two different sets of equipment. Now need storage yards to store more equipment.
Also, the FRA views a DMU as a locomotive, and so it has certain equipment requirements that a coach does not have.
Look at TriMet's WES. It runs as a single car DMU, and yet it is horrendously expensive to operate (notwithstanding the pathetically low ridership). Three engines onboard to maintain; two just to make the train go choo-choo and one so that the train isn't an icebox in January and an oven in July (and, also, to make sure the three riders get "free" wireless internet). Still requires both an Engineer and a Conductor so no labor savings at all.
