Peaking - lessons from Vancouver

[#Metro]

Interesting reading...

http://transportblog.co.nz/2012/01/23/peaking/

Queensland Rail

I think it was Paul Mees's book "Transport for Suburbia" which compares Vancouver's West Coast Express peak-only commuter train with the Skytrain system on this issue. On average, each West Coast Express train has its seats filled around twice a day – one trip in during the morning and one trip out during the evening. In contrast, each Skytrain has every seat filled something like 50 times a day because they operate at high frequencies all day long, providing service for far more trips than just commuting ones. That makes the Skytrain system incredibly efficient to run, even if overall it may not seem as "crowded" during very peak times as the West Coast Express train.

What the book goes on to highlight is that if we are looking to improve the cost-effectiveness of our system, we shouldn't focus on cutting services outside the peak (even if the buses or trains are fairly empty), but rather look at services during the peak that aren't at maximum capacity:

[somebody]

Not sure how the WCE works, perhaps they have fully amortised rolling stock.  However, notice that there cost per service declined as the numbers of service hours and vehicle-kms increased.  I'm not sure what their stat "trains" means.

It's been getting more people on these services that has turned around their cost recovery.

I'd also be interested what happens with the crews in the daytimes?  Are they bused home?  Given work to do in the CBD to have a long day then drive the trains home?  What?

[somebody]

I can't see where.

[Gazza]

I can't see where.

Logan Village and Wamuran, clearly.