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Model Forum / General / Railroads / February 2007Platforms
Why are American station platforms so low? Why dont they make them the same height as the bottom of the door of the passenger car as in other countries? Rob Rob Kemp spake thus: > Why are American station platforms so low? Why dont they make them the same > height as the bottom of the door of the passenger car as in other countries? Because Americans are idiots when it comes to designing and running passenger railroads. This is actually one of the hot issues here in the San Francisco Bay Area with one of our railroads, the Caltrain commuter line, where rail advocates have been pushing for years for higher platforms to allow level boarding (what a concept! you mean I don't have to take 3 giant steps to get into the railroad car?).  SignatureDon't talk to me, those of you who must need to be slammed in the forehead with a maul before you'll GET IT that Wikipedia is a time-wasting, totality of CRAP...don't talk to me, don't keep bleating like naifs, that we should somehow waste MORE of our lives writing a variorum text that would be put up on that site. It is a WASTE OF TIME. - Harlan Ellison, writing on the "talk page" of his Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Harlan_Ellison) > Rob Kemp spake thus: > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > platforms to allow level boarding (what a concept! you mean I don't have > to take 3 giant steps to get into the railroad car?). Here in New Zealand (back when we still had passenger trains) city platforms were about the level of the top step while at small country stations the platform was at or a little below the second step. Flag stops often had a short platform a little lower so that both steps were required. Regards, Greg.P. > Why are American station platforms so low? Why dont they make them the same > height as the bottom of the door of the passenger car as in other countries? > Rob High platforms cost money to build. Lower population densities mean that there is less money available per platform. A step is cheaper. Regards, Greg.P. > Why are American station platforms so low? Why dont they make them the same > height as the bottom of the door of the passenger car as in other countries? Historical reasons and because most of the track has to allow for freight cars, which won't fit if there are high level platforms. > Rob > > SignatureRobert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Download the Model Railroad System http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows heller@deepsoft.com -- http://www.deepsoft.com/MRRSystem/ |
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