From what I read somewhere else, I believe that for EWL and NSL,
there's two modes of ATO operation; "normal mode" and "high
mode"
In normal mode, the train will typically cruise at around the
speed between 40 and 60km/h and can be observed pretty
often during non-peak hour.
In high mode, the train will simply travel from one station to
the other at the highest permitted speed and can be observed during
peak hours.
So now come to the question, why need to have two mode when the
purpose of train is to transport people from one place to
another as quickly as possible? IHMO, train should only slow down
IF;
-There's construction works going on/fire/oil spill not too
far in front
-Train is approaching a curve which has speed limit lower than
it's current speed
-Train is approaching station
-There's another train in front
Other than that, I don't see any logic in programming the
train to run slower than normal. If train runs slower, it will
means that;
-More train will be needed to maintain frequency
-Increased expense, more train on track consumes more
electricity
-It'll eventually reach a point where many train wear out
and requires maintenance all at the same time. But
we know this is impossible because the facility only has that
amount of space to service that many train. This may cause train to
be used beyond their limit and eventually, you know what
happen.
If we have the same
By having train running at their peak speed, we can have;
-Less train on revenue service to achieve the same frequency
-Less train, less electricity consumption
-Though train will need maintenance more
often, you won't really hit the problem of many train requiring one
at a time.
and at the end, passengers get what they want; Travel from A to
B AFAP.
Please post your opinion regarding this and feel free to correct
me if there's anything wrong. Thank you.