EP brakes can be applied and released faster and more evenly than a pneumatic system.

Most EMUs have unpowered axles, so it’s not the worst issue. You still would have greater adhesion weight. The upgrade that they should prioritize is fitting all equipment with electro-pneumatic brakes. It would make a big difference in reducing the stop penalty.

All of Germany, Austria, (including the Desiros that operate to Bratislava and Sopron), Switzerland (though not on every vehicle), and Toronto’s streetcars. Putting your hand in the door while it is closing will reopen it automatically (they have the same object detection systems as elevators).

ETCS L1 only makes sense as an overlay onto existing signalling. For new-build lines, or lines where the existing signalling is at end-of-life, ETCS L2 is cheaper (as it requires less lineside equipment).

You can have multiple track vacancy detection sections between lineside signals, so there is no relation. The distance between lineside signals determines the max speed for non-equipped trains, not the length of the track vacancy detection sections (which over open track denote the individual...

ETCS Level 2 can support shorter block lengths than the existing multi-aspect signalling. Trains in L2 also do not need to read lineside signals. The two aren’t related. The block layout should be optimized for ETCS L2 to maximize capacity.

You can find plenty of footage on YouTube of close calls in Prague. There are aspects of their infrastructure design (e.g. no channelization of crossing pedestrian traffic ant stops) are not very good.

Trams will never be as fast as a bus in a dedicated lane because of the difference in braking ability. You can't really exceed 40km/h in a tram (or any rail vehicle for that manner) being driven on-sight. Service could still be improved, though, by speeding up the slowest areas (e.g. at switches).

The details we are discussing are ones that affect travel times. Trams take longer to stop vs. a bus because of the low friction between the wheel and rail. This means that a tram has to start braking further away from the light than a bus would. If visibility of the signal is poor at the...

The tram needs to be prepared to stop if the light changes. This isn't like Vienna, where there is a distant signal for the tram (which isn't possible in Toronto for safety reasons).

Industry guidelines (UIC Code 406) recommend never exceeding 85% capacity consumption in metro systems for that reason.

Worth remembering that the Lille Metro is rubber-tyred, so braking distances are much shorter vs. adhesion rail. Acceleration is also very high (1.3 m/s^2 for a VAL 208). The trains are also very short (26m, which is shorter than a TTC Flexity Outlook), so they don't spend as much time occupying...

Plenty of systems (e.g. Chicago L, Berlin S-Bahn, Oslo Metro, and mainline rail in Buenos Aires, South England and New York) have level crossings with third rail. The main issue with third rail is that it cannot accommodate voltages higher than ~750V, because of its proximity to the ground...

Shunting requires labour, which is in short supply. There IS a link between the number of shunting moves planned and the number of staff available for revenue service.

Only the end-cars on the ICMs are powered. Same goes for the VIRM. The intermediate cars on the ICM are identical to ICRs

Are there any other sources supporting this (besides this tweet)?

It is a safety issue when there are inconsistencies in safety procedures between modes. Today, there are some modes (e.g. streetcar and the rear door on the TTC’s Flyers) where doors will automatically reopen if you obstruct them. This means that passengers who primarily ride those vehicles may...

It’s interesting to see that TTC management wants to teach passengers that subway doors function the same way as bus doors. Presumably they’ll also be installing LiDAR sensors used in the Flyers above subway doors so they’ll re-open if you obstruct them. This is the kind of thing that makes the...

Light curtains used in elevators and public transport vehicles can reliably detect objects as small as 5-10mm. It’s not as big of a hurdle as it may appear. There’s almost certainly a door openable from the track-side at the ends of the platform.

You can place a light barrier on the side between the door and the train (like what is used in elevators and on the TTC’s Streetcars) to detect that the area is clear before starting the train. It’s not a big safety issue with the right protections.