Great question! Not only is it important for a railroad to run on time, but it is equally important for everyone to be on the same page as far as what time it is.
So, if the trains are on time but your watch is on a different time than the trains, you’re going to see them as being too early or too late. So .. what time is it?
We would love to be able to tell you to use the atomic clock in Colorado as the time base, or even set the time according to any of the wireless telephone networks time, but such is not the case.
The railroad does not run on a time standard. In fact, the time used by the operators is different than the time used by the Link Control Center. Every train has an internal clock and they are all different.
According to the rulebook, the time on the clock in the dispatch office is the ‘official’ time and is used to operate the railroad.
That clock is not on any standard, and the clock in the Link Control Center is often off by 30 seconds and that is the time LCC goes by.
The times on the operators watches, the LCC and on the trains may only sometimes coincide with the times shown on station displays.
This is a poorly thought out and poorly implemented strategy. It would take little effort and expense to put clocks up that tie in the atomic clock signal, and to purchase watches for all the operators that tie in to the same signal. That signal could be used to maintain time on trains, and at stations. Then they would all be on the same page, and passengers could know exactly ‘what time it is’ as far as the trains are concerned.
We are honestly surprised the public hasn’t raised a storm over this, but no one seems to care.
So really .. what time is it?
Note that the train schedules do not coincide with bus schedules and certainly do not coincide with elevators.
The train has three different systems of braking. Two are used during a commonplace stop, dynamic and friction braking.
Dynamic braking is when the electric motors that drive the train are essentially turned into electric generators, which creates a drag on them, and that drag is passed onto the wheels.
At 5 mph dynamic braking cuts out and friction braking takes over. Friction brakes are discs and brake pads just like in your car, but maybe a bit larger.
The transition from dynamic to friction braking is different for every train combination. Some are very smooth and some simply aren’t.
The individual operator has some ability to smooth out a rough train as well.
If you have an operator change, or are taking a train from Angle Lake (possibly a new operator for that train), take notice of roughness of stops. If every stop is smoother than the last, then the operator has been trying different methods to smooth it out for you. If not, then .. not so much. Also note that some operators simply don’t care if your ride is rough or smooth.
Besides all the other possible reasons, MLK has the additional problem of ‘the cascade’. ( See Extended Definitions )
Someone or something may be in the track and the operator has either seen the problem or been warned about it.
There may be Sound Transit workers in the track and the train needs to stop to let them prepare for the trains passage through their work area.
There is a mechanical issue with the train and the operator is having difficulty making the train move.
There is an issue up ahead (perhaps mechanical) that has a train somewhere ahead of yours stopped.
Since trains can’t generally pass other trains, if the train ahead has to stop, so does yours.
Other times the train may have stopped because of ‘zero cab speed’ (see “ATP”) and the operator is waiting for cab speed to return or for permission to use ‘street running’.
Sometimes the controller will allow a train to continue at a reduced speed rather than stopping it. Going is better than not going, right?
If practical, the controller will ‘hold’ the train at a station so that people can get on and off while it’s there. Hopefully your operator gets on the public address system (if it’s working) to let passengers know what the hold up is.
It may be simply that the train is waiting for a security or police or medical response to something on the train, or the train may be stopped because a train somewhere ahead is waiting for a response.
The trains run on a schedule and the schedule can be pretty tight during peak hours.
On MLK, besides everything else, see “the cascade”. ( In Extended Definitions )
Remember that trains cannot pass one another going the same direction, so if a train starts to run behind, it interferes with the schedule of the train behind it. Then the train behind that one, and so on and so forth until the entire railroad is running behind because one train got behind.
Especially in the D.S.T.T., the trains have to keep moving. We (at least for now) share the tunnel with buses as well as other trains so a train behind can also cause buses to lose their schedules.
UPDATE: Buses are out of the D.S.T.T.
Generally, trains are meant to service the people that are on the platform waiting for it.
If you are running down the stairs or up the ramp, you’re just early for the next train. If the operator allows you to get on the train, you owe them a wave of thanks.
I said ‘allow’ because you can press the door buttons all day long and that door isn’t going to open unless the operator has told it to do so.
Sometimes the operator will tell the system to let you press the button and open the door, but if you don’t press the button, he’s going to leave you standing there.
"Well then why don’t they just open the doors for me?"
If the doors are opened and closed too rapidly some of the doors don’t get the message and the whole system has to be opened and closed again .. and maybe again, until they all close. This can cost the operator time they cannot spare. Better for you to be early for the train. Oh wait, you’re early for the next one.
"They could have stopped the train and let me on!"
No, they can’t. The trains are designed to be stopped at very specific places on the platform. Once the doors close and the trains starts to roll, the operator can no longer stop the train at that spot. If they wanted to let you on, but saw you just after the train started rolling, you’re early for the next train.
Also, once the wheels start to roll, the electronics of the train now think it’s left that station and if the operator stops the train and opens the doors again then the system will be off by one station.
Note : when the train is stopped in the correct spot, two doors line up with the rough patches on the platform. Those areas are so that visually impaired people know where the doors are going to be.
The trains are mechanical objects and have physical issues. The vehicle maintenance department works hard to keep the trains running but their hands are tied by management desires to save money by skimping on preventative maintenance services. Frequently, trains are out on the mainline with the same issues it had the day before, and the day before that.
If the issue is severe enough, the train has to be taken off line. All passengers are off loaded and the train is either sent off line, or stored in a pocket track until it can be taken off line later.
At that time, if available, a gap train will fill in that service.
Or, it could have been a bomb threat.
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