10 Car Train For SF / Millbrae In How Long?
Because my boss was going to be out of the office, I took my sweet time this morning -- played with the dogs, read the paper, etc. -- and didn't catch my normal 6:17am train. I probably got to del Norte at about 6:45am. When I get to the platform, I see the following:
SF MILLBRAE 6 MIN
10 CAR TRAIN
FREMONT 12 MIN
6 CAR TRAIN
Not so bad, I figure. I had just missed one train when I was approaching, so to only have to wait six minutes is nothing to complain about. After a few minutes, I see the following:
SF MILLBRAE 6 MIN
10 CAR TRAIN
FREMONT 9 MIN
6 CAR TRAIN
Hmph, I think. That's weird. But at this point, my mind is more occupied with ensuring that the 300lb mass of a woman that has come up behind me doesn't push me off the yellow safety strip as she shifts her weight back and forth. The proper distance to stand behind someone in a BART line is the topic of another post, by the way. Anyway, the next time the sign scrolls through, after reminding me of the play at the SF Curran theater, is:
SF MILLBRAE 7 MIN
10 CAR TRAIN
FREMONT 8 MIN
6 CAR TRAIN
WTF? Why is my wait getting longer? And how much longer can this woman behind me go before she needs a danish to stay on her feet? After another few minutes, my wait time finally decreased, but it was then:
FREMONT 3 MIN
6 CAR TRAIN
SF MILLBRAE 5 MIN
10 CAR TRAIN
I repeat -- WTF?!?!? Now you're just toying with me, BART. Next:
SF MILLBRAE 4 MIN
10 CAR TRAIN
FREMONT 6 MIN
6 CAR TRAIN
Okay, now we're back on track. Sorry Fremont riders.
The SF train did come in those last 4 minutes as promised, but I still don't understand why it took about 20 minutes after the initial 6-minute estimate, for the train to get there. How does that happen? And what are the estimates based on? I always thought they were based on the actual location of the train, but we are only the second stop, after the Richmond starting point. Not much opportunity to get behind.
I'm certainly never going to go lax in the morning again.
My wife (unprompted by this
My wife (unprompted by this post--she doesn't read this board) mentioned the same strangeness at around the same time this morning--she catches the train at North Berkeley. Strange. It would be interesting to know what this was about.
The automatic train control
The automatic train control system also drives the timing of the next train.
It assumes a normal speed from the last known location, so if it is sitting (on hold), the system assumes it is "normal" and posts the estimated time.
Today, a Richmond-Millbrae train had a bad car that belongs to Concord yard. Central changed a Pittsburg-SFO train to a Millbrae train, and changed the other one to a SFO train, so that it would get back to Concord yard. Both were near each other (downtown SF)
If a train doesn't exist, it won't show up. In other words, if you stand at Balboa Park, you will see a train to Richmond in xx minutes and a train to Pittsburg in xx minutes. But no Fremont or Dublin train, since they "don't exist yet" - they haven't turned around at Daly City yet. Once they leave, then they appear.
I notice that the Fremont
I notice that the Fremont trains always seem to get the short end of the stick. For example, at 19th Street Oakland, the sign will say "Fremont -- 4 minutes, SF Airport 6 minutes" but the Airport train always comes first and the sign doesn't indicate this until the 2 minute mark. I don't know why the signs are consistently misleading like this.
The Fremont and SFO trains
The Fremont and SFO trains meet for a timed/scheduled transfer at the stop before, MacArthur, where there are two inbound tracks. Sometimes, they arrive a couple minutes apart but they still wait for each other. Then, the SFO train always leaves first.
It's not that the Fremont
It's not that the Fremont train gets the short end of the stick, it's the transbay tube that governs everything. Central tries to keep everyone at their proper place in line. It's pretty easy for the Richmond-Fremont train to get to MacArthur on time. There are only six stations, and, being a yard, Richmond can get trains out on time. Pittsburg to MacArthur is two more stations, and more miles of track. So, the odds are that the SFO train will more likely get delayed. Central will try like the dickens to get it to the tube at the right time.
The San Francisco Airport
The San Francisco Airport train has priority.
> at 19th Street Oakland,
> at 19th Street Oakland, the sign will say "Fremont -- 4 minutes, SF Airport 6 minutes" but the Airport train always comes first and the sign doesn't indicate this until the 2 minute mark.
The reason (or the lame excuse) for this is that the Fremont train is on time, while the SFO train is four minutes late. The SFO train has to be horrendously late for Central to release the Fremont train in front of the SFO train. Normally, if the SFO train is five minutes (each controller may vary) late, they will hold the Fremont train. But any more than that, it will be released.
The two minute mark means the trains are at MacArthur. The sign at 19th will update once the SFO train arrives at MacArthur.