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From: edg@micropro.UUCP (Ed Greenberg)
Newsgroups: net.railroad
Subject: Re: subways / European rail
Message-ID: <208@micropro.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 6-Jan-86 17:48:27 EST
Article-I.D.: micropro.208
Posted: Mon Jan  6 17:48:27 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 8-Jan-86 06:49:02 EST
References: <238@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Reply-To: edg@micropr.UUCP (Ed Greenberg)
Organization: MicroPro Int'l Corp., San Rafael, CA
Lines: 49

In article <238@decwrl.DEC.COM> goutal@dec-parrot.UUCP writes:
>No turnstiles!  (Is Boston the only US city that has those?)
>-- Kenn Goutal

New York has turnstiles.  A set fare (I'd quote it, but I'm not sure any
more.  My first ride was .15 and my last .90.  I think $1.00 is in force
now.) lets you in.  You stay in as long as you like.  If you leave, it's
another buck.  

San Francisco Muni Metro (light rail) has turnstiles in the "subway"
portion.  In the street portion the operator collects fares like a bus.
A ride was .60 before Jan '86.  Don't know now.  The muni system issues
a transfer good for a few hours.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has entrance "gates" like turnstiles.
When activated, a barrier folds into the pillars of the gate.  You break
a beam on the way in and they close again.  You activate the gate by
inserting a ticket.  The ticket is purchased for any amount that you
wish and, on entrance, the station of entry is recorded on it.  On exit,
the appropriate fare is deducted and the new balance is printed on the
ticket.  When the ticket has a zero balance, you don't get it back.

Entry and exit at the same station costs $2 (BART promotes this a the
means for a "tour.")  Normal rides cost from .60 to about $2.00.  (Pre
'86 prices.)  I took a two hour "tour" and exited one station (three or
four blocks) away from my entry point.  The cost was the minimum (.60).

BART IS FUN.  The operator seems to do nothing more than look out the
window and delay the train at the station if necessary.  Otherwise the
system runs totally automatically (aren't computers wonderful?)  There
are very few signals that I've observed.  The train console displays the
speed limit and the speed.  The train speeds up and slows down according
to the limit, maintaining a speed just below that limit.   It seems to
speed up and slow down in chunks.  For example, approaching a station,
the train seems to stabilize at two intermediate speeds before coming to
the platform, and then another intermediate speed while stopping.

As a former NYC subway rider, I found BART to be fascinating.  One time,
I was showing a visiting New Yorker.  We were looking into the operators
compartment, and he opened the door and invited us in.  He didn't touch a
control in all the time we were there.
				-e

DISCLAIMER:  Please feel free to correct me if you have more to
contribute.  
-- 
Ed Greenberg			| {hplabs,glacier}!well!micropro!edg
MicroPro International Corp.	|  {ucbvax,decwrl}!dual!micropro!edg
San Rafael, California		|       {lll-crg,ptsfa}!micropro!edg