Does John Cena Wear Boxers Or Briefs?

Tempi di percorrenza ferroviari: ritorno al passato?

may seem a joke, yet it is so. The technology runs fast and multiplies enormously the speed of our computers, smartphones and IPad, so that 10 years and already account for nearly a geological era can be glimpsed the next electronic wonders even more powerful. But when it comes to trains, and especially in a regional trains, you return as if by magic in the distant past. We will not speak today to the age of carriages and locomotives (up to 30 to 40 years) although this factor may not be unconnected with the fact that today the average regional trains traveling slower than 10 years ago.

The journey of a train is the sum of the times, including intermediate stops, to travel from one station to another. It 'clear that the passenger, the shorter the travel time, ie the faster the train, the better. Since 2009, however, there è anche un altro motivo per augurarsi che i tempi di percorrenza siano il più breve possibile, dato che il nuovo Contratto di Servizio per il trasporto regionale prevede, a livello italiano, che le regioni paghino tale servizio non più a chilometro, ma a tempo. In sostanza, più un treno “occupa” la traccia oraria, più costa.

I treni regionali sono lenti perché fanno molte fermate, è la risposta che viene data di solito. E’ vero che con treni nuovi e opportunamente progettati per fare tante soste ravvicinate (tipo le metropolitane) molti minuti si potrebbero tagliare. Si, però perchè i tempi di sosta nelle stazioni minori sono state raddoppiati, portandoli da 30 secondi a 1 minuto round? Yet today the doors close automatically, then the dwell time should not increase or not ...?

A simple comparison
Because we want to see clearly, we decided to conduct a simple investigation, by comparing the travel times of regional trains for several years. Thanks to my fellow commuters who provided them to us, we came in possession of valuable historical time which proved an endless source of information.
Analyses were made on several lines of Liguria, taking into consideration the regional trains to a hypothetical business day.

important qualification: comparisons are made with the same stops , ossia si sono comparati tempi di percorrenza tra treni che effettuano lo stesso numero di fermate, proprio per rispondere all’obiezione di cui sopra.

Non pretendiamo di aver effettuato una analisi esaustiva di tutte le linee e di tutti i treni. Abbiamo fatto piuttosto dei confronti a campione (e altri sono in preparazione), che mostrano comunque delle evidenze interessanti e mostrano come, nel tempo, i treni regionali abbiano subito un progressivo incremento dei tempi di percorrenza, a parità di fermate.

Tratta Sestri Levante – Genova Principe

Nelle tabelle sono indicati il tempo minimo and maximum at which a train carries the same stops
In 1986 a regional train that carried out 9 stops employed an average of 1.2 minutes. Today it employs as many as 25 more! One minute per year, so to speak.
Come back is better, at least we're back to 1986 levels. (In the face of technological progress though!).
The upward trend is found even on the trains that carry the first leg 10, 13, 14, 15 and 16 stops, and the return on those making 5, 10 24:18 stops, while others are at 1999 levels .
those making 10 stops on the outward record with 12 and 15 minutes more than in 1986, those who carry out 13 saw increases between 2 and 7 minutes, those who made 14 increase between 5 and 7 minutes, the 15 stops increasing between 5 and 11 minutes between 1999 and 2011. Those with 16 stops, finally, increase from 8 to 20 minutes more between 1999 and 2011!
leave readers with the exercise for the return.

Another issue that is brought to explain the lengthening of journey times is the most crowded that the lines have undergone over the years. That argument does not seem supported, at least with regard to passenger trains, as if from 1986 to 1999, there were numerical increases, while between 1999 and 2011 decreased, although the content, the number of trains passing on the line.

Trafficking Genova - Voltri - Arenzano - Cogoleto (comparison by the WWF Liguria)

click to enlarge Here is the comparison between the years 1999/2000 and 2009, and also with respect to a line like complied, but in Switzerland.
were considered two regional Savona, is limited to the Brignole - Voltri. As you can see, between 1999/2000 and 2009 there are 6 more minutes. Analyzing the best partial, one sees that the increase is produced by an increase in parking in Genoa Principe (passed from one minute to 3) plus an increase in journey times between Brignole and Principe, Principe and Sampierdarena and Sampierdarena and Corniglia.

Finally, a look beyond the Alps: this is similar to a cover are used "well" 24 minutes, compared with 36 in 2009 and 30 in 1999/2000. And we're not talking about an isolated case: if we look at a similar line on the outskirts of Vienna, we have the same performance: with the same stops and mileage, is 25 minutes journey time.


Conclusion From these early to say that we, in our opinion, there is much work to do to try to bring greater levels within acceptable travel times, the moment is very abundant.

This will not only increase the ability to automatically della rete, liberando tracce, ma farebbe anche diminuire il costo del servizio per singolo treno, liberando risorse per migliorare il servizio stesso (o almeno, per non tagliarlo ulteriormente).

Ci auguriamo che qualche riflessione venga fatta alla luce di questi e dei successivi confronti che le diverse associazioni stanno compiendo, è un contributo fattivo che offriamo alla Regione, in modo del tutto gratuito e assolutamente costruttivo. Vorremmo poterci confrontare su questi argomenti anche con i tecnici e gli uffici regionali e di RFI per avere un proficuo scambio di idee e di informazioni, con l’unico scopo di migliorare un servizio che riveste una importanza cruciale per l’intera popolazione della Liguria.