ATCS was implemented to eliminate coupling by running 1 or 2-car trains
every 90 seconds. The media continues to propogate the misconception that
ATCS was implemented to increase speed, capacity or safety. Thus one of
the chief advantages of light rail, the ability to couple cars together to
form long trains with large passenger capacity, is not utilized. As was
pointed out earlier, the Forest Hill and West Portal Stations cannot
accommodate 4-car Breda trains.
Coupling the Boeings together is essentially a slow speed crash, and I can
see that this causes undesirable wear and tear. What were the problems
with the Boeing couplers, and were the Breda couplers improved? Does
anyone know if the Breda coupling device is durable enough for routine use?
Do the Breda's really need to be retrofitted with a "nearly perfect
coupling device"?
The Monday Chronicle stated each Breda costs $2.3 million, and the new ones
on order cost $2.7 million each. Several months earlier, the Chronicle
stated the city had purchased 59 Bredas for $215 million, or $3.7 million
each. What's the real number?