axlecounter
Member
Well admittedly it's not a 'problem' I've ever seen discussed, but...
I'm sure we can all agree that when you've got 120 tonnes (say) of train, cruising at (say) 70mph, then bringing it to a halt and then getting it up to speed again when there is no reason to do so (because no-one wants to embark or disembark) is not a good thing, from the point of view both of wear and tear, and fuel costs...
Stopping this happening using relatively cheap modern communications technology might seem to be a quick win.
I recall once reading a newspaper article that had the estimated financial cost of the brake-wear when bringing an HST to a halt. Unfortunately I can't remember the figure now
But if it doesn't happen now, I can definitely see it happening when driverless trains come along... I boldly foresee that small stations on all lines will become request stops!
Surely it can be done: http://www.bahnbilder.de/bilder/halt-auf-verlangen-bei-rhb-92372.jpg