The benefits of frequency

Even in transport not everyone gets why running our trains frequently all day makes sense. Here's an answer I gave when someone described high frequency as 'unreasonable'.

It's very reasonable. Good 7-day frequency on the heavy rail core is accepted without contest in almost every other big city. And even some smaller, less dense ones (eg Perth).

In contrast, having massive fleets of trains that only get used for a few hours a day is inefficient use of infrastructure that we're paying for 24 hours of every day. Especially for rail networks where most costs are fixed.

Work patterns have changed. Many work outside 9-5. It's not the 1950s anymore. Why shouldn't this group of taxpayers also get a good service if the trains to run it already exist?

It's like if you had an ice cream shop that offers an empty cone for $3, one scoop for $3.50 and 2 scoops for $4.00. Of course you'd get 2 scoops! Our railway is currently only a 1 scooper.

You might enjoy these well-regarded books on transport topics

Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit Steven Higashide NEW!

The Public City: Essays in honour of Paul Mees Gleeson & Beza

A Political Economy of Access: Infrastructure, Networks, Cities, Institutions (Access Quintet Book 4) David Levinson

Human Transit: How Clearer Thinking about Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives Jarrett Walker

Transport for Suburbia: Beyond the Automobile Age Paul Mees

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