Granted from what i read on this forum , the trains are very orchestrated , and have exact times which is fine. But something needs to be done with crowd control at penn station. i think a roped lineup would help . making people form a line earlier. But the fact is everyone behaves and thinks the train is going to leave without them , i have experienced this myself. Why cant NJT/ amtrak agree on longer boarding times at penn. IF people knew they had a reasonable time to go down the steps , there wouldnt people fighting to squeeze thru the 2 people max door . Its just shows the failure of transit in the USA .
Yup. I'd imagine the train dwell time is indeed highly orchestrated, and they can't just increase dwell time in the station. Furthermore, they need the flexibility to arrive at an open track, especially when things start going south with the schedule. Where would you put the roped line? How would it be an improvement, if you can't guarantee the track that the train comes on?
Also, NYC commuters are not going to stand in line. They'll just hang out around the line, and shove themselves through the door as usual. There is a prize to be had - your choice of a preferred seat.