by rr503
ExCon90 wrote:Also, if initial ridership is low because of scant frequency, such as lack of a couple of "cleanup" trains after the pm rush hour, it may be difficult to get funding for expansion of service, making the initial low ridership a self-fulfilling prophecy.My point exactly. Realized loads per train generally follows a rough approximation of a laffer curve if plotted against frequency. This is also why ‘doing it right’ ie analyzing and tailoring service/pricing to a given market should be much, much, much more important than acting reactively to passenger loads. If the latter, myopic route is taken, one has no way of knowing if perceived disinterest in a service is a factor of corridor demand or service provided.