Which term describes the time between successive trains at a given location?

Which term describes the time between successive trains at a given location?

• A. The time a train remains at a station
• B. The official schedule listing departure and arrival times
• C. The time interval between successive trains, typically at a given location
• D. The time it takes for a train to travel from its origin to its destination

Answer: (C)

Headway is the time between successive trains passing a fixed point on the line. It directly reflects how often trains arrive and depart at that location; shorter headways mean more frequent service and higher capacity. It’s not dwell time (how long a train stays at a station), not the timetable (the official schedule of arrivals and departures), and not travel time (how long a train takes to go from origin to destination). For example, if trains come by every 5 minutes, the headway is 5 minutes. Headway can vary by time of day and is influenced by signaling, track layout, and overall congestion, making it a key measure of service frequency and potential crowding at that spot.

Headway is the time between successive trains passing a fixed point on the line. It directly reflects how often trains arrive and depart at that location; shorter headways mean more frequent service and higher capacity. It’s not dwell time (how long a train stays at a station), not the timetable (the official schedule of arrivals and departures), and not travel time (how long a train takes to go from origin to destination). For example, if trains come by every 5 minutes, the headway is 5 minutes. Headway can vary by time of day and is influenced by signaling, track layout, and overall congestion, making it a key measure of service frequency and potential crowding at that spot.