Skip-stop
Encyclopedia
Skip-stop is a public transit service pattern which reduces travel times and increases capacity by not having all vehicles make all designated stops along a route. Skip-stops are used in both rail transit and bus transit operations.
Since one rail vehicle can only pass another by using an additional track, skip-stop reduces overall travel times without any additional investment in infrastructure
. Express services, where trains skip many stops along a route, require either careful scheduling or places for faster services to pass slower ones. Rapid transit systems normally run too frequently for scheduling to offer a solution, and in some systems there is no place for the slower train to pull aside for the faster train to pass. Skip-stop reduces some of the increased travel time resulting from more passengers boarding and leaving vehicles. Rail skip-stop is normally employed during busier travel hours; trains make all stops during off-peak hours, such as evenings and weekends.
In some systems, such as the New York City Subway
, these are considered as two separate services ( and the former /), as if the two services were separate lines instead of two different stopping patterns on the same line. On other systems, such as Philadelphia's SEPTA, they are distinguished by lights on the train, and stations skipped by half the trains are designated "A" and "B" stations depending on which trains stop there. Chicago
's CTA
elevated system used skip-stop service from the 1940s until the early 1990s, at which point all-stop service patterns replaced skip-stop service. This was done to reduce waiting times for passengers riding to or from "A" and "B" stations who could only take half of the trains. It also eliminated the need for a train transfer for passengers riding from an "A" station to a "B" station which required a transfer at an "AB" (all trains stop) station to complete their trip. Further, the system was simpler to use for new riders and visitors.
. Skip-stop operation reduces travel time and increases the number of buses that the streets and bus stops are able to accommodate. With skip-stop operations, bus routes are typically grouped together by geographic area in order to provide a common stop for areas that are served by multiple routes. The skip-stop groups are sometimes identified by color or letter so that passengers and bus operators can easily identify their desired stop. A disadvantage with skip-stops is that passengers may have to walk farther or change buses to catch their intended bus, which increases travel time. Passengers may also be unsure about which bus stop to walk towards to catch their intended bus.
Skip-stops work best when buses are able to easily pass each other at bus stops, such as on a low-traffic street, street with bus stop pockets or dedicated busway with at least two lanes in each direction. If there is a large amount of other traffic on the street or only a single bus lane is provided, then buses have difficulty passing each other and much of the benefit of using skip-stops is not realized.
In Seattle, WA, which has an extensive local and regional bus system operated by three different transit agencies, skip-stops are used on 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Avenues in the downtown area. Bus routes on 3rd Avenue are grouped into Blue and Yellow stops, while bus routes on 2nd and 4th Avenue are grouped into Red and White stops.
In Portland, OR, Trimet
and C-Tran buses use skip stops on the Bus Mall in Downtown Portland. The Bus Mall is under construction through May 2009. During construction, these buses are temporarily re-routed to 3rd and 4th Avenues, and grouped into skip-stops identified by letters A, B, C for southbound on 3rd Avenue and X, Y, Z for northbound on 4th Avenue.
Rail operation
When skip stops are used in rail transit, the transit operator designates stations as either major or minor, typically by ridership. All vehicles stop at the major stations, but only half stop at the minor ones, which are given different designations such as "A" and "B".Since one rail vehicle can only pass another by using an additional track, skip-stop reduces overall travel times without any additional investment in infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
. Express services, where trains skip many stops along a route, require either careful scheduling or places for faster services to pass slower ones. Rapid transit systems normally run too frequently for scheduling to offer a solution, and in some systems there is no place for the slower train to pull aside for the faster train to pass. Skip-stop reduces some of the increased travel time resulting from more passengers boarding and leaving vehicles. Rail skip-stop is normally employed during busier travel hours; trains make all stops during off-peak hours, such as evenings and weekends.
In some systems, such as the New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
, these are considered as two separate services ( and the former /), as if the two services were separate lines instead of two different stopping patterns on the same line. On other systems, such as Philadelphia's SEPTA, they are distinguished by lights on the train, and stations skipped by half the trains are designated "A" and "B" stations depending on which trains stop there. Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's CTA
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
elevated system used skip-stop service from the 1940s until the early 1990s, at which point all-stop service patterns replaced skip-stop service. This was done to reduce waiting times for passengers riding to or from "A" and "B" stations who could only take half of the trains. It also eliminated the need for a train transfer for passengers riding from an "A" station to a "B" station which required a transfer at an "AB" (all trains stop) station to complete their trip. Further, the system was simpler to use for new riders and visitors.
Helsinki commuter rail
Helsinki commuter rail extensively uses skip-stop services. Below there is a chart to demonstrate the skip-stop system in use.Bus Operation
In bus operations, skip-stop refers to a stopping pattern where buses do not stop at every block or at every designated bus stop, typically in a central business districtCentral business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. Skip-stop operation reduces travel time and increases the number of buses that the streets and bus stops are able to accommodate. With skip-stop operations, bus routes are typically grouped together by geographic area in order to provide a common stop for areas that are served by multiple routes. The skip-stop groups are sometimes identified by color or letter so that passengers and bus operators can easily identify their desired stop. A disadvantage with skip-stops is that passengers may have to walk farther or change buses to catch their intended bus, which increases travel time. Passengers may also be unsure about which bus stop to walk towards to catch their intended bus.
Skip-stops work best when buses are able to easily pass each other at bus stops, such as on a low-traffic street, street with bus stop pockets or dedicated busway with at least two lanes in each direction. If there is a large amount of other traffic on the street or only a single bus lane is provided, then buses have difficulty passing each other and much of the benefit of using skip-stops is not realized.
In Seattle, WA, which has an extensive local and regional bus system operated by three different transit agencies, skip-stops are used on 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Avenues in the downtown area. Bus routes on 3rd Avenue are grouped into Blue and Yellow stops, while bus routes on 2nd and 4th Avenue are grouped into Red and White stops.
In Portland, OR, Trimet
TriMet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon...
and C-Tran buses use skip stops on the Bus Mall in Downtown Portland. The Bus Mall is under construction through May 2009. During construction, these buses are temporarily re-routed to 3rd and 4th Avenues, and grouped into skip-stops identified by letters A, B, C for southbound on 3rd Avenue and X, Y, Z for northbound on 4th Avenue.