# Train Speed and Stop Spacing Explorer
Date: 2025-09-26

For urban rail, stopping distances (station spacing) are often quite
short - on the order of 1-2 kilometres. This is because people won’t
walk further than a kilometre. Wider spacing requires an all-stops and
express configuration, perhaps combined with the use of feeder buses.

As a result, *acceleration and braking* performance become a significant
factor in journey time. There’s even a certain point where increasing
the top speed does nothing, because the train has to start braking
before it has fully accelerated.

Acceleration and braking performance is limited on trains, because
standing passengers can’t take much more than about 1 m/s².

For high speed rail, stopping distances are much further apart - tens to
hundreds of kilometres. Here the acceleration and deceleration
performance is much less important.

High-speed and urban trains are usually geared differently for this
reason. The same power output can support high speed or high
acceleration, but not both.

Inputs

Stop spacing and vehicle performance

Average stop spacing (km)

Acceleration (m/s²)

Braking (m/s²)

Top speeds to compare (km/h, comma‑separated)

Run / Update

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Speed over distance

Export CSV

Results

Per‑scenario distances, times atnd averages:

Scenario

vpeak (km/h)

Accel dist (km)

Cruise dist (km)

Brake dist (km)

Section time (s)

Avg speed (km/h)

tacc (s)

tcruise (s)

tbrake (s)