TheNZThrower
Active Member
According to this blog called The Rapid Transient, this table purports that BRTs and buses on dedicated lanes can achieve higher capacity than trains:

Now according to their source on frequency from New York YIMBY, which shows one line can handle that 30 train per minute frequency as of 2014, the E/F trains:

And if we look at the data sheet for the train used on the line from nycsubway.org, the R160, we see that it has a total capacity (seating + standing capacity) of 240 passengers for individual A cars and 246 for B cars:

This equates to a total of 1200-1230 people per 5-car train set (depending on whether it's the A or B model) or 960-984 people per 4-car train set. As it's most common for the trains to be coupled together, this leads to a capacity of 2400-2460 people per 10-car set and 1920-1968 for an 8-car set. Times both by 30 and we get the following results:
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So the truth appears to be that the highest capacity NYC Subway line according to the aforementioned sources can handle 57,000-73,000ish people per hour at peak capacity, which means the low end estimate is larger than the Lincoln Tunnel Busway capacity figures cited.
In addition, the Lincon Tunnel Busway, or the XBL, is a single uninterrupted bus lane inside a tunnel which funnels out into a massive bus terminal called the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Said terminal is one of the largest in the world to boot, and far larger than a typical subway or BRT station. A BRT with stations will naturally have lower capacity than the XBL, as buses have to travel with a far enough headway to permit stopping at stations. Thus a better comparison would be with an existing BRT line, such as the Istanbul Metrobus. The Metrobus can achieve a peak capacity of 45,000 passengers per hour according to Mercedes Benz, one of the bus suppliers for Metrobus.
What this means is that your typical metro can easily match if not exceed the capacity of the highest capacity BRT AFAIK.
Now according to their source on frequency from New York YIMBY, which shows one line can handle that 30 train per minute frequency as of 2014, the E/F trains:
And if we look at the data sheet for the train used on the line from nycsubway.org, the R160, we see that it has a total capacity (seating + standing capacity) of 240 passengers for individual A cars and 246 for B cars:
This equates to a total of 1200-1230 people per 5-car train set (depending on whether it's the A or B model) or 960-984 people per 4-car train set. As it's most common for the trains to be coupled together, this leads to a capacity of 2400-2460 people per 10-car set and 1920-1968 for an 8-car set. Times both by 30 and we get the following results:
59
E/F Line max capacity per hour (10-car R160) | E/F Line max capacity per hour (8-car R160) |
72,000-73,800 people | 57,600-59,040 people |
So the truth appears to be that the highest capacity NYC Subway line according to the aforementioned sources can handle 57,000-73,000ish people per hour at peak capacity, which means the low end estimate is larger than the Lincoln Tunnel Busway capacity figures cited.
In addition, the Lincon Tunnel Busway, or the XBL, is a single uninterrupted bus lane inside a tunnel which funnels out into a massive bus terminal called the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Said terminal is one of the largest in the world to boot, and far larger than a typical subway or BRT station. A BRT with stations will naturally have lower capacity than the XBL, as buses have to travel with a far enough headway to permit stopping at stations. Thus a better comparison would be with an existing BRT line, such as the Istanbul Metrobus. The Metrobus can achieve a peak capacity of 45,000 passengers per hour according to Mercedes Benz, one of the bus suppliers for Metrobus.
What this means is that your typical metro can easily match if not exceed the capacity of the highest capacity BRT AFAIK.