How many football fields will a train take to stop at 55 mph?
THE AVERAGE FREIGHT TRAIN TRAVELING 55 MILES PER HOUR CAN TAKE A MILE OR MORE TO STOP — THE LENGTH OF 18 FOOTBALL FIELDS.
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An average freight train traveling at 55 mph may take a mile (5,280 feet) or more to stop, the length of 18 football fields! Trains can stop, but they can't stop quickly.
To calculate braking distances it is therefore a matter of knowing the train braking parameters for each type of train and the gradient of the track and apply Newtonian physics (see equation (3)). However to compensate for these simplifications and the variable factors, an allowance of 15-20% is usually added.
The average freight train, traveling at 55 MPH, takes anywhere from 1 to 1½ miles to stop. Traveling at the same speed, the average automobile can stop in only 200 feet. The heavier the object, the longer the stopping distance.
The Glacier Express is the world's slowest train, taking more than eight hours to travel between Zermatt and St. Moritz in Switzerland at an average of 18mph. Along the way, it passes over nearly 300 bridges, travels through 91 tunnels and takes in endless stunning Alpine views.
U.S. railways are privately owned and operated, though the Consolidated Rail Corporation was established by the federal government and Amtrak uses public funds to subsidize privately owned intercity passenger trains.
The train is faster, bigger, and more powerful – it can't stop fast enough to avoid you. People have died because they tried to outrun a train. Pedestrians have died because they were walking on the tracks and did not realize how fast the train was coming.
Fact #4: Trains Can Stop, But Not QuicklyThat's the length of 18 football fields. So if you think a train can see you and stop in time, think again. Trains cannot stop quickly enough to avoid a collision, which is why vehicles should never drive around lowered gates or try to “beat” a train.