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Calcimator

Platform Length Calculator

Calculate station platform length from train consist, car count, locomotive configuration, and stopping tolerance. Includes ADA zone and capacity estimates.

Inputs

ft
ft
ft

Results

Required platform length

810 ft

≈ 10 tennis courts

Platform length (metric)246.9 m
Train consist length750 ft
Recommended width20 ft
Platform area16,200 sq ft
ADA boarding zones2
ADA zone total length120 ft
Comfortable capacity972 persons
Maximum capacity1,944 persons
Canopy/shelter length567 ft
Tactile Strip Sections41
Clear Envelope Width (ft)10
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Number of passenger cars, Car length, and Locomotives.
  2. Set Locomotive length and Stopping tolerance.
  3. Review the Required platform length (ft) result.
  4. Use Platform length (metric) and Train consist length (ft) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Number of passenger cars

Number of passenger carsRequired platform length
2.9377 ft
7.65780 ft
131,235 ft
181,660 ft

What each input means

Number of passenger cars
Passenger cars in the longest train consist serving this station.
Car length
Individual car length (commuter ~85 ft, metro ~60-75 ft, HSR ~82 ft).
Locomotives
Number of locomotives (0 for EMU/DMU self-propelled trains).
Locomotive length
Length of each locomotive (typical: 70 ft diesel, 65 ft electric).
Stopping tolerance
Additional platform length beyond train ends for stop variability.

What each result means

Required platform length
Minimum platform length including stopping tolerance.
Platform length (metric)
Platform length in meters.
Train consist length
Total length of the train (cars + locomotives).
Recommended width
Recommended platform width based on train length.
Platform area
Total platform surface area.
ADA boarding zones
Minimum number of accessible boarding zones required.
ADA zone total length
Total length dedicated to accessible boarding.
Comfortable capacity
Platform capacity at comfortable spacing (10 sq ft/person).
Maximum capacity
Maximum standing capacity (5 sq ft/person, crush load).
Canopy/shelter length
Recommended covered area (70% of platform length).

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Number of passenger cars = 8, Car length = 85, Locomotives = 1, Locomotive length = 70 = 5 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Required platform length
    Required platform length = trainLengthFt + 2 * stoppingToleranceFt
    810 = 810
  3. Calculate Platform length
    Platform length = platformLengthFt * 0.3048
    246.9 = 246.9
  4. Calculate Train consist length
    Train consist length = numberOfCars * carLengthFt + numberOfLocomotives * locomotiveLengthFt
    750 = 750

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