One of the little-considered, but no less useful value-added features of Cable Propelled Transit is the ease with which headways, speed and capacity may be adjusted.
Throughout any given day, capacity and headway (and to a lesser extent, speed) needs on a specific transit line will fluctuate. That’s why we have terms such as “Crush Load” and “Rush Hour.” You just don’t need as much capacity from 10 am to 4 pm as you do from 7 am – 10 am. Like any transit technology, cable transit can be adjusted upwards or downwards to meet those needs.
The difference with cable, however, is that those changes can be made almost instantaneously with nothing more than a flick of a switch. No schedules, no complex logistics, no non-revenue service miles, no drivers missing their connection. It’s all automated, all simple.
It’s a small benefit, but a benefit nonetheless.