Travel dwell time

Travel dwell time is the time a vehicle, such as a bus or train, remains at a scheduled stop. During this time, the vehicle is not typically moving due to passengers boarding or disembarking, baggage being handled, or operational timing adjustments to stay on schedule. 

Longer dwell times at stops can slow down the entire service and increase delays. In rail, especially, dwell time has a strong impact on headways, which are the time intervals between consecutive trains. When dwell times are high, trains must be spaced further apart to avoid congestion on the tracks. Reducing dwell time can therefore allow more frequent service and better capacity utilization.

Physical elements such as the width and number of doors, as well as the interior layout, play a major role. That’s why metro systems design trains with many wide doors and level boarding to shorten dwell times and keep services running on tight schedules.