NotchRail

NotchRail (/'nɒtʃeɪəl/  noch -rayəl) is a rapid transit system in Notchropolis, Jebsten, Craftia, operated by the NotchTransit Corporation. It serves most urban and suburban areas of Notchropolis as well as most of the surrounding interurban area.

The NotchRail network has expanded significantly since its opening, especially between the 2020s and 2040s, to become Craftia's largest in terms of track length and number of stations. It is by far the busiest rapid transit system in Craftia, serving more than the next two busiest networks (the Bonestan Metro Railway and Troll City Subway) combined.

Name
The name "NotchRail" is a portmanteau of Notchropolis Railways, the original name of the network, and was first used as a nickname immediately after the first line opened in 1992. In 1995 it became the official name of the network.

In Chinese, the name of the network is 诺城地铁 (Pinyin: Nuòchéng Dìtiě), which literally translates to 'Notchropolis Metro' or 'Notchropolis Subway'.

In Japanese, the official name is ノチローポーリズ地下鉄 (Hepburn: Nochirōpōrizu Chikatetsu), which also translates to 'Notchropolis Metro'. However, owing to its long name, in practice the system is often referred to in common usage as ノチロ地下鉄 (Nochiro Chikatetsu), using Notchropolis' short form name in Japanese, or simply ノチライル (Nochirairu), using the transliteration of 'NotchRail' into Romaji.

Fleet

 * Main article: NotchRail Fleet 

The D Set and N Set are only ever used rarely, such as in special events.

Network
The NotchRail network consists of 11 network lines, denoted by a numerical code and a colour, typically in the form of a coloured block or belt.

Most of the network's lines travel through the city and suburban areas. They are numbered with the prefix L, with the exception of the City Circle loop line (CC) and the Airport Express service (AE).



Other modes of transport that have been integrated into the network (and often included on its map, though not technically counted as lines) include the Expo Metro, a light metro line serving the Expo Village (recently converted from rapid transit) and the Metro Monorail network.

No new lines have been built since 2047, with the network's focus since the 2050s shifting towards extending existing lines.

Services
All nine suburban lines run three different stopping patterns: all stations, limited stops and express. The Airport Express runs on a single all stations pattern, while the City Circle runs all stations and limited stops services.

Line headways
Note: 'Peak hour' is defined as the times of 7:00am to 9:30am (morning peak) and 5:00pm to 7:30pm (evening peak).

Operating hours
Services operate from 4:00am to 1:00am the next day, with the remaining three hours every early morning to be used for trackwork and maintenance. Normally, most NotchRail services operate on a 'turn-up-and-go' schedule with more services during peak hours. On special event days and public holidays the timetables are changed to enable most lines to run for 24-hour periods.

Interchange stations
The NotchRail network has 31 interchange stations (not including branch junction stations, minor or virtual interchanges and turnback stations). Nine of the interchange stations are major interchanges, with connect at least three different lines.

Ticketing
The NotchRail network uses the Obsidian contactless smartcard ticket system, replacing the old MyRail paper ticketing system.

There are five different types of reusable Obsidian cards, denoted by unique colours: Adult (black), Child/Youth (green), Senior/Pensioner (yellow), Concession (blue) and Student (silver).

Fares
The MyRail system used a per-line flat-fare system, meaning that a ticket is fixed in price no matter how far a passenger travelled along a line. However, with the introduction of the Obsidian card, fares are now distance-based.

Note:
 * 'Other' refers to Child/Youth, Senior/Pensioner and Concession cards.
 * Students with a valid Student Obsidian card and a proof of ID can use the NotchRail network free of charge during school days and between 7am and 9pm.
 * A $2.00 cap applies to all tickets (except single trip) on Sundays, and for pensioner cards any day of the week.

As a distance based system, Obsidian card users are required to tap on and tap off on all modes to ensure the correct fare is charged. If a user does not correctly tap off after tapping on, a default fare will be charged, which is equal to the maximum fare on that mode of travel. However, a lower default fare applies if it is not possible to reach the maximum fare on the route for which the tap on took place. On Sundays, the default fare is $2.50. The default fare will be charged after a time-out period of five hours from initial tap on or if the user changes modes or taps on at a gated station.

Usage
Usage surveys are conducted on the NotchRail network to help improve overcrowding. The results of a 2073 survey are shown here (incomplete).

NOTE: Average load percentages are calculated by Passengers/train ÷ Maximum (comfortable) train load. It is assumed that one car of a train can comfortably house 100 passengers and that when dealing with lines that operate different sets, the largest regularly operated set is used.

Sample stations are chosen by where the most passengers on a train is estimated to be at, choosing one station per line to sample trains from both directions. The sampling is conducted as the train arrives at the station, before the doors are opened and any passengers leave or enter the train.

The most crowded line is the Airport Express line, with 139% load rate. The City Circle and Pallet Line are tied for second, with 119% load rate each.

The least crowded line is the Achelous Line, with 56% and the second least is the Linford Line, with a mere 59%. The Allandale Line is the least crowded surburban line (67%)

Signage
The distinct NotchRail sign, present at the entrances of almost every NotchRail station, has been in place since 2015. Station name signs on the platforms are in English and Chinese.

Yellow lines
In 2052 as part of Project Revolution, all stations had yellow lines fitted at the edge of the platforms, to help promote safety around trains. Previously, only major stations had yellow lines on the platforms.

Short Platforms
Some stations have short platforms which only allow boarding or exiting from certain carriages (according to the set that normally serves the station/line).

Short platforms are assigned a rating. Ratings currently used are SPR2 (back 2 cars), SPF3 (front 3 cars), and SPM1 (middle car only).

Announcements and information systems
All trains have digital voice announcement (DVA) systems which activate announcements on information about the next station, etc. If the train has a guard, guards may also make announcements.

A majority of stations have destination indicator boards which show and update information about the next few trains.

Pickup, Setdown and Request stations
Some services will only pickup or setdown passengers at certain stations. This is to ensure passengers travelling to further away stations have enough room. Passengers should use the appropriate suburban service when applicable.

Some stations will only be stopped at if the guard is notified or on special event days. Below is a list of request only stations.
 * Clock Tower (stops on request or special events)
 * Haslem (stops on request on all stops services only)
 * Macdonald Racecourse (stops on request or on race days, occasional regular timetable stops)

Network map
An important part of NotchRail's identity is its network map. The map is a schematic diagram of the network which is based on the Sydney Trains map in Sydney, Australia. It is currently in its 7th major revision. See NotchRail Network Map for more information.

Projects
There have been several major projects in the history of NotchRail:
 * Project NotchRail (1992 - 1995), the original plan for the NotchRail system (before construction even finished), including the first line (City Line) and other inner city improvements. The name of NotchRail originates from this project.
 * Project Metro (2025 - 2033), a period of rapid construction of new lines despite the population growth slowing down slightly.
 * Project Revolution (2052 - 2054), a major modernisation of the Notchropolis Railway system, including renaming of the network to NotchRail, revamping of signage and decor, walls, lighting, accessibility and cleaning, new rollingstock and station naming scheme and site choice, and extensions of current lines.
 * Project Integration (2067 - 2070), extending current lines into the city (ie to Central) and providing more interchanges, since many NotchRail lines terminated on the outskirts of the city. Also upgraded were stations (repainted, added new decor, accessibility, etc.)
 * Project Refurbishment (2073 - 2075), refurbishing old lines and stations.

Extensions and new lines
As the city of Notchropolis always expanding, new lines and stations are built for the convenience of trav

Metro Monorail extension
Plans have emerged for the Metro Monorail to be extended from Animal Farm to City Museum (interchange with Dellfield Line).

New stations
There are often plans for new stations on already-built lines, due to growing development or other reasons. This is different from extensions, however, which involve building new track.

This list consists of new stations under planning or under construction.
 * Northdale - between Kayumba and Silverdale on the McArthur Line
 * Orchard Park - between Cartwright and Castlebrook Airport on the Castlebrook Line
 * SAO Centre - between Courage Point and Moss Vale on the Riverview Line