jis
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LD trains tend to have higher dwell times at platforms anyway due to baggage loading/unloading work and also because the riders are generally less adept and slow at getting on and off. They are not designed for quick loading/unloading with just one door per car. They are a very different breed from the swift corridor trains with adept passengers that load and unload quickly through multiple doors.
If the 10 min difference is evenly distributed among the 5 stops, we are talking like 2 minutes. And of course in congested corridor there is no guarantee that just because the speed limit is 125 they will always be running at 125 either. What the additional speed gives is the ability to be more reliably stay on time in face of all sorts of distractions that are common on the NEC. One of the biggest issues is that the LD trains have rather low priority on the totem pole. They spend a lot of time waiting for Acelas and Regionals to hurry by to stay on their tighter schedules with more stops.
If the 10 min difference is evenly distributed among the 5 stops, we are talking like 2 minutes. And of course in congested corridor there is no guarantee that just because the speed limit is 125 they will always be running at 125 either. What the additional speed gives is the ability to be more reliably stay on time in face of all sorts of distractions that are common on the NEC. One of the biggest issues is that the LD trains have rather low priority on the totem pole. They spend a lot of time waiting for Acelas and Regionals to hurry by to stay on their tighter schedules with more stops.