What is one consequence of keeping passengers onboard during equipment failures?

Keeping passengers onboard during equipment failures can lead to extreme delays. When a train experiences an equipment failure, it often cannot continue its journey until the issue is resolved, which directly impacts the schedule. Passengers are typically left waiting on the train while maintenance teams assess and repair the problem. This waiting period can extend significantly, especially if the failure requires extensive repairs or diagnostic checks, resulting in delays not only for the affected train but possibly also for subsequent trains on the same line.

Additionally, once the train is moving again, it may still experience cascading effects on the overall schedule, leading to further delays for other services. Because of these factors, extreme delays become a very likely consequence of keeping passengers onboard during such incidents, as opposed to other options like efficiency improvements or better communication.