Question

A freight train leaves the train station 44 hours before a passenger train. The two trains are traveling in the same direction on parallel tracks. If the rate of the passenger train is 11 mph faster than the freight​ train, how fast is each train traveling if the passenger train passes the freight train in 20 ​hours?

Answer 1

key concept: at catch-up time, they both will have travelled the same distance

rate of freight train ---- x mph
rate of passenger ----- x+11 mph

time taken by passenger = 20 hrs
time taken by freight = 64 hrs

distance covered by passenger tr. = 20(x+11)
distance covered by freight tr = 64x

64x = 20(x+11)
64x = 20x + 220
44x = 220
x = 5

Freight train averages 5 mph, the passenger train averages 16 mph ??????

check:
freight goes 64 hrs at 5 mph ----> 320 miles
pass. tr. goes 20 hrs at 16 hrs ---> 320 miles
My answer is correct, even though it is a rather silly question.