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Red Line on Longfellow really jerky; riders on trains not feeling so perky
By adamg on Wed, 02/24/2016 - 9:04am
Shortly before 9 a.m., Lyzard reported:
MBTA is jerking us around on the Longfellow for over 10 minutes .start.. Stop.. Starts. Stops. Riders Ready to puke.
Five minutes later, the T announced "moderate" delays due to signal problems on the bridge and now at least one train is just sitting there.
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Comments
T worker from Charles stop
T worker from Charles stop had to come switch the train into override mode. Apparently these jerky start then full-stop 3 feet later problems on the red line are caused by a faulty signal that the train is reacting to, and not the train itself.
Same as Runaway
That's the same problem as the runaway train a few months ago. The signals transmit a signal that tells the train how fast it may go, or make it stop. If the train cannot get the right sync the system causes the train to stop. Under the new rules the train operator cannot climb out to over-ride the system using the outside switch. They have to get another approved employee to come out to the train to do it, hence the need to get someone from Charles to walk out there.
Keep in mind this over-ride switch was in the operator's cab until the trains were rebuilt back in the mid-80s. Some brilliant person in an office at the DOT ordered it moved outside to make it less-accessible to the operators, who knew all too well that these signals would fail, and would over-ride the system to keep the trains moving. Slow... but moving, until they got to the next signal and could sync up again.
IIRC, the override switch
was moved outside the cab based on an NTSB recommendation stemming from two crashes on the CTA, both of which were mainly attributable to operators improperly overriding the train control system without authorization from the dispatcher.
Also keep in mind that, in the mid-80s, signal failures on the Red Line were relatively uncommon as compared to today. Given these factors, it is not suprising that somebody at the MBTA would make the decision to place the override switches on the outside of the cars when they were rebuilt.
This is not new....
This has been happening a lot the past couple days, always coming into the station across the bridge. The announcers on my trains have been good about letting us know there's a signal problem, but you would hope the higher-ups would realize something should be fixed rather than wait until something actually happens....
Noticed the same thing
Why can't they fix this signal problem I wonder?
Because Homeland Security hasn't yet
offered them a grant for signal repair.
Here is a new one for ya...
I was on the red line proceeding over the Longfellow when an announcement came on that the rails may be slippery (although they are probably not slippery now) but, nevertheless, the train will be moving slower just in case. Now we are preempting.
As I said, I have road on the T since the mid 80s and I do not remember ever having to slow down due to a preemptive slippery rail.
Sigh.
I'll say it again.
(Third) World Class, baby!
I have not found a way to
I have not found a way to blame Baker for this yet, folks, but rest assured I am trying very, very hard right now and will post something momentarily!