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Providence Line delayed for two hours and more; commuters disgusted to the core
By adamg on Thu, 05/16/2019 - 10:13am
An inbound train that died early this morning on the Providence Line caused a cascade of delays that made some commuters more than two hours late getting into Boston.
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Comments
Mechanical Issue is a broad phrase
While the MBTA may believe tagging this as a "mechanical issue" is sufficient, that can also make the ridership believe that the train was not mechanically sound. That is not always the case.
All MBTA trains, commuter, subway, and trolley, have several safety systems built in that cause the train to stop and not work if they are triggered. This includes doors not closed properly, leaks in brake lines, over-heated engines. Yes, that may mean that there is a mechanical issue, but the safety systems kick in to protect the people.
Automobiles have the same thing - the proverbial "service engine" light. But autos allow you to keep driving and plan your service trips to the mechanic. Trains don't allow that.
So broken? Yes. Frustrating? Yes. But the likelihood is that a safety system kicked in to assure passenger safety.
My best guess? They lost the train's safety interlock. The safety interlock monitors multiple systems and if anything is not just right, it prevents the train from moving. So maybe... just maybe... the broken train was working as designed. That doesn't excuse the maintenance problems but maybe... just maybe... it educates the ridership that sometimes this is for their safety.
Nothing changes. It does, however, frame the issue differently.
Also... trains operate on a closed loop. If one stops, federal regulation says that all trains behind it have to stop as well. Changing tracks to go passed the broken train impedes those trains moving in the opposite direction, and deviating from the operating plan is harder to over-ride than you may think. So a part of the delay is federal regulations that govern how trains may operate safely.
That doesn't change things either but adds education to the "why" when these delays happen.
Sorry, but that's a load a B
Sorry, but that's a load a B.S.
Yes, there are fail-safe systems on a train. So what? Nobody accused the T of putting lives at risk with these mechanical issues.
The MBTA's commuter rail trains break down far more than they should. And far more than other U.S. passenger railroads.
If your car broke down once a month (like each of the T's commuter rail trains does on average), and your neighbor's car went 50 years between breakdowns, would you do nothing about it? Or would you consider replacing your car with the kind he's driving, and asking him how he maintains it?
The "check engine" light on a car is an invalid analogy. It's for things that really DON'T matter. There are more serious alarms where you do have to stop driving immediately, like the oil light or brake light. But this has nothing to do with the failure rate of MBTA trains.
The T's trains can and do run with doors open.
"trains operate on a closed loop. If one stops, federal regulation says that all trains behind it have to stop as well." -- nope. Only trains that are close enough to be at a stop signal have to stop.
Please don't spread misinformation like this.
Are the current delays related?
Looks like both MBTA and Amtrak are delayed again in both directions due to a downed catenary.
I was on this train
It was pure crap. Hey T peeps. Instead of a billion for South Coast Rail; how about making Providence Rail work first?