MBTA in a state of disrepair. (Boston: discount, union, time)

[msRB311]

What an awful way to die.

It seems like the doors don't actually close if something/someone is in the way? I've seen many times where the doors seem to be on a sensor if someone else suddenly jumps on. They do of course eventually close for good but it seems like there should be something letting the driver know if there's an obstruction in the door. At the same there's probably often an obstruction in the door. I dunno. Hard to blame everything on the driver and it looks like he did look. Perhaps one driver at the front of the train shouldn't be responsible for everything. There should be multiple workers on the trains.

[bostongymjunkie]

Red line derails at Broadway. No injuries.
https://www.boston25news.com/news/lo...JDVHQFDSL5CF4/

[BOORGONG]

Originally Posted by msRB311

What an awful way to die.

It seems like the doors don't actually close if something/someone is in the way? I've seen many times where the doors seem to be on a sensor if someone else suddenly jumps on. They do of course eventually close for good but it seems like there should be something letting the driver know if there's an obstruction in the door. At the same there's probably often an obstruction in the door. I dunno. Hard to blame everything on the driver and it looks like he did look. Perhaps one driver at the front of the train shouldn't be responsible for everything. There should be multiple workers on the trains.

Right.

I mean a door sensor of some kind to block departures. There is a plethora of minicams and sensors on Teslas and other cars that should obviously be part of transit operations. Same thing happened to a Young student from NJ on his way home from NYC a couple of years back. The family is suing the MTA. He also got stuck hanging outside a car’s shut doors and was hit by an incoming train. What a tragedy.

There was driver negligence in both cases I suppose, but the failure to equip trains with safety equipment that alerts/controls the train departures is a major factor in these events.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by BOORGONG

Right.

I mean a door sensor of some kind to block departures. There is a plethora of minicams and sensors on Teslas and other cars that should obviously be part of transit operations. Same thing happened to a Young student from NJ on his way home from NYC a couple of years back. The family is suing the MTA. He also got stuck hanging outside a car’s shut doors and was hit by an incoming train. What a tragedy.

There was driver negligence in both cases I suppose, but the failure to equip trains with safety equipment that alerts/controls the train departures is a major factor in these events.

The trains have sensors that don't allow a train to move if a door is open or obstructed, but they failed in this instance(a "short circuit."). The NTSB also reported that there was a blind spot for the driver who couldn't see either the victim or the red light over the door indicating that it was not closed.

None of that is excusable. There are cities that have full automated subway systems and don't have these types of incidents. There should be redundancies for every safety system and the operator should be alerted when something isn't working properly. And there should absolutely be no "blind spots" on any subway door. That's an easy fix with relatively inexpensive cameras. But we're dealing with trains that are 30-40 years old, so the technology is way out of date.

[msRB311]

A similar situation happened not long ago in DC/VA:

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/l...-says/3281399/

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by lrfox

The trains have sensors that don't allow a train to move if a door is open or obstructed, but they failed in this instance(a "short circuit."). The NTSB also reported that there was a blind spot for the driver who couldn't see either the victim or the red light over the door indicating that it was not closed.

None of that is excusable. There are cities that have full automated subway systems and don't have these types of incidents. There should be redundancies for every safety system and the operator should be alerted when something isn't working properly. And there should absolutely be no "blind spots" on any subway door. That's an easy fix with relatively inexpensive cameras. But we're dealing with trains that are 30-40 years old, so the technology is way out of date.

The T once posted an employee halfway down the train to open the window and physically look out on the platform front and back before the train left. I have not seen this done in years.

[msRB311]

https://www.wcvb.com/article/mbta-re...-door/60296621

I read this title quickly and thought they meant literal bags of body parts were stuck on a train

[msRB311]

things that will do absolutely nothing to help the MBTA:

low income fare approved:

https://www.wcvb.com/article/who-is-...-2024/60336510

and

MBTA to pay Chinese manufacturer up to $148M to speed up delivery of new subway train cars

https://www.boston25news.com/news/lo...MUVUB5CDOEJZY/

[MrDee12345]

Originally Posted by msRB311

MBTA to pay Chinese manufacturer up to $148M to speed up delivery of new subway train cars

https://www.boston25news.com/news/lo...MUVUB5CDOEJZY/

It's not ideal, but it's the least best option to getting all of the cars they need in reasonable amount of time.

If you read some of the experts on the Architecture Boston site, they've mostly conceded the same thing. They could punish the company for failing to provide all of the cars in a timely manner, but that could cost the state more money and more time, something the state does not have.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by msRB311

things that will do absolutely nothing to help the MBTA:

low income fare approved:

https://www.wcvb.com/article/who-is-...-2024/60336510

Where is Healey getting the money for this, amidst a massive budget deficit?