Metro-North passenger train derails in NYC

[realizm]

In the case of Rockefeller, Metropolitan Transportation Authority police detectives, with assistance from the Bronx district attorney started an investigation looking to press criminal charges against the MNRR engineer. Drug test results were not complete at least as of yesterday.

 

What I am wondering is that even if drug results turn up negative can Rockerfeller still be charged with counts of manslaughter?

[nostalgia]

In the case of Rockefeller, Metropolitan Transportation Authority police detectives, with assistance from the Bronx district attorney started an investigation looking to press criminal charges against the MNRR engineer. Drug test results were not complete at least as of yesterday.

 

What I am wondering is that even if drug results turn up negative can Rockerfeller still be charged with counts of manslaughter?

A grand jury can indict you for anything. Being convicted in a trial is something else.

[Tokkemon]

Coming into work this morning, I've never seen the number "82" in such big, bold, red print so many times before. The papers are having a field day.

[realizm]

Video coverage posted by the MTA on youtube:

 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

While I see where you're coming from, having them do that would be impractical. However what they should be doing is having buses shuttle people from Hudson Line stations to Harlem Line stations, instead of putting them on the 1.

I don't see how it's that impractical.  Instead of having everyone pile on the one and having to provide all of those shuttles, have the crowds dispersed accordingly.  Some on the express bus, some on the and some of the Harlem Line.  I wrote a few politicians suggesting that Metro-North cross honor their tickets for people in Riverdale and allow them to use the express bus.  That would free up space on shuttles to allow them to either serve the Harlem line or the line.  I had a tutoring session after work last night and the train was packed to the rafters.  Tried getting on at Columbus Circle. I let three trains go by before I finally could get on one.

[nostalgia]

Video coverage posted by the MTA on youtube:

 

They are pumping out the fuel from the diesel.

[Burrstone]

What I am wondering is that even if drug results turn up negative can Rockerfeller still be charged with counts of manslaughter?

 

Yes, you don't have to be high or drunk...  Let's ignore the the unknown (brake failure or human error) the DA will argue that his speeding was a contributing factor (of not the cause, would the train have derailed if he was not speeding)?  He was operating outside outside of a posted speed limit which makes him negligent and a contributing cause to the accident, and deaths...  

 

You can already tell by the media circus the state needs to throw someone under the bus to shade the story away from MNRR's shitty record as of late, he will be charged...  Whether I believe it or he was the cause of the accident/deaths or not, like most accidents I'll make my personal decision when I hear all the facts.

 

I was reading the article on the bus driver in the Bronx who was charged after that tragic accident a couple of years ago, something I have not thought about  Rockafeller could also be charged with a count of assault for each person injured!

 

BUT...

 

A grand jury can indict you for anything. Being convicted in a trial is something else.

 

Exactly, they would have to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that Rocafeller was the cause of the accident and "acted criminally negligent."  I don't know know if they can do that (but who knows what else will turn up.  

 

I hate high profile cases like this that are all over the media, the accused can't get a fair trial.  There is too much emotion and the general public already has convicted the accused...  Then again the Bronx bus driver was acquitted which surprised me, not that I thought he was guilty but I thought he couldn't get a fair trial in this area.

 

Coming into work this morning, I've never seen the number "82" in such big, bold, red print so many times before. The papers are having a field day.

 

Everybody has their day, even the number 82, but I bet he wished he was he was the powerball number, not associated with this.  lol

[Via Garibaldi 8]

 

Yeah, how dare you disrespect the four deceased people and countless others who were injured and shaken up from the crash. 

 

The shuttle alternative is an emergency situation. The MTA has no time worrying about people feeling comfortable, because this is an emergency. Their lone worry right now is to get the people to and fro safely any way they can. Bowel-moving about comfort should be the last thing the MTA (and everyone commuting, I'll add, including yourself) has on its mind.

 

It's better to be uncomfortable, late, and in one piece than on time and dead.

 

Excuse me but people have been fired from their jobs for being late. I don't know if you understand that concept since I believe you've started working professionally yet.  You have people that had almost a 6 hour commute yesterday.  I think those people have every right to complain, for they can be standing on the unemployment line.  That's almost an entire work day spent just trying to get and from work.  

 

 

Can we talk about express buses elsewhere, and you do understand that alittle bit less than half of nj transits fleet is motorcoach. Some NJ transit bus routes are longer than rail lines.

Yeah and?  They're running all of these shuttle buses to shuttle people to the subway so they could better utilize their services by running more trains on the Harlem and New Haven lines and putting in a few more express bus runs on the East Side. They're even running Access-A-Ride buses up there which has to be pretty expensive.  

[Roadcruiser1]

Recent reports from the N.T.S.B. reveal those brakes worked. The driver was actually speeding.........http://news.yahoo.com/ntsb-train-going-too-fast-211737922.html

[lirr42]

Recent reports from the N.T.S.B. reveal those brakes worked. The driver was actually speeding.........http://news.yahoo.com/ntsb-train-going-too-fast-211737922.html

 

I would not take anything from the press at face value until the final report has come out.  News agencies have been known to add a little color in an effort to attract readers.

[Roadcruiser1]

On another topic. What if the installs timers around that curve? Will it prevent accidents then????????

[nostalgia]

On another topic. What if the installs timers around that curve? Will it prevent accidents then????????

It won't do any good to put timers on the curve. Metro North cars don't have tripping equipment as on the subway.

 

However, Metro North can reconfigure the signal prior to the curve so that approach medium is the most favorable signal instead of clear. If the engineer didn't make a 20 PSI brake reduction, the train would dump its air.

[Lance]

 

 

 

Excuse me but people have been fired from their jobs for being late. I don't know if you understand that concept since I believe you've started working professionally yet. You have people that had almost a 6 hour commute yesterday. I think those people have every right to complain, for they can be standing on the unemployment line. That's almost an entire work day spent just trying to get and from work.

 

 

 

Yeah and? They're running all of these shuttle buses to shuttle people to the subway so they could better utilize their services by running more trains on the Harlem and New Haven lines and putting in a few more express bus runs on the East Side. They're even running Access-A-Ride buses up there which has to be pretty expensive.

First off, the MTA's concerns begin and end with the derailment. Nothing more, nothing less. The fact that some a**hole boss fired someone over this comes across as an excuse to simply fire said employee. That's if what you say even happened.

 

Secondly, there are a couple of reasons why alternate service is being provided as it is. The first is logistics. It wouldn't be feasible to provide connecting service to each Hudson Line station affected by this. It would require a multitude of extra buses to ferry riders from Hudson Line stations to Harlem Line ones. And that doesn't factor in road traffic the buses would have to deal with. I've done a few calculations and it would take upwards of a half-hour to travel between stations. At least with the way it's set up now, he shuttle buses basically have to shoot down Broadway to get to either 242 St or Yonkers station. Connecting th Harlem and Hudson stations would require meandering down local streets and bouncing around the weaving highways.

 

The second reason why the bus shuttles are set up this way is to prevent overcrowding. I know you're probably going to argue that the 1-trains are crowded as a result of all of this, but sending all the Hudson line riders over to the Harlem line between Yonkers and Harlem-125 St would severely overcrowd the line. Especially given that riders are being ferried over from Tarrytown if I'm not mistaken.

[Tokkemon]

He's just mad that he had to ride the subway to work! *shudder*

[Via Garibaldi 8]

First off, the MTA's concerns begin and end with the derailment. Nothing more, nothing less. The fact that some a**hole boss fired someone over this comes across as an excuse to simply fire said employee. That's if what you say even happened.

 

Secondly, there are a couple of reasons why alternate service is being provided as it is. The first is logistics. It wouldn't be feasible to provide connecting service to each Hudson Line station affected by this. It would require a multitude of extra buses to ferry riders from Hudson Line stations to Harlem Line ones. And that doesn't factor in road traffic the buses would have to deal with. I've done a few calculations and it would take upwards of a half-hour to travel between stations. At least with the way it's set up now, he shuttle buses basically have to shoot down Broadway to get to either 242 St or Yonkers station. Connecting th Harlem and Hudson stations would require meandering down local streets and bouncing around the weaving highways.

 

The second reason why the bus shuttles are set up this way is to prevent overcrowding. I know you're probably going to argue that the 1-trains are crowded as a result of all of this, but sending all the Hudson line riders over to the Harlem line between Yonkers and Harlem-125 St would severely overcrowd the line. Especially given that riders are being ferried over from Tarrytown if I'm not mistaken.

Where did I state anywhere about running shuttle buses to the Harlem or New Haven Lines? They're already encouraging people to go those lines on their own, so if they're so concerned about safety and capacity, then they wouldn't be encouraging them at all.  Let those people go to those lines and add a few more trains where possible.  No shuttle buses needed.  That would allow them to scale back on shuttle buses at Yonkers.  Allow cross honoring of Metro-North tickets/passes for those in Riverdale to use the current express buses instead of running tons of Hudson Rail Link Shuttle buses to the line, which very few people are using I may add.  In short, I think they should be spreading out the passenger loads and could do so without exerting tons of extra service in the process and that's precisely what I've suggested to local leaders here in Riverdale.

 

 

He's just mad that he had to ride the subway to work! *shudder*

Where did you get that from?    This isn't about my commute at all because my commute has been just fine on the express bus.  I have a problem with my fellow Riverdalians having to endure that ridiculous commute though, esp. when they're paying a premium fare for quick access to the East Side/Grand Central. 

[mrsubway]

I'm sorry if this was asked before.  I searched the thread.  I have two questions.

 

1.  Does this type of train have a dead man's switch?

2.  Is there cab signaling on this type of trains and/or in the area of the accident?

 

I'm freaked out.  I live in the Bronx literally a mile or two from where this happened.

[trainfan22]

On another topic. What if the installs timers around that curve? Will it prevent accidents then????????

I don't think the Metro North trains are as responsive as a subway car so I don't think that will work. Push Pull and CSX running on a line with timers doesn't seem to be a great idea as they would have to crawl to clear them.

[mrsubway]

Yes.  Makes sense.  I always wondered, with the center of gravity, if pushing is less stable than pulling.  I'm no physics expert, but in my mind I can picture pushing being a bit more tricky.  In pulling, a sudden stop and all the cars behind the locomotive get squeezed together or pushed into each other.  Pushing from behind and the loco loses power, the cars tend to want to pull AWAY from it.  I could be totally off base here but that's how I picture it.  In any event, today's news stories don't look good for that motorman.  There was something wrong with him for sure.  80+ in a 30MPH zone?  That's just lunacy! 

[nostalgia]

I don't think the Metro North trains are as responsive as a subway car so I don't think that will work. Push Pull and CSX running on a line with timers doesn't seem to be a great idea as they would have to crawl to clear them.

Timers only work on the subway. Metro North doesn't have them.

 

I'm sorry if this was asked before.  I searched the thread.  I have two questions.

 

1.  Does this type of train have a dead man's switch?

2.  Is there cab signaling on this type of trains and/or in the area of the accident?

 

I'm freaked out.  I live in the Bronx literally a mile or two from where this happened.

Train has an alerter system. If the engineer doesn't press the acknowledge button after the alerter goes off, the train dumps its air. There is no dead man's switch.

 

Trains use cab signals, which have nothing to do with speed restrictions. They signal if the track is clear ahead. (This is somewhat overstated to easily explain.)

[mrsubway]

Many thanks nostalgia!  I see.  I thought the alerter system was for speed as well.  Thanks for clearing that up.  Wow.  So many things fell into place for this tragedy to happen it seems.

[alberchico]

 

 

Excuse me but people have been fired from their jobs for being late. I don't know if you understand that concept since I believe you've started working professionally yet.  You have people that had almost a 6 hour commute yesterday.  I think those people have every right to complain, for they can be standing on the unemployment line.  That's almost an entire work day spent just trying to get and from work.  

 

 

I doubt an employer would fire someone for arriving late when the system has clearly been thrown in chaos by this accident.Now if you've been late before and you're on thin ice with your boss then its a different story. Commuter trains will always have technical issues and delays. The LIRR also has issues despite massive investments in new cars and infrastructure. I'm sure other regional transit systems also have their problems. 

[trainfan22]

I know Metro North doesn't have timers, I ridden most of the Metro North system cept for the Danbury/Waterbury, north of southeast and I ridden at the RFW on the older cars on the NH line coming into GCT and I noticed there wasn't no timers   

[mrsubway]

Something I don't get.  I commute to work via subway everyday and rarely ride Metro North.  Now, I'm sure this would be an inter-agency fiasco, but couldn't Metro North Hudson trains be sent down the Amtrak ROW to Penn Station temporarily?  I understand this woul create some scheduling conflict, but the current way of shunting passengers is a bit awkward.  Adding more 1 trains and buses hardly makes up for a high speed railroad.  I'm not complaining, this is a tragedy.  I'm just saying there might be a better way.

I doubt an employer would fire someone for arriving late when the system has clearly been thrown in chaos by this accident.Now if you've been late before and you're on thin ice with your boss then its a different story. Commuter trains will always have technical issues and delays. The LIRR also has issues despite massive investments in new cars and infrastructure. I'm sure other regional transit systems also have their problems. 

My current job wouldn't mind, but once I worked for this woman who I am convinced is the incarnation of Satan on Earth.  She'd fire her child for being 10 seconds late.  Depends on who you work for.

[realizm]

Excuse me but people have been fired from their jobs for being late. I don't know if you understand that concept since I believe you've started working professionally yet.  You have people that had almost a 6 hour commute yesterday.  I think those people have every right to complain, for they can be standing on the unemployment line.  That's almost an entire work day spent just trying to get and from work.  

 

Labor laws are in place to protect the employees under certain circumstances despite the fact that this is a fire at will state. Employers know that obviously if they fire employees it will be at a legalistic and monetary cost to them as the NYDOL will certainly intervene and force the employer to compensate their employees for damages and lost wages.

 

Yes some people can end up fired but that will most likely be out of employer retaliation which is illegal.

[46Dover]

I doubt an employer would fire someone for arriving late when the system has clearly been thrown in chaos by this accident.Now if you've been late before and you're on thin ice with your boss then its a different story. Commuter trains will always have technical issues and delays. The LIRR also has issues despite massive investments in new cars and infrastructure. I'm sure other regional transit systems also have their problems.

I don't think you could be fired for being late for work if you're mode of transportation is stuck for some reason, especially if you call ahead and let employer know your current situation enroute