NYP: Metro-North conductors are opening doors to nowhere

[Union Tpke]

Stand clear of the open doors!

 

Metro-North conductors are accidentally opening train doors at or near stations where they don’t even connect to a platform — exposing riders to dangerous falls, The Post has learned.

 

“There was nothing to step on,” said one stunned Manhattan commuter, who shot a video of the hazard during his morning commute on the New Haven line last Monday.

 

The clip shows huge portions of platform missing at the Fordham station in The Bronx, where a train has pulled in and opened its doors alongside a construction pit.

 

“If you were on your phone, not paying attention, you could have been seriously injured. It’s a huge deal. They could have killed someone,” the commuter told The Post.

 

The passenger later reported the incident to the railroad, as well as the MTA Inspector General, a watchdog agency.

 

A Metro-North spokesman said it is taking the report seriously and the railroad is investigating.

 

The frightening incident did not happen in a vacuum, said the Commuter Action Group, a riders’ advocacy group for the beleaguered railroad, which pointed to similar cases this year.

 

In May, Robert Formentin took a horrifying photo of an open door on the first car on an embankment near the Talmadge Hill Station on the Merritt Parkway in May.

 

“If somebody walked out, they would have fallen 30 feet,” said Formentin, 53, of New Canaan. “It slopes down. It could have resulted in someone getting hurt. They avoided a major disaster.”

 

It’s all the more alarming because of Metro-North’s troubled history last year, which included a deadly derailment in The Bronx, two trains colliding in Connecticut, and a track worker being killed, he added.

 

“One would assume security is heightened, and train drivers [engineers] are taking extra precaution,” he said. “But mistakes happen, and some are fatal. It’s an issue, and hopefully it won’t happen again.”

 

In April, riders also watched the last doors of a New Haven train to Grand Central open where there is no platform at both Stamford and Westport during the afternoon rush hour.

 

“I would encourage all commuters if they see something to say something,” said Jim Cameron of the Commuter Action Group.

 

“If there ever is an incident like this, it must be reported. I would hope Metro-North would be swift and transparent in its investigation of any of these potentially dangerous incidents.”

 

The railroad has been in the spotlight over the past two years for five accidents, including a derailment in the Bronx that killed four people.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board, which has been investigating the accidents, will release its findings and recommendations at Grand Central Station on Tuesday.

 

http://nypost.com/2014/10/27/metro-north-conductors-are-opening-doors-to-nowhere/ 

[Q113 LTD]

Lucky no one got hurt during rush hour.

[Missabassie]

Elevators and trains, ALWAYS LOOK before you step.

[sirtiger]

happened once on the LIRR I was on.  Its a lawsuit waiting to happen

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Really disturbing... They have a similar set up with Northbound Metro-North trains at the Riverdale station where you have to get off in select cars in order to use the ramps to get to the actual platform since they are doing work.  

[Joel Up Front]

They have a similar set up with Northbound Metro-North trains at the Riverdale station where you have to get off in select cars in order to use the ramps to get to the actual platform since they are doing work.  

Except that's completely different from the problem in the first post.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Except that's completely different from the problem in the first post.

Yeah but the problem is that if they forget to only open the doors of select cars where the ramps are and someone tries to step off without looking, they too can be seriously injured.  There's actually quite a few stations like that along the Harlem Line too... Woodlawn and Fordham have similar set ups, and both of these stations get heavy usage, especially the Fordham station.

[Truckie]

The bridge plates at Woodlawn and Fordham haven't been there like Riverdale. The Harlem line plates have only been on the weekends a couple times a month.

 

Rumor has it that track 3 will be back in service at Riverdale the end of the week. Hopefully they meant the end of this week.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

The bridge plates at Woodlawn and Fordham haven't been there like Riverdale. The Harlem line plates have only been on the weekends a couple times a month.

 

Rumor has it that track 3 will be back in service at Riverdale the end of the week. Hopefully they meant the end of this week.

Yeah well all I can say is they've done a HORRIBLE job on the Harlem line on weekends with communicating to passengers what cars they need to be in in order to get off.  I was coming from Westchester one Sunday evening and wanted to get off at the Woodlawn station.  There were no announcements about what cars we needed to be in and the train was so packed that you could barely move to the front.  Eventually I had to just start pushing and shoving my way to get through, and by the time I did that it was too late thanks to the idiot in front of me that didn't seem to understand that we needed to move to the front quickly to get off of the train.  They really need half hour service on the Harlem line on Sunday nights because those trains are simply too crowded.

 

As for the Riverdale station, that's good I suppose.  I only use it going to New York, since the hills coming from the station are just brutal, and I like to walk on weekends from my apartment and get some fresh air from time to time when I don't want to use the express buses, but that really is only tolerable walking to the station and not from it.  The Spuyten Duyvil station is just as bad, but you can take the stairs as a short cut to get back up the hill which eliminates some of brutal factor until you reach that über steep hill at Independence Avenue.

[pjbr40]

That door should been shut. I am surprise how bad MNRR is getting. Does those coaches can have one door one end open while the other  door stay close? NJT can do that. Here NJT they alway say so loud while walking one direction and saying move forward to next .. to exit this station. I don't understand why MTA don't do that. Are they thinking you folks are mind readers? If you are not experiencing all these communication and stuff, you folks need to keep emailing this to MTA website till they get it right. It their job but with poor training. That my two cents.

[Truckie]

Here NJT they alway say so loud while walking one direction and saying move forward to next .. to exit this station. I don't understand why MTA don't do that. Are they thinking you folks are mind readers? If you are not experiencing all these communication and stuff, you folks need to keep emailing this to MTA website till they get it right. It their job but with poor training. That my two cents.

While I'm not going to dispute that there are train service personel not giving enough information, there is a severe problem with some of the riders.

 

When collecting tickets I will always tell a passenger if they need to be in a specific car, and what car along with numerous announcements on the PA. After that it's up to the individual. Recently at either Greystone there was a single bridgeplate to exit. I made the announcement "Greystone next, only one door will open in the first car, in the front of the train, as the train moves foward. Please see the conductor in that car to exit". Being this train originated from Grand Central, it at least the 6th announcement for this stop. Regardless, after Greystone, I walk to the rear of the train where I was met by an angry passenger in the rear car complaining that no doors opened and there was no one there. In order to make this passenger realize his own mistake, I let this passenger look out the cab window and asked him "which way is the train going"? He pointed in the appropriate direction and said "that way". I then asked "with that said, are we at the front, or the back of the train"? After thinking about it he just walked away with out saying another word.

 

In closing, we can give out the information until we're blue in the face, being some people are completely disconnected with their surroundings be it with head phones, cell phones or other electronic gadget, unless we physically take them by the hand, there will always be people not being where they need be.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

While I'm not going to dispute that there are train service personel not giving enough information, there is a severe problem with some of the riders.

 

When collecting tickets I will always tell a passenger if they need to be in a specific car, and what car along with numerous announcements on the PA. After that it's up to the individual. Recently at either Greystone there was a single bridgeplate to exit. I made the announcement "Greystone next, only one door will open in the first car, in the front of the train, as the train moves foward. Please see the conductor in that car to exit". Being this train originated from Grand Central, it at least the 6th announcement for this stop. Regardless, after Greystone, I walk to the rear of the train where I was met by an angry passenger in the rear car complaining that no doors opened and there was no one there. In order to make this passenger realize his own mistake, I let this passenger look out the cab window and asked him "which way is the train going"? He pointed in the appropriate direction and said "that way". I then asked "with that said, are we at the front, or the back of the train"? After thinking about it he just walked away with out saying another word.

 

In closing, we can give out the information until we're blue in the face, being some people are completely disconnected with their surroundings be it with head phones, cell phones or other electronic gadget, unless we physically take them by the hand, there will always be people not being where they need be.

They should upgrade the announcement system.  Sometimes they aren't loud enough when you guys get on the PA.

[pjbr40]

truckiw you did exactly what you suppose to do. 

[Truckie]

truckiw you did exactly what you suppose to do.

I'm not saying I did or didn't do what I was supposed to. I was only demonstrating the fact no matter what we do, there is always someone that does not get the memo.

[pjbr40]

true also if you really want to show how communicative you are. say the car numbers if they need to move forward so passengers can be the dope. The reasons i say this is because there are time on NJT that they need passengers to move to front of the train to exit and how do i know if i am in last two or three cars. I told NjT what does the last two cars mean>? I suggested them to say car numbers so if you are in that car number , passengers have nothing to worry about.  They was train on that and it work. 

[40MntVrn]

I've noticed this a few times at Fordham since they closed down parts of the platforms. Hopefully the station will return to 100% soon.

[Truckie]

 I suggested them to say car numbers so if you are in that car number , passengers have nothing to worry about.

 

I've seen it done.  Most don't know where to look for the car number and it confuses some more.

[Fan Railer]

Remember lol, your average commuter ain't no railfan, and doesn't have a clue about even half of what's going on around them on the train.

[Truckie]

Remember lol, your average commuter ain't no railfan, and doesn't have a clue about even half of what's going on around them on the train.

But the average commuter knows well enough to ask the conductor or listen for announcements.

[Xentor]

They should upgrade the announcement system.  Sometimes they aren't loud enough when you guys get on the PA.

 

It doesn't matter. If your in a train and suddenly everyone walks out the train hastily and you see a bunch of other people from other cars running in the same direction while the PA system is cackling on, even if you don't understand you should be able to tell what's going on. This is how I first found out about South Ferry as a passenger. I ride the train to work everyday and I haven't been in a single car yet where the announcements aren't discernible if you WANT or HAVE to listen. Whenever the train is delayed or stopped at a station I try to the best of my knowledge to tell people exactly what's going on, because I GET IT, you're trying to get home or to work or whatever. People still be knocking on my door every now and then asking me why are we delayed only to hear the announcement yet again personally. Some riders (and it's few really) just wont pay any attention at all to the announcements.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

It doesn't matter. If your in a train and suddenly everyone walks out the train hastily and you see a bunch of other people from other cars running in the same direction while the PA system is cackling on, even if you don't understand you should be able to tell what's going on. This is how I first found out about South Ferry as a passenger. I ride the train to work everyday and I haven't been in a single car yet where the announcements aren't discernible if you WANT or HAVE to listen. Whenever the train is delayed or stopped at a station I try to the best of my knowledge to tell people exactly what's going on, because I GET IT, you're trying to get home or to work or whatever. People still be knocking on my door every now and then asking me why are we delayed only to hear the announcement yet again personally. Some riders (and it's few really) just wont pay any attention at all to the announcements.

For the people that are dense it doesn't matter, but for people that actually pay attention, it would help.  If you're not a daily rider and something is going on then you may not know where to go, etc.