nostalgia Posted February 9, 2015 Share #1 Posted February 9, 2015 Last Saturday, Feb 7, I rode 6315 (New Haven Line) to Grand Central. The train was routed onto Track 4 over the Harlem River drawbridge and stopped on the curve approaching Harlem-125th Street station. We sat -- and sat - and sat. I was in the first car and looked out the front window. A diesel train was in the station. (My guess: 8820 from Poughkeepsie). There was a New Haven train on Track 2. (My guess: 6517 New Haven express). I don't know why 6517 didn't pull into the station. My train is instructed to make a reverse movement back to CP 5 on track 4. After our movement, 6517 makes a reverse movement to CP5 and is routed on track 1. My train than runs around 6517 onto track 1 and pulls into the station. I could hear the train dispatcher tell 8820's crew to discharge ALL passengers. My train can't help those passengers to Grand Central because track 1 isn't on the same platform as track 4. 6315 arrives Grand Central 20 minutes late. It's a complete mystery why the dispatcher ran a train to Grand Central around another train going to Grand Central. It's also a mystery why 6517 didn't proceed on track 2 ahead of 6315. If a northbound train needed track 2, it could have waited at CP3 for 6517 to be diverted to another track. My train could have made a reverse movement to CP 4 and then cross over to Track 2. The train crew wasn't very informative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckie Posted February 14, 2015 Share #2 Posted February 14, 2015 You can't blame the lack of information on the train crew. They only know what's going on based on radio traffic and instruction from the dispatcher. You could second guess why what may me common sense wasn't done but the dipatcher is responsible for more trains than you could imagine. I don't know what happened as I wasn't there. There are too many reasons to explain why certain tracks aren't used at certain times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lirr42 Posted February 14, 2015 Share #3 Posted February 14, 2015 You can't blame the lack of information on the train crew. They only know what's going on based on radio traffic and instruction from the dispatcher. Sure he can. Even if the announcement is "We're begin delayed, we are not sure of what the situation is, but we will update you when we get more information", that is better than nothing. Partial information is better than no information, and no information is inexcusable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckie Posted February 14, 2015 Share #4 Posted February 14, 2015 Partial information is better than no information, and no information is inexcusable... Agreed. The OP didn't specify the extent of information. In many cases just saying delayed is not sufficient. Passengers want to know every detail of what's going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lirr42 Posted February 15, 2015 Share #5 Posted February 15, 2015 In many cases just saying delayed is not sufficient. Passengers want to know every detail of what's going on. Don't trains have two-way radios? Is there not a button someplace on the train that one can press and say "Hey, what's going on, I would like to inform my passengers"? Actively seeking out information ("I'm trying to get an update now as we speak") is a lot better than conductors passively sitting there waiting ("Uhh, they haven't told me anything"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nostalgia Posted February 15, 2015 Author Share #6 Posted February 15, 2015 The only announcement was there was a disabled train in front of us, which I knew from looking out the front window and listening to the engineer's radio. (I was in the first car.) I gave the wrong impression that the crew withheld information when I should have written that the train dispatcher didn't give much information except for 6315 and 6517 to make reverse movements and discharge all passengers from 8820. I wanted to post all the information I had so that the list could make informed comments instead of just writing "the train was 20 minutes late.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckie Posted February 15, 2015 Share #7 Posted February 15, 2015 The dispatcher gives instruction with limited information. Information might be a frozen switch, disbled train, etc. Other times it might be information a that a given train is going to be held at a signal, not the why. in the circumstance of 6315 and 6517, they were given orders to do a reverse move and discharge. The dispatcher isn't going to go into details as he will have his hands full as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nostalgia Posted February 15, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted February 15, 2015 From the Metro North Pledge to Customers: Accurate and Timely Information: We will provide accurate, timely, and meaningful information on service conditions .. and public address announcements ... onboard trains to keep you informed ... Courteous Employees: Employees will be helpful and courteous ... and will provide accurate and timely information to customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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