CTA Tattler

Last week - same day as the Green line mishap as I recall - there was also a minor Purple line incident. I was on the 8:02 "looper" which pulled away from southbound track 2 at Howard, and immediately turned left, at the 1st switch, onto the Yellow line turn-about spur, and came just about nose-to-nose with the Yellow train waiting to head back to the northbound platforms for a return run to Skokie. As the remainder of the train was still adjacent to Platform 2, I think another operator got into the rear car and backed it up into the station. The original operator was then removed and a replacement completed the trip to the loop. Overall delay - maybe 5 minutes; physical injuries - none, thank goodness. But it could have been worse.

I think the incident you speak of is more common than people think, nameless. I was on a purple line derailment about 5 years ago. There were no injuries, and nothing toppled over, but "debris in the track" caused the derailment as the purple line was leaving Howard to head north. There wasn't much in the papers--at least nothing that I could find.
I would be interested in how many near-misses and minor incidents like this occur each year. When you combine these minor events with the more publicized events, there could be more going on than we think.
It will take a repeat of 1977--or worse--before people wake up and realize that the system needs more money and the employees need more training.

I've mentioned it here before. In 1999 I was on a Brown Line that overshot the Paulina stop when it pulled in. The front doors of the front car opened over the street (past the end of the platform). No one said anything. People exited through the back door. Train pulled away and that was that. I'm sure this happens all the time when you have human beings operating old, frequently-running and crowded trains. Mind yourself.

And of course, automating the system (or at least automating train movements), thereby improving on-time performance, reliability train berthing, etc. is politically unfeasible because of how many union jobs it would cut. Not CTA's fault, just something they gotta live with.

Automated systems like Vancouver and SF's BART are pretty enlightening. Doors open at the same location, every time. Trains are perfectly spaced, no jerking as a fast-running followers gets too close to the train ahead and triggers a penalty stop....etc.

Mike: I was on a Brown Line last month that undershot the Montrose Station and the doors opened over the street. Luckily, nobody was near the door. Pretty scary stuff.

And that's why you dont lean on the doors I guess?...

These CTA employees are being paid twenty-six
dollars an hour plus benefits to operate the
trains and buses. Therefore they need to leave their funky-behind attitudes at home and if they have a problem with their job or
personal life, take it up with their employer
or their significant other. If you can't handle the rigors of the job "QUIT".
Don't make your personal problems the CTA riders peoblems and inconvenience them trying
to "get back" at the CTA itself. You might
find someone else's name on your time card.

And if they are successful in firing your butt, don't expect to get re-hired, it's
" poppa kiss the natural baby ".

Here's what I'd like to know: are "minor" derailments more frequent than in the past or are we more aware of them because of our pathologically vigilant media? How do CTA's derailment statistics (with and without injuries and/or death) compare to New York's, Boston's, DC's and those of other major systems? There's no way to find out the true statistics because no transit system is going to publish this stuff, but I wonder.

Who cares? Minor derailments are, by definition, minor. It is nothing that everyone needs to get worked up about.

i refuse to believe that green line derailment was actually 'operator error.' that was 'we need a scapegoat.' 31 years on the job? i have a friend who's a train detailer and they tell me that he got 29 days unpaid leave ALONG with two other people because ... it wasn't his fault, really.

they also tell me that TONS of this 'minor' stuff happens all the time and the CTA works really hard to keep it out of the paper ...

It's all the CTA's fault. Obviously. Whoever that is. Blame the organization! It's always on them!

The train operators must be taking lessons from the bus drivers. It seems none of the bus drivers understand what red lights mean, either.

"Mike: I was on a Brown Line last month that undershot the Montrose Station and the doors opened over the street. Luckily, nobody was near the door. Pretty scary stuff."

I would imagine this probably has something to do with a long-time Brown Line motorman and the switch to 8-car trains. He probably stopped at the "6" sign, like he always has, which left part of the rear 2 cars out of the station.

When the CTA has two derailments in a couple of days, it's a big deal, front-page news, lots of questioning and angst. On the other hand, when the Edens Expressway is shut down two days in a row by vehicular crashes, it goes to the back pages and nobody talks about it much. Does this seem like disparate treatment to anyone else?

The CTA is spectacularly reliable, safe, and cheap. Every year, the CTA delivers far better than the vehicle traffic system, and we take it for granted.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/990742,edens060508.article