Posted on 11/15/2013 11:50:31 AM PST by nickcarraway
Muni passengers were taken for a wild ride this morning after their train car departed the station without the driver aboard.
According to the Chron, at about 10:15 a.m. the KT-Ingleside/Third Street train was about to leave the Castro Street station when the operator spotted a problem with one of the train doors. The operator hopped out to fix the issue, and that's when the real problems began.
Perhaps the operator forgot to employ the emergency brake, but for unknown reasons the train loaded with passengers took off -- leaving the operator behind.
As the train rolled away -- headed to the Forest Hill station -- a passenger yelled out, alerting everyone that the operator wasn't on the train. Another rider reportedly hit the emergency brake, and the train stopped in the tunnel. Mechanics were called to the scene. There were no injuries.
This isn't the first time Muni has had to capture a runaway train. In September 1998, an N-Judah train left the Embarcadero station without an operator, passing through four stations before it was stopped at Van Ness.
According to John Haley, Muni's director of transit, in today's incident, passengers were never in danger since the train went into automatic mode once the operator had shut the doors.
"I think the point here is the train was under control by the automatic train control system at all times," Haley said. "The system worked the way it was designed."
That's one way of looking at it.
DC’s metro has had ‘operators’ fall asleep and the trains ran fine.
Killjoy passengers...
DC Metro’s system is automated. And yet every train MUST have an operator.
Even though Metro is paid for by 3 jurisdictions (DC, Maryland, Virginia), 90+ % of the employees are DC residents, and, shall we say, melanin-enhanced. It’s all political graft for DC Pols. . .
Were there any snakes onboard?
I’ve never ridden MUNI, cable cars or double decker in SF, I remember riding BART on Black FRiday years ago, that was glum enough for me
Fire the operators, we don’t need them.
Can snakes operate trains?
I thought all they were good for was providing dates for ugly dudes.
As the train left the station the Driver was heard to say “There goes my train an my job”.
Kind of like a mini ObamaCare debacle.
This reminds of the scene from “The Jerk” when Navin R Johnson is working for the circus as a kids train ride operator.
and the arrogant and “runaway” technologist fanatics want everyone to be using “driverless” cars
Thirty years ago my wife and I rode a Cable car over the hill from Market St. to the wharf. The operator and half the passengers were singing songs. It was fun.
They designed it to stop in the tunnel? Why didn't they design it to not take off by itself?
Ya get a heck of a ride these days. Bring your own helmet and crash vest.. Or rent ‘em. I’d enjoy the ferry rides more.
MUNI light rail is a great system; as least it was when I lived there in the late 80’s.
Not getting into who paid for it orginally; but it worked well.
allmänfarlig ödeläggelse?
I believe that is Klingon for, “Obamacare”
Perhaps they need to add one of those seat switches that have been common in riding lawnmowers for a long time.
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