MBTA Red Line runaway train from Braintree Station

MCL1981 wrote:Obviously the cord fell down off the ceiling, looped around the panel, and pulled itself tight to hold the controller down. ...

(Motorman, standing on the seat) Eeeeeekk!! There's a snake slithering around on the console!

Past history suggests at least a 1 in 3 chance he gets his job back, possibly with back pay, once a year or two have passed...

Governor Baker seems to have taken a deep interest in the MBTA.
While legally, he could not stop reinstatement, some arm twisting
could take care of it. Don't bet the farm either way.

If he (the driver) is found to be at fault, could he be criminally charged with public endangerment? I think if you were on a bus and its driver left the bus in neutral with a brick on he brake, you'd expect a legal investigation.

As for Baker.. Gutting the MBTA is certainly in his top three priorities.

There was a great [Freudian(??)] slip by his lawyer being interviewed on Channel 5 (only saw this when I watched a DVR recording of the show before the news, which also recorded the first minute of the news):

"There is no evidence that my client didn't tie a rope around the controller"

But apparently several violations were made.

Not sure whether the operator is expected to set a hand brake which on some cars (such as the Orange Line cars) involves a handle that is pumped up and down several times like an old fashioned car jack. This cannot be done at the end of the line unless the operator, after walking to the other end of the train, has a helper to release that hand brake since that cannot be released from the opposite end.

The understanding I have of the situation is, the driver had already changed ends when the incident occurred.

In other words, this wasn't an issue with switching ends.

Inferring from the various reports, he:

1) switched ends
2) was about to pull out from Braintree
3) ATO kicked the brakes
4) he got permission, and went outside, to put the train in bypass
5) soon as he flipped the switch, the train took off.

The following is based on train tracking data that was available in the public data feed; I do not have insider info.

The train traveled from Braintree to just north of North Quincy, a distance of 5.5 miles, in 9.3 minutes - an average speed of approximately 33 mph. Maximum speed around 50mph was reached just north of Quincy Adams about two minutes into the journey.

The closest approach to the train in front was two minutes later, with 1502 at Dimmock Street and the train ahead (1603) at Wilson Avenue, a distance of about 1.6 miles. When power was cut 6 minutes into the trip, 1502 was just reaching Wollaston and 1603 was over the Neponset River bridge.

Operator has been let go:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_ ... line_train

Now he'll sue, have his termination reversed, be awarded 5 million dollars in damages, then retire.

MCL1981 wrote:Now he'll sue, have his termination reversed, be awarded 5 million dollars in damages, then retire.

Will the Carmen's Union stage a wildcat strike over this runaway train incident if it does not get its way regarding the affected operator?

It's about time that, if not already, the T start defending selected cases (including motor vehicle accidents) using more than its own salaried exempt attorneys, instead of quickly paying out as part of a settlement and adding to what insurance companies refer to as a loss history.

Disney Guy wrote:Will the Carmen's Union stage a wildcat strike over this runaway train incident if it does not get its way regarding the affected operator?.

Really? Yes the Union will try to protect their membership, it's their job. But really a wildcat strike? Wildcat strikes are caused by membership that are not inline with their governing board and I highly doubt that that membership would want to do that and potentially lose there collective bargaining rights.

They'll likely put up a show of protecting the driver, but they probably don't want an unsafe and embarrassing driver any more than the T does. It's one thing to protect members in ambiguous situations; it's another to keep around someone they know makes them look bad where the evidence looks pretty cut-and-dry.

http://www.wcvb.com/news/david-vazquez- ... 5%20Boston" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Red Line operator who is out of a job after his train traveled through several stops without anyone at the helm is appealing his firing by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, his lawyer Phil Gordon said Friday.

[...]

Gordon said the union will look to see if the grievance process followed the collective bargaining agreement, and he expects they will look at the results of the investigation, the forensics of the cab and what facts went into the firing decision.

Relevant to the above discussion.

These statements are contradictory:

Gordon said his client denies accusations he wrapped a cord around the train's controls before exiting the train to address signal problems.

Investigators have said it appeared Vazquez tied a cord around the controls of the train and forgot to set emergency brakes.

I can't imagine the investigators lying about a cord tied around the controls.