Yet Another Robotrain Row

Next Stop by |Shrued on Flickr.

Well, if it’s going to take this long to automate a single subway line, we will have nothing to fear from Skynet. This time the hold-up is a disagreement over the (comfortingly named) “dead man” feature in a train’s control system. Today, train operators have to keep some kind of pressure on the controls or the automatic breaks kick in and stop the train. The TWU is pissed (aside from the loss of conductors) at the feature on the new trains, which basically has the operator pushing a little button every thirty seconds to let the robotrain know he/she is still alive. AMNY writes:

“If the operator has a heart attack and the train is programmed to go 30 miles per hour that’s 29 seconds the train barrels down the track. It’s thousands of feet,” said John Samuelsen, chairman of the transit union’s track division.

He further warned that a dozing operator could hit the “alerter,” which sounds an alarm after 20 seconds, as easily as a snooze button.”

Swell.

MTA Scraps Conductor-Less Train Plan (NY1)
Some More About the Robotrains (Wired)
Weekend L Service Restored (Gothamist)