InsideTransit

Here at InsideTransit we like to educate new residents or tourists to a variety of cities around the world in how to properly use mass transit. In the video below, you can watch one person (we believe a man) transfer from the L train to the 4 or 5 trains at Union Square. Union Square is an interesting station because the ground moves to meet the train due to the huge curves that the train moves through. So please mind the gap as you enter or exit a subway train at this station.

Bonus: as you watch the video, you may feel a bit woozy - just know that this is not actually how it feels to make the transfer unless you are drunk.

Found via Subchat, here’s a very old NYC subway commercial that’s related to the World’s Fair. The idea was to get people to take the subway to the WF instead of other forms of transportation. Look how clean the subway cars are and how happy everyone looks.

This past monday the worst subway crash in Washington Metro (WMATA) history took place killing 9 people. Today we have a couple of updates:

Superintendent Reassigned
The superintendent of the automatic control system that is supposed to prevent train crashes has been reassigned says the AP. Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said Friday that Matthew Matyuf has been temporarily assigned to a “special project.” Taubenkibel would not elaborate on what that project was, or how long the reassignment would last. Note that the WMATA is saying this is just a precaution and not a “negative reflection” on the superintendent.

ATO System Fails Test
The Washington Post is reporting, “A train control system that should have prevented Monday’s deadly Metro crash failed in a test conducted by federal investigators, officials said yesterday, suggesting that a crucial breakdown of technology sent one train slamming into another.”

ATO means Automatic Train Operation and basically means the train is operated by computer. Human train operators can still take over the controls at any moment - in the case of this crash, the train operator in the moving train hit the emergency brake but there wasn’t enough time to stop the train.

This is a breaking transit news alert…two trains have collided on the Red Line in Washington, D.C. this afternoon.

From ABC News 7 in Washington, “Metro confirms two trains have collided on the Red Line between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations. It happened close to the Fort Totten station, a Metro spokesperson said.

D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Alan Etter said one train was on top of the other train.”

5:45pm Eastern - CNN is now reporting that one person has been confirmed dead at the scene.

6:15pm Eastern - WTOP is reporting that two people have died. Crews are working to free trapped people in the trains.

8pm Eastern - “John Catoe, WMATA General Mgr., says a train was stopped waiting, and it was struck by the second train, moving at speed. They were both on the same track.” The operator of one of the trains has died.

9pm Eastern - updates are coming in that 6 people have died. CNN also notes, “Seventy people were treated at the scene — 56 with minor injuries, 12 with moderate injuries and two with life-threatening injuries, according to Chief Dennis Rubin of Washington’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.”

Some photos from the scene:
Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s something you don’t see everyday…. a watermelon truck. Apparently the driver is selling watermelons for 5 thousand Wan each. At the end it appears that the couple on the motorbike really want some watermelon as they race after the truck. My only question is… are they seedless watermelons?

Seriously, sometimes I wonder what is going on here in NYC. Are they putting something wacky in our water? Here we have a person (I assume it’s a person) dressed up like a bird bouncing on a seat in the NYC subway. I think it’s a bird because of the beak. From what I understand this is on the L line — I’d love to see the bird on the 7 sometime!

You know what’s funny about this is that sometimes you just need to smile and laugh - and that’s what this bird did for me today. I’d go for a bouncy ride if I saw the bird.

I found a new blog today called, “People Who Sit In The Disability Seats When I’m Standing On My Crutches”. No seriously that’s the name. And I’d like each of you to click the blog link and go look at the photos. It’s the same story as people who park in handicapped parking spots because they will only be in Starbucks a minute. On this new blog the person says they are currently using crutches and when he/she gets on the subway trains, people don’t move out of the handicapped seats to allow the person to sit.

The blogger says they only take photos when no other seats are available. The signs that are above the seats have always been meaningless to me- they are way too high and do no good for someone already sitting down. Most of these people should know to get up but perhaps the new technology trains could be built with some sort of shock buzzer system where if the seat is needed a light bit of electricity races through the seats to wake them up.

When I was a little kid, my mother would take sis and me on the bus and subway all the time. If we didn’t get up when someone got on the bus who needed to sit, we would immediately get mom’s eye that said with no words “get up now or your butt will be so red when we get home that you won’t sit for a week!” and we got up. Today parents will slap their 4 kids into the handicapped seats without thinking about it. It’s so disappointing….

Get up. I weigh more than anyone and I always get up. If I can, so can you. And teach your kids to get up.

The Newsday is reporting that U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has reached out to the Long Island Rail Road to get WiFi access for passengers noting, “”make commuting more productive and pleasant.” Apparently Obama’s stimulus funds can be used to pay for the $1,000 per train fee to get the access installed.

Considering that airlines including Virgin America now offer wifi up in the sky, the LIRR along with all of the other suburban railroads should offer WiFi as well.

Now let’s get some tables on the LIRR or even a dedicated car with long tables to stand and work - that’d be hot.

No word on whether passengers will have to pay for the access on each trip.

Yesterday we looked at a pretty neat postcard-to-model subway train. Now we have a paper model you can print and create at home.  The available models include:

• TGV PSE (Paris Sud-Est) original orange version
• TGV PSE (Paris Sud-Est) blue Ligne de Coeur version
• TGV La Poste
• TGV Atlantique
• TGV Thalys
• TGV Duplex
• AVE / Euromed (Spanish TGV)
• KTX (Korean TGV)
• Speedrail (Australian TGV)
• Acela Express (USA)
• Undecorated TGV

It looks like you need just some basic supplies (and some thick paper) to create the various trains. Pretty neat craft project!

Found this last night via Tamar — the “build your own” group has put togther a variety of paper subway car models that you can buy. They arrive on a postcard and you cut them out to make the subway car. I know I want some of them - they even have an El track so you can put the model up high.

Here’s the order form for Chicago and NYC. The cards are $1.50 each.