InsideTransit

Last week we featured a piece of signage currently running in the Tokyo subway system. Today we are back with another poster, this time it's a man who clearly has a lot going on. He's slouching into multiple seats, eating a bag of potato chips, drank two beers and threw the cans on the floor. He's reading a book with no words on the page he is pointing to but on the other page is a lovely woman. Another woman looks on in disgust and she is thinking to herself "boy i wish he did that at home" like the sign says!

The Tokyo metro system has launched a campaign named, "Please do it at home". Here we see a woman attempting to shape her eyebrows while a peeper looks at her from outside the train car. You will note that the woman has an entire bag worth of makeup ready to apply while on her way.

This one comes out of Roosevelt Island which is this tiny island to the east of Manhattan. They have a train station on the island and a very, very long escalator ride to reach the platform. Apparently the escalators now talk to you as you ride on them. Enjoy...

Looks like the second largest transit agency in the country just might get some money from the U.S. government. From the Washington Post:

The U.S. Senate voted moments ago to authorize long-sought federal funding for Washington's cash-strapped and aging Metro system, clearing a major hurdle toward providing $1.5 billion over 10 years to help maintain the nation's second-largest transit agency.

The Senate passage is the furthest the measure has advanced since Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) began the effort two years ago to secure a reliable source of financial support for Metro.

The bill, part of a major rail safety reform package, was passed by the House last week and now goes to the president for signing. Supporters say a veto is unlikely, partly because of the veto-proof margin of last night's 74 to 24 vote.

-- Lena H. Sun

Here's a great story... a person carrying a few small boxes on the NYC subway system was ticketed in midtown earlier this week. From the incident:

A friend and i went to pick up 4 boxes from pottery barn about 12 inches square pottery barn even made handles for us to carry them and all, they weighed nothing. so we boarded the subway and when we got to 42nd st, a police officer peeked his head in and called for us to step out. i was like ok, no big deal, security reasons, 9-11 and all. i didnt mind. he asked me what was in the boxes and i said they are bento boxes (a box to hide all your computer wires) from pottery barn. I was waiting for him to bust out a blade of some sort to open them, but to my surprise he said, you couldnt have taken a cab, your not allowed to have those on the subway? and preceded to write a summons. i was like WTF i cant carry boxes on the subway that are the size of grocery bags, he said its too bulky and blocks people from escaping in dangerous situations.

I wonder if this same cop gives tickets to people who don't fold up their baby carriages or play their radios so loud that the next car can hear it.

Found via Andreas, here's a site that has a huge collection of diesel train sounds. Mostly horns and honks, try to amaze your friends as you play a sound with your eyes closed and select the right train. Is it a M340 or a J102? Whenever I play this game, my friends always laugh. I know they are laughing with me not at me!

From CBS2 in Los Angeles:

SYLMAR (CNS) ― A Metrolink train struck and killed a pedestrian today in the Sylmar area, authorities said.
Paramedics sent to Hubbard Street and San Fernando Road about 9:20 a.m. pronounced the unidentified man, about 50, dead at the scene, said Ron Myers of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

No one was hurt on the train, which was carrying about 70 passengers,
Myers said.

The circumstances of the death were under investigation. The man's name was not immediately released.

This comes just a few weeks after the deadly Metrolink crash near Los Angeles.

Google has announced that their Google Maps product now supports public transit directions. This is very exciting news for me as a person who loves public transit. In my testing this morning, I give the system a grade of C. It's a good first start and will get you to your destination but they have a lot of work to do. For example, there are many places where multiple trains share the same tracks but Google Maps only pushes you to one train. This could cost tourists 10+ minutes waiting for the train that Google suggested. There are also times where hopping on a local if it arrives first makes sense but Google also misses that. This is a project I'd love to be involved with.

The problem is that Google Maps is missing a real human expert who would say "take the 4 OR 5". It will be interesting to see how today's Google Maps launch will affect HopStop.

Here's a demo video that the Google Maps team put together. Be careful if you follow their directions from the Met to the Mets. It takes you through 2 extra transfers and a bit of walking that's not needed. The best way is to take the 4/5 at 86th and transfer to the 7 at 42nd and if it's in the afternoon, take the 7 Express. Any NY'er knows that :)

Just a week after the horrible crash of a commuter train outside Los Angeles, today a blue line train in Los Angeles hits a bus injuring 13 people. We are hearing that the injuries are minor.

FoxNews reports:

LOS ANGELES — Fire officials say a Metro Blue Line train has collided with a bus south of downtown Los Angeles injuring at least 13 people.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphreys says it is unclear how the accident happened. Humphreys says most of the injuries appear to be minor.

A train crash between a commuter train and a freight train has injured at least 20 people. This crash occured just west of Los Angeles near Chatsworth.

Update: The NBC news affiliate in San Francisco is reporting 2 people have died.

From Reuters:

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A commuter train and freight train collided near Los Angeles on Friday, with more than 20 people believed injured, fire officials said.

There was no immediate report of deaths in the crash, which came during the evening commute on tracks west of Los Angeles in the suburb of Chatsworth.

Television images showed at least six train cars derailed and crumpled as emergency crews pulled victims from the wreckage and tended to the injured.