Four days after the last incident, a TRAX engineer left behind some passengers who were trying to reach a train from an 811. This time it happened at 1008am.
And this time it was worse for UTA, as several who were left behind were totally blind riders, they had gotten on at American Fork Smiths, having been brought to that stop there by a community services agency van.
So it got called in again, not so much for additional complaint purposes, but because I have been working on a different high-tech project, and how they resolve problems there is they take the bug reports, and categorize them, and the more reports of the same problem they get, the more likely the problem is to be moved up the priority list for resolution.
And I've even got the resolution: The schedule can be adjusted for the 811 arriving at TRAX, I would not adjust the TRAX schedule, as that needs to be where it is right now as far as times go. The best start time from 100 South University in Provo that I've found is :57 after the hour, and on other runs the start time needs to be early enough so that the arrival time at TRAX is more than five minutes before the train going northbound is scheduled to leave.
Southbound there is little need for adjustment. Although it will need to at times be held for a train, because some rush-hour trains tend to run slightly late, like no more than five minutes. Any adjustments to the southbound 811 schedule should be made only where this is a regular occurrence.
That, and the institution of Connection Protection procedures for the 811 Northbound only, would solve alot of the problems and eliminate the ill-will that is going around now among 811 riders due to the multiple incidents like the one described today and last Saturday morning, and all, including even UTA, will be all the happier because of it.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Chatsworth (Los Angeles) train accident should never happen with UTA.
UTA is doing something that should mean there should never be an accident like the one in Los Angeles involving a public transit passenger train and a freight train last week. That wreck killed more than a dozen people, and many think that the driver was distracted by a text message on his cellphone, whether the text was from him to someone or from someone to him I don't know.
As is widely known, UTA has purchased right-of-way easements for the Frontrunner and in some cases TRAX lines, and occasionally shares segments of these lines with the freight carriers since the Sandy (Blue) line is along an old local freight delivery line, cars are regularly seen at a couple of places, and spurs off the main tracks are seen in a number of places along that line and the forthcoming Mid-Jordan line.
There is also track-sharing between Ogden and Pleasant View, that segment of Frontrunner shouled be up and running by the end of the month according to news reports. In fact, to ensure that Frontrunner and Union Pacific freight trains interact smoothly with each other along the Pleasant View segment of the route, as UTA does not have its own track constructed in this area yet, Union Pacific employees will ride along for the first few days or week or two of operation of the Pleasant View portion of the Frontrunner line.
What UTA is doing about the matter is this. No driver of any train is allowed to use a cellular phone or pager (texting) device while in the cab of the train. If it is found that they are or have used a cellphone or pager while in the cab, they can be fired for doing so.
There have been very few incidents involving trains and other objects, a couple incidents were caused by drivers, one by faulty switching on 7th South, and one instance where a train did hit a car and the train driver was at fault, that one was outed by City Weekly, the local Salt lake area alternative paper. But in nine years of operation, TRAX has proven to be extremely safe, and as time goes, improvements will yet be made to the already excellent safety program employed by UTA in regards to its rail services.
As is widely known, UTA has purchased right-of-way easements for the Frontrunner and in some cases TRAX lines, and occasionally shares segments of these lines with the freight carriers since the Sandy (Blue) line is along an old local freight delivery line, cars are regularly seen at a couple of places, and spurs off the main tracks are seen in a number of places along that line and the forthcoming Mid-Jordan line.
There is also track-sharing between Ogden and Pleasant View, that segment of Frontrunner shouled be up and running by the end of the month according to news reports. In fact, to ensure that Frontrunner and Union Pacific freight trains interact smoothly with each other along the Pleasant View segment of the route, as UTA does not have its own track constructed in this area yet, Union Pacific employees will ride along for the first few days or week or two of operation of the Pleasant View portion of the Frontrunner line.
What UTA is doing about the matter is this. No driver of any train is allowed to use a cellular phone or pager (texting) device while in the cab of the train. If it is found that they are or have used a cellphone or pager while in the cab, they can be fired for doing so.
There have been very few incidents involving trains and other objects, a couple incidents were caused by drivers, one by faulty switching on 7th South, and one instance where a train did hit a car and the train driver was at fault, that one was outed by City Weekly, the local Salt lake area alternative paper. But in nine years of operation, TRAX has proven to be extremely safe, and as time goes, improvements will yet be made to the already excellent safety program employed by UTA in regards to its rail services.
UTA abandons 'Connection Protection' ISO program.
The Utah Transit Authority has abandoned one of the key programs that were adopted to help it attain the ISO 9001 certification that was received.
I was told Saturday morning after an incident involving a TRAX driver who effectively only got half the riders off the 811 that arrived at 708am onto his train, and snapped at the rest of us for 'holding him up'. This was an example of 'clockwatching' as noted in an earlier post.
Riders were still approaching the platform when he drove away, but some of us from that 811 were able to board. This likely is responsible for some ill will that may be going around town now about UTA.
Upon calling and talking with Customer Concerns, the agent there said 'Did you know we are no longer using 'Connection Protection'? I didn't get the chance to tell her that it was part of a project to attain ISO 9001 certification, as many there at that department are usually left in the dark about issues like this.
I reported the incident involving the TRAX driver, and began looking after I got back home that night for information. I have now found one, and maybe more data sets that indicate the important role that this has played in the development of a quality mass transit system in a growing Salt Lake Valley, and will yet play on a more significant basis as the bus and TRAX system grows in the next few years.
Here's one study published by the University of South Florida, it seems to indicate that riders were more satisfied if they had a 'protected' connection:
http://www.nctr.usf.edu/jpt/pdf/JPT%208-3%20Cluett.pdf
{Cut and paste the above URL into your browser address bar, it's a pdf so it might take a short time to load).
One of the figures in the study shows how riders and drivers knew if they were going to make it on time to their connections or meet the connections. One method was showing ETAs for trains on TRAX platforms. That has also been abandoned, also the verbal notification that the train is arriving as well.
This study is well worth reading as it is. I'll add more to this post as I find more.
I was told Saturday morning after an incident involving a TRAX driver who effectively only got half the riders off the 811 that arrived at 708am onto his train, and snapped at the rest of us for 'holding him up'. This was an example of 'clockwatching' as noted in an earlier post.
Riders were still approaching the platform when he drove away, but some of us from that 811 were able to board. This likely is responsible for some ill will that may be going around town now about UTA.
Upon calling and talking with Customer Concerns, the agent there said 'Did you know we are no longer using 'Connection Protection'? I didn't get the chance to tell her that it was part of a project to attain ISO 9001 certification, as many there at that department are usually left in the dark about issues like this.
I reported the incident involving the TRAX driver, and began looking after I got back home that night for information. I have now found one, and maybe more data sets that indicate the important role that this has played in the development of a quality mass transit system in a growing Salt Lake Valley, and will yet play on a more significant basis as the bus and TRAX system grows in the next few years.
Here's one study published by the University of South Florida, it seems to indicate that riders were more satisfied if they had a 'protected' connection:
http://www.nctr.usf.edu/jpt/pdf/JPT%208-3%20Cluett.pdf
{Cut and paste the above URL into your browser address bar, it's a pdf so it might take a short time to load).
One of the figures in the study shows how riders and drivers knew if they were going to make it on time to their connections or meet the connections. One method was showing ETAs for trains on TRAX platforms. That has also been abandoned, also the verbal notification that the train is arriving as well.
This study is well worth reading as it is. I'll add more to this post as I find more.
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