Submitted by riski_click t3_115muwl in boston
willzyx01 t1_j92oiau wrote
Reply to comment by Celticsddtacct in Man dies after touching 3rd rail at MBTA's Downtown Crossing station by riski_click
Barriers have to be placed on the platforms. Drunk people will break said barriers. Old trains can't stop exactly on their marks. Barriers are expensive. MBTA doesn't have any money.
Celticsddtacct t1_j92p015 wrote
While all true, safety barriers are used in other parts of the world to great success. Just another example of the sad state of the mbta
nerdponx t1_j92qc0t wrote
This just seems like a low priority investment compared to getting the trains actually working consistently and paying conductors fairly. this is a rare accident anyway, it just doesn't seem worth it from a cost benefit perspective.
anarchy8 t1_j92z859 wrote
There wouldn't be any conductors if we had modern trains and signaling systems.
spedmunki t1_j94ms3l wrote
Copenhagen trains are completely automated and run 24/7
WaitOk4606 t1_j95c5o2 wrote
But that's in a first world country
IDCFFSGTFO t1_j95qje1 wrote
When you roll over and play dead for the Nazis, you end up with really good rail systems.
WaitOk4606 t1_j960xy0 wrote
Spare me. America has committed plenty of war crimes and atrocities and we don't have a functioning transportation system.
spedmunki t1_j9a68a8 wrote
Their metro began operation in 2002, dingus
IDCFFSGTFO t1_j9a9v8o wrote
Sure and they were the first trains they'd ever seen.
Doctrina_Stabilitas t1_j9ajs92 wrote
The unions at other cities like Toronto where the capability has been introduced right against that
New York can run on one perso opposition but the union successfully fought the elimination of the second conductor with a massive strike a while back
free_to_muse t1_j93djy2 wrote
Lots of subway systems work wonderfully and don’t have safety barriers. Why pick on the MBTA.
Anxa t1_j944fmx wrote
It's kind of a "yeah both" situation. Safety barriers would be better. But absent them, it's very much you have to be trying to touch the third rail.
Not directly relevant but I remember one time the red line broke down between central and Kendall, and we had to walk back to central. They had these alarm things set up on the third rail all over the place that presumably would light up if they detected current. None of us went anywhere near it regardless.
Sheol t1_j9354y1 wrote
"Things that work everywhere else won't work here because we're special"
psychicsword t1_j96mbga wrote
No one is saying that they won't work. They are saying that investing millions into them right now isn't the best investment when there are far worse deficiencies in the MBTA system.
When we have had people fail through stairs to their deaths at MBTA stations, then the risks of the being dangerous electricity in areas you are clearly not supposed to go isn't the problem we should be fixing.
Anustart15 t1_j94h7ue wrote
>Old trains can't stop exactly on their marks.
That's not really an issue, it's more that we have different train sets with different numbers of doors. Also that we have such a backlog of much more important maintenance that it really isn't a priority
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