trainman8119 Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 After watching the news conference this morning, I have a few comments: It galls me to listen to Frank Kruesi talk. The guy has no clue and if Daley wants to keep him, he should muzzle him. His main comment on the incident was that the Operator acted correctly (as he was trained), and that everyone got out, that he made announcements to passengers and used his flashlight to get them out. Here is the problem, and he doesn't get it. He made the statement that the operator made his way towards the back of the train, and when he got to where people were walking towards him, telling him there was smoke and fire, he decided to evacuate. Perhaps that is true. But he also stated that the operator made it to approximately the 3rd car from where he was. Therefore, he never really found out what the true problem was !!! When Frank was asked about why announcements were not made, his comment was that the operator would have had to power up the PA from a trailing car. Perhaps true...but the problem here is that if he made it to the 3rd car there were 5 cars that had no communication from the person in charge. When asked about if a conductor were on board to make announcements, he reply was that other systems have 1 or none when it comes to personnel being on trains. My reply to that is that if he sees someone jump into the river, does that mean he would follow. Remember, it was Kruesi who eliminated conductors and skip stops. A second man on the train would have been more able to determine quicker what the problem was (as to the motorman walking 3 cars and relying on word of mouth), and assist in evacuating and perhaps as important, make some type of notification to those who the motorman had no chance of seeing. The whole city response was that it could have been worse, and that is true, it could have been. But I say they were just lucky. 1 man responsible for 1000 people...I see the trouble with that ratio, and this is an incident where it should be clear as to why there should be a second person on trains, at least in rush hour. Unfortunately, the bonehead in charge will never admit to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 The PA controversy was discussed on Fox News this noon. I remember that in the old days, there was the microphone at each conductor station (which never could be understood), and I don't know if that was affected when there OPO was instituted, and whether the operator brought the key to unlock either that or the cab in the interior car. The image of the news conference on Fox had both Kruesi and Cortez Trotter trying to get as close to the Mayor as possible on the podium, so I doubt that Frank is in immediate trouble. Which brings us to the point about personnel. When OPO was instituted, there orginally was a conductor to ride in the subway, exactly for this reason. A union official interviewed on Fox confirms that that lasted only for one year. But following the links on the Home Page regarding the arbitration, it seems like CTA is real close to falling apart financially, to either the riders' or, more likely, the taxpayers' detriment, and is not in any position to add personnel. If nothing else, that should show that the current management needs to go, and that the CTA should not be treated as the Mayor's agency, when it is supposed to be an independent municipal corporation. I wonder if the General Assembly has the gumption to take this all on. From the Fox pictures, 2978 was the car that derailed and has fire damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 From the Fox pictures, 2978 was the car that derailed and has fire damage. http://www.chicago-l.org/trains/assignline.html Looking at the latest chicago-l.org roster, 2978 is assigned to the Purple Line. Do you have a link to the picture(s) that show #2978 as the train car damaged in the derailment/fire? BTW: I hope all 152 people that went to those 12 hospitals are doing well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman8119 Posted July 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 It was car 2978. You can go to ABC7 website and look at the video links. There is a pic of the car and when you look at the videos taken of the train being moved to Rosemont, it is crystal clear as to the car number. I have seen many 2900 series cars moved to the Blue Line. Over the last 2 days, I have seen 2973-74, 2985-86, 2995-96 on trains along the Kennedy. It seems as though there is some serious car shuffling since the Pink Line began service. Here is a pic from the Channel 5 Web Site [attachment=158] And one from Channel 7 [attachment=159] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 http://www.chicago-l.org/trains/assignline.html Looking at the latest chicago-l.org roster, 2978 is assigned to the Purple Line. Do you have a link to the picture(s) that show #2978 as the train car damaged in the derailment/fire? Didn't you read rjl's post on this subject or note the date on the Car Assignment List (January 18, 2006)? Maybe you should search the news yourself, or buy me a VCR, so I can record the Fox News for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sw4400 Posted July 13, 2006 Report Share Posted July 13, 2006 It was car 2978. I stand corrected... I apologize for doubting the number, since I was clearly mislead by old information on the chicago-l.org website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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