Au contraire..

And the results are in….

The previously mentioned ODOT inspection (full report courtesy of the Oregonian) was released late last week, and ODOT found no concerns for public safety. Some say now that this undermines the union’s credibility; on the contrary I think it strengthens it.

I didn’t personally take any of the damage photos that the union had circulated, but y’all may have noticed I take a lot of pictures for the blog. Before ATU even circulated those track damage photos and any kind of ODOT inspection was on the radar, I had independently taken photos of some of the trouble areas.

These are both just west of the Lloyd Center platform, where switches 17A,  17B, and 17C allow trains to diverge into the Doubletree Siding. I took both of these pictures on January 26, 2013. The damage here necessitated a slow order (that’s what the yellow cone is for), and the damage to the rail and surrounding pavement is pretty obvious.

How long was that track in this state of disrepair? Well here’s the same spot, July 30, 2012. At that time, I’d taken these partially to show the damage, and partially just as an example of wayside flags in case I ever needed it for the blog. You can also see how the pavement around the rail in the above picture from January is visibly worse than it had been in July, indicating that little to no repair work was done on this during that time period.

Now these switches in particular weren’t shown in the ODOT report, but nearby switches  (15A and 15B) west of Lloyd closer to 9th Ave were pictured in the ODOT report from March 5, 2013:

There had been a flurry of activity of repair work on the rails once the inspection was announced. ODOT was even able to tell that the welding in the 15 A switch had been done recently.

While the 17A switch that I took photos of in July 2012 and January 2013 wasn’t pictured in the ODOT report, here’s how it looked as of March 10, 2013:

You can see that the holes in the pavement around the rails have been filled in, again clearly showing that this problem had been there for months and only was addressed when the inspection was announced.

The only other pic I got recently was this at 11th Avenue on February 12, 2013.

I took this facing north and looking down on the westbound track at 11th & Morrison.

And what the inspectors saw:

This picture is taken facing west – my photo of the same area was taken on the left side of the first switch you see (you can see where the brick/cement/cobblestone pavement meet). Similar to the switch on Holladay, the holes in the area surrounding this switch have been repaved as well.

So I’m really struggling to see how this is supposed to undermine the union’s credibility. Apparently TriMet thought these issues were enough of a concern to patch these areas up before the inspectors came. I mean, the above pictures show the Holladay track damage going back as far as last July and still an issue at the end of January (and yes it was like that later than the end of January, but in fairness that’s the most recent I’d been there to take a photo) – if this was just “routine maintenance” and not last minute patching, wouldn’t it have been addressed sometime in the last 8 months and not immediately prior to the inspection?

Doesn’t the fact that these areas were in disrepair for months, and that TriMet saw fit to make last minute repairs right before the inspection just serve to strengthen the union’s concern that the alignment was not properly maintained?

When values become buzzwords

I’m not sure who came up with this whole “Safety at TriMet is not just a priority, it’s a value” thing, but it’s really turning into more of a slogan than an actual practice. Like if we cram the word “safety” into a speech as many times as we can, SUCCESS! That means we have a safe system!

Open door on the MAX

Except, you know, in practice it doesn’t really work out like that, such as the recent failed door interlock on a MAX train. Or the not as publicized but still recent failed door interlock on a bus. Or all the track damage out there on the alignment that passengers might not notice unless they spot some of the wayside cones/flags denoting a slow order, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are a lot of areas of the alignment that are in need of repair.

Is everything at TriMet as safe as it could be? The official answer would have you believe yes, that’s the case. The rest of us aren’t convinced.

I know that the Ruby Yard is safe. Why? Because the sign says so!

For those of you playing along from home, KOIN Local 6 has had the most thorough coverage. It began when Bruce Hansen, the president of ATU 757 called TriMet “a series of disasters waiting to happen.” He brought up numerous safety concerns about rail (this is not to say that there aren’t at bus as well, but that rail was the focus of this particular statement, mainly because of the recent door issue), including track damage, equipment failures, and Type 4 visibility issues.

TriMet’s response? Spokeswoman Roberta Altstadt issued a statement that MAX is perfectly safe and these safety concerns are just an attempt to discredit TriMet and draw attention away from the contract negotiations of the union’s excessive healthcare benefits.

How dare you, Roberta? Is it really the hallmark of an organization that values safety like TriMet claims to dismiss broken track and equipment problems as “attempts to discredit TriMet?” I don’t even want to dignify your jab at the union with a response.

KOIN’s latest step in the investigation (no story, just video) looks at some more photos of track damage and briefly goes over a letter from the union in October 2010 detailing in particular the visibility issues with the Type 4s. You read that right, a letter from the union in 2010. So much for Roberta’s claim that the union is only now bringing up safety issues now to try to detract attention from contract negotiations.

The KOIN report didn’t cover this other safety issue, but here is a video from the January 2011 board meeting where union representatives attempted (again, without any resolution) to address the Type 4 visibility problems with the TriMet board, several months after a lack of response from the October 2010 letter:

In short, the union has been trying, without success, to do something about these safety issues for a long time. Addressing this now has nothing to do with the contract.

But if piggybacking off the recent media attention given to the train with the broken door is finally going to get something done about this? Well okay then.

If you haven’t yet, take a look at that October 2010 letter, it’s an interesting read. Here are some of the highlights (and background): In July 2010, ATU gave TriMet formal notice that there were visibility issues with the Type 4s that required immediate attention, including the lack of mirrors, cab design, and external cameras. The “response” from TriMet in August 2010 was essentially “There’s no problem with the trains, they are safe.” The October 2010 letter that is now available on the union website was ATU’s response to TriMet’s refusal to address the problems, and it provides photograph evidence of some of the issues to further support the concerns about safety:

The field of vision you get from the cab in a Type 2/3 on the left and a Type 1 on the right, given the position of the side windows and size of the window pillar

And the view you get in a Type 4, which is substantially more obstructed

This photo was taken from the same train cab as the above pic – you can hide multiple trains in adjacent tracks in the blind spot of a Type 4

And what the cameras in the 4s are like sometimes – remember, Type 4s don’t have mirrors to rely on when the cameras go screwy. Technically there are detachable ones, as seen below in the Clackamas break room, but those are only used by supervisors to get Type 4s with defective cameras out of service. You won’t see a 4 running in service with those on.

But back to the KOIN investigation – what was Safety Director Harry Saporta’s response to the union’s evidence?  ”I didn’t see anything that was unsafe.”  Clearly Harry has never played the “Gee, I hope everyone on the platform got on my Type 4 because the way the sun is hitting the camera I can’t see a flipping thing, gonna close my doors and hope for the best” game. He should sometime, it’s great fun. And I guess he’s pretty mellow about cracked rails too, since he said those are just routine maintenance problems. (By the way, there have been attempts to call attention to track damage problems as well, long before the contract negotiation mess. THIS ISN’T NEW, ROBERTA.)

My favorite part of the KOIN investigation is that they asked a member of the National Association of Railroad Safety Consultants who has no affiliation with TriMet or ATU to comment on the union’s safety concerns. The response? “This does not look like a routine maintenance issue and could be a bigger issue. If they have proper maintenance they would not have situations like these.”

Well, you know maybe this is a sign that TriMet needs a more capable safety guy if the one we’ve got doesn’t see any of this as a problem while assuring the public that “the system is absolutely safe and there is no need to worry.”

Is anyone else thinking of this or is it just me?

Then the plot thickens when ODOT orders an immediate inspection of the rail lines. This was covered by the Oregonian as well, which of course has the outcome of bringing out anti-union trolls in the comments (seriously, there are folks there saying that the union has zero concern for safety, people need to turn against all unions, and that ATU has been hiding these safety issues from TriMet managers as an “ace in the hole”. Hmm, speaking of ace holes…)

The problem is that TriMet is not a welcoming environment in which to escalate safety-related issues to try to get them fixed. Sure, you can find supervisors (who are also union) that will agree with your safety concerns, and even some of the lower levels of management do as well, though neither of these groups will necessarily have the teeth to do something about it. But when several tiers of upper management and the public information officers so vehemently deny any safety issues (as seen in this very instance), operators are often unwilling to try to buck the party line and speak out against them to try to address safety problems – the nail that sticks out is the one that gets hammered and all. Or we see what happens when an attempt is made: sometimes there’s just no response, like the union reps at the 2011 board meeting. Or we are told that our concerns are “an acceptable risk” or like the public is now getting, “there is no safety concern! Everything is just fine!”

I mean, look at the way this incident has been handled. The public already knew about the open  MAX doors on the Banfield, so clearly something wasn’t right. The union then brings up other safety issues that have been going on for years. And what is TriMet’s response? Not even a cursory “We’re glad this has come to our attention and are working hard to fix it.” No, it’s “Everything is safe and this is all just a smear campaign by the union.”

Yeah, way to show that safety is a value.

Look, the union negotiations are a messy issue, but that’s not what’s going on here. The public has a right to know if equipment or other issues are putting their safety at risk. Simply saying “Everything is safe” does not make it so. If safety is a value, it’s time to start acting like it.

Forward, neutral, reverse, off

Oh good, a technical question. Plus an excuse to use a bunch of pics.

Question: What are those signs at Gateway that say “Reverser in Neutral” for?

Example sign near Signal 78

First, a little bit of train anatomy. Here is what’s known as the “master controller” (no, not that one), this particular one is in a Type 2.

The master controller: reverser on left, motoring drum handle on right

When starting up a train, operators move the reverser handle first into neutral, rather than to forward or reverse. This essentially lets the train boot up properly. If I understand it correctly (this is getting into more maintenance than operations), there’s also a built-in daily failsafe in the trains that runs a computer check the first time a train is keyed into after midnight, which checks the track brakes and sand, so leaving the train in neutral while it runs this test prevents excessive sand dumping. Anyway, once that’s done, the reverser is used to select the direction of travel.

• “Forward” is what the public is used to seeing, where the train’s headlights and cyclops (aka railroad light) in the front of the train are lit and the train is moving forward.
• “Reverse” makes the train able to back up, and so this almost never done since you can’t see where you’re going. This is not to be confused with running reverse traffic, where the train is going the “wrong way” down the tracks but with the operator facing the same direction the train is moving. The only time passengers would be likely to see a train backing up is when cars need to be uncoupled on the mainline.
• When the reverser is in “neutral” you can’t move the train in any direction, but the train still recognizes that cab as the active cab. The headlights & cyclops will go dark, and will be lit again when the reverser is moved to a direction of travel.
• “Off” – turns the train propulsion systems off, but does not affect auxiliary power (this is how an operator can leave the train at the end of the line but the lights, HVACs, and doors will all still have power). Type 4s don’t have an off position; neutral serves the same function.

In both directions at Gateway, operators move the reverser into neutral while servicing the platforms. Here’s a westbound red line train coming into the pocket track at Gateway (reverser in forward) and then stopping at the signal to service the platform (reverser in neutral).

Putting the reverser into neutral here is a communication to buses. The layout of Gateway has buses crossing the tracks on either end of the platforms, so putting the train in neutral darkens the forward lights and lets buses know that it’s safe to cross. Elsewhere on the alignment, operators will also put trains in neutral to let emergency vehicles pass (as well as funeral processions, but those aren’t as common).

Train in neutral at Pioneer Courthouse (not sure why, I’m assuming that an emergency vehicle was passing through). 

Not related to the reverser, but for those of you looking at the propulsion and braking modes in the second picture and are curious, the range of propulsion acceleration is 0.3 mph/sec in P1 to 3 mph/sec in P5. That would be a very rough start, so trains don’t leave platforms in P5. The braking has the same range of deceleration from B1 through MSB (maximum service brake, the highest level of braking used in normal service). On the bottom is the maximum brake, reserved for emergency stopping as it decelerates at a rate of 3.2 mph/sec. In the middle, MP is the minimal amount of propulsion you can use, coast is neither braking nor propulsion, and SM1-SM3 are similar to a car’s cruise control, designed to hold the train at different maximum speeds without going over.

October Performance

Lots of interesting tidbits in TriMet’s October Performance Dashboard.

Ridership Changes

Ridership statistics

MAX ridership has gone down, no big surprise since there’s no more free rail zone so people won’t necessarily wait for a train to get from one point downtown to another if a bus shows up first (or if they just walk…) What is surprising is that despite service cuts in September, there are more people riding buses than this time last year when there was comparatively more service. WES is doing marginally better, but at $11.69 cost per boarding ride and an essentially flat graph, it’s nothing spectacular.

On Time Performance

I’d modified my last post with this graph (at the time I published that post, only performance through September was available, but October’s data made it even more interesting). In an Oregonian article, TriMet spokesperson Roberta Altstadt attributes the cause to external issues (e.g. cars crashing in the ROW, and as I said on Twitter, it’s a nice change of pace that the most recent drunk dumbass to go off-road didn’t do it over MAX ROW) and the inexperience of new operators. That new operator inexperience is not even just an issue of familiarity with the alignment – new operators are more likely to have rule violations that delay their trains (e.g. tripping a signal), and are generally not as capable as most seasoned operators are at quickly and accurately describing to Control any sort of mechanical issue they might have which leads to a delay in fixing it. Yes, these are problems that time and experience will help (until they hit the complacency mark around 6-12 months when rule violations often spike again, but that’s another issue…)

So while it’s true that inexperienced operators are part of the reason for the downward slope in MAX on time performance, that doesn’t really get at the root cause of WHY there are so many new operators out right now. TriMet went for about a year and a half without having new rail operator classes, and lately they’ve been run almost back to back due to operator shortage. It’s the same at bus – a long hiring freeze on bus drivers and now oh dear, there aren’t enough operators. So a hiring rush ends up where there’s a lot of inexperience on the roads and rails at once. This could have been avoided if more focus was given to actual operation and new people had been added at a steady, constant rate instead of in rapid succession after a long period of none at all… and I think that’s one of the contributing factors to this:

Collisions

Bus collisions per 100,000 miles

Ok, if we’re serious about this whole “Safety is  a value, not just a priority” and that’s not just a catch phrase to try and look good, then this warrants a long and hard look. Bus collision rates have been consistently higher (with 2 exceptions) than last year for the past year. After the Sandi Day incident, TriMet head of training Allen Morgan developed an annual bus operator recertification training program, which theoretically would reduce the number of bus accidents. Well it’s a wonderful idea, but it doesn’t work. Or maybe it does work but it’s the initial operating training that isn’t adequately preparing new drivers. Or maybe there’s just too many new drivers at once due to the hiring freeze. Whichever it is, this trend of increasing collisions needs an immediate response, and not just a safety committee that’s all talk and no action.

And so it doesn’t look like I’m just picking on bus and leaving rail alone: Even though it’s not one of the graphs presented in the dashboard, let’s take a look at rail rule violations as well. If there’s a similar trend, then we need to stop seeing how many times we can fit the word “safety” into a speech and actually do something to improve safety.

Budget

Tax Revenue

I’m no financial analyst, so maybe I’m looking at this all wrong, and if I am, feel free to correct me. But after that whole panic attack about TriMet having somewhere between $12-17 million budget shortfall… it looks like the actual revenue is almost $16 million over the budget for FY 2012, and about $3.5 million over for FY 2013. Even taking into consideration the passenger revenue chart which shows the budget being slightly higher than the actual (about $2.3 million for FY 2012 and $1.1 million for FY 2013), it doesn’t look like we were anywhere near being short – if so I would’ve guessed that the actual would be under the budget, or perhaps taking the recent cuts into consideration, about even. Instead it appears to be well over. What’s the story?

Who ya gonna call?

Sometimes I’ll do a scan through Twitter posts that mention TriMet to see if there is anything interesting  being discussed or if people have questions about the trains that have a quick and easy answer. However, I’ve noticed a lot of people use Twitter to tell TriMet about safety or operational concerns, and although Twitter is an official channel for TriMet information, it’s really not the best method to address, well, pretty much any of the things that get posted there.

TriMet’s official twitter is not monitored 24/7. Typical activity on the official account is that every Monday through Friday, someone at TriMet will scan through the last day’s worth of tweets and do a batch of responses to them over the span of about an hour or so. As a result, by the time someone gets around to seeing what you wrote, you’re nowhere near that train that had a broken sign, loose pitbull, bikes blocking the doorway, etc, whatever it was that you wanted someone to do something about in the first place, and the only response you will likely get from TriMet will be to call customer service.

So if not Twitter, What should I do if I want to report something on a train?

TriMet’s Twitter is not constantly monitoring the trains, however the operator of your train is, and he or she is connected to controllers, who in turn are connected to emergency/medical personnel as well as supervisors in the field who can get to situations much faster than Twitter will. That being said, for most immediate concerns onboard a train you should notify the operator, but if there happens to be a supervisor, fare inspector, transit police, or security officer onboard, you should talk to them instead because your operator’s first priority is to safely operate the train.

If at all possible, wait until the train is stopped before contacting the operator about an issue. Only contact the operator while the train is moving if there is an emergency situation.

If there are no other TriMet personnel present, use this as sort of a basic guide to determine when to contact the operator under different circumstances:

• EMERGENCY SITUATIONS: Situations where someone’s life may be at risk. Examples – someone needs immediate medical attention; there is a fight onboard; the train is on fire; a door opens while the train is moving. Contact the operator immediately. 
• URGENT SITUATIONS: Situations that potentially pose a safety risk, but do not appear to be immediately life-threatening. Examples – overhead panel onboard the train is open; access to train doors or aisle is blocked by bicycles not properly stowed. Wait until the train is stopped and contact the operator.
• IMPORTANT, NON-URGENT SITUATIONS: Situations that need attention but are not safety-sensitive and don’t impair the operation of the train. Examples – HVAC not working right, APACU issues (stuck destination signs, announcing the wrong stop, etc). Wait until the train is stopped before contacting the operator.
• NON-SAFETY, NON-TRAIN SITUATIONS: Examples – a broken ticket machine, platform defects, scheduling issues. Call TriMet customer service at 503-238-RIDE or report the problem to a supervisor, fare inspector, or transit police/security officer. (not really anything an operator can do to fix these, but if you must tell the operator, wait until the train is stopped.)

Generally speaking, situations that would be reported are either safety-related or operational-related.

Safety Issues

When reporting a safety issue to the operator, give as much information as you can. The operator will relay this information to Control. Sometimes Control will ask the operator to step out of the cab to get more information on the situation, and they will often notify a supervisor in the area who will meet the train to address the situation. Control will also send for police or medical if necessary.

If there is a fight onboard the train or other threatening situation where you fear that using the intercom will put you too close to the problem, you can move to the other car of the train and use an intercom from there or use your phone to call 911 and police will meet the train at the next platform.

Fight on the Green Line last year

It is extremely helpful if you are able to give specific information. Your operator’s main focus is going to be to safely operate the train, not getting into the middle of an onboard situation. Operators are not monitoring the cameras inside the train so the more specific you can be will help the operator give accurate details to Control and the better to narrow down where on the train this is happening and what arriving help on the scene should look for:

What is the problem?

• A fight or someone threatening passengers? Give descriptions of involved people (gender, approximate age, height, weight, race, clothing description, anything like that helps)
• A medical emergency? Again, description of what the emergency is if you can tell (did someone faint, are they having a seizure, did someone fall, is someone bleeding, etc), as well as description of the person also helps
• Other violations of TriMet code? (loose non-service animals, bikes blocking aisle or doorways, smoking, etc) – remember, unlike the other two bullet points here, save these types of non-urgent issues for when the train is stopped

Where is the problem?

Door numbers and the car/cab numbers are helpful to convey location in the train when you’re reporting a problem

Know your train! (sort of like paying attention to those airline evacuation instructions…)

• Which car of the train are you or the situation in, lead car or trailing? Give the car number/letter if you see it (it’s posted in several locations inside each train car, including above the cab doors and posted high near the middle of the train)
• Whereabouts in the car is the situation – near the cab? in the middle section? by the coupled end? This is where the car number/letter is helpful if you know it – most operators jot down how their cars are coupled in case it’s needed during the shift so they’ll be able to tell Control specifically where an issue is
• If you or the incident is near a door of the train (in particular if you’re using one of the passenger emergency intercoms), look above the door for the number to give a specific location

From left to right, the emergency intercom in a Type 1, a Type 2/3 and a Type 4

Know where to be able to find the emergency intercoms on the train. In a Type 1, there are 2 per car, located above the seat to the left of each cab. In Type 2s and 3s, there are 4 per car, located at doors 3, 4, 5, and 6 (the doors closest to the middle of the train car). In Type 4s, there are also 4 per car, located at doors 1, 4, 5, and 8 (one near each set of doors in the train car on alternating sides).

One more quick note about the intercoms – if you happen bump into one by accident, when the operator responds asking how they can help you, PLEASE REPLY that you bumped it by accident. No harm, no foul. If you don’t respond, the operator will have to notify Control that there’s no response, and will search the train for anyone in distress, because from the cab, there’s no way to tell if someone is having an emergency situation and hit the button but can’t verbally communicate. It saves everyone time if you just say “Sorry, was an accident.”

Operational Issues

Something is broken

If something seems broken or out of place on the train, you can let the operator know, using your best judgment if the operational problem poses an immediate threat to safety or if it can wait until the train is stopped at the next platform. Same as with safety issues, giving a specific location is very helpful (which car is it in; what door number is it near, etc) – considering that a 2-car consist is about 200′ long, being able to quickly narrow down the location of the problem means getting to it faster to fix it and less of a delay for everyone.

Why aren’t we moving?

Twitter is not going to be helpful for this at the time you want it

As to the answer to this particular situation, I don’t know what the issue was, possibly a bridge lift. But operators are trained to keep passengers informed of delays with as much information available regarding when the train will be rolling again. Some delays at platforms are expected and built in to the schedule (in particular at Ruby Junction, Gateway, Beaverton TC, or Elmonica) where one operator relieves another at the end of their shift. Other times trains can get conga lined if something causes a backup and this could also cause delays. If your train has been stopped for several minutes with no announcements made, it’s okay to contact  the operator and ask what’s going on.

Not everything that seems unusual is necessarily a cause for concern

For example, now that we’re back in the rainy season, you’ll hear the buzzing sound of sand being deposited for traction which is normal and expected. Another example of something that isn’t a concern is when the lights and HVACs in the train temporarily go out because an operator took power underneath a section isolator or where the overhead wires cross (such as near Pioneer Courthouse or any of the Streetcar/MAX intersections) What is a cause for concern is if the lights go out and stay out, or all the lights on one side of the train go out – let your operator know if something like that happens, because that’s indicative of a converter or inverter issue and will need to be fixed.

Any other options to report an issue?

You can also call TriMet’s customer service number 503-238-RIDE to report a safety, security, or operational problem by pressing 5 in the menu of options. However, this is only available Monday-Friday, 8:30a-4:30p so if you’re traveling outside these hours, similar to Twitter this isn’t going to be the most helpful way to get a fast response.

And of course, you can call 911 if the onboard situation warrants it.

So When should I tweet @trimet about an incident on a train?

*crickets chirping*

Sorry, that was sarcastic of me, but if you want an immediate response, tweeting @TriMet is not your best option. While @TriMet is great for directing people to customer service after incidents occur, it’s not a good way to get an immediate response to an issue. Talking to a TriMet employee at the time the incident that you want to report occurs is the best way to get a situation addressed, and so this should be your first option for safety issues or an operational problem with a train. The official Twitter backed me up on that after someone tweeted both @TriMet and the mayor of Portland to report that a stanchion pole on a train was broken – that sort of thing would best be reported to the operator when the train is stopped at a platform.

If you have a non-urgent, non-safety, non-train concern such as reporting a broken ticket machine or validator, a Transit Tracker problem, or graffiti on a platform, you can use Twitter to let TriMet know as these aren’t urgent situations that require a fast response.