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"Knock 'Em Off the Rails! Grrrrr!!!!"

By lylehsaxon (Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 03:26:34 PM EST) (all tags)

Recently there have been an increased number of train delays while they "clear the tracks" of someone wandering around on them. ........

Keep in mind that these are always fenced off from public roads and pedestrian walkways, and most are elevated rails, so - in most cases - nobody is on the rails unless they really want to be there. Yesterday two of my trains were delayed for this reason - one ten minutes and another thirty-five minutes.

And... that's the story. The questions are:

1) Who is doing this?

2) Why?

I'm in a calmer frame of mind today after getting a decent night's sleep, but yesterday I was thinking "Speed up the trains! Knock those swine off the rails!".

At work, I told a few coworkers about my great idea for dealing with the problem and two of them (independently) had the same comment, "But then there will be a mess to clean up", to which I replied (to the second guy, after I had time to think of a comeback), "Then they should use man-eating dogs! Grrrr!!!"

Very long commutes in sardine conditions do not make for the most magnanimous frame of mind....

Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://uk.youtube.com/lylehsaxon

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"Knock 'Em Off the Rails! Grrrrr!!!!" | 9 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback

10 MINS DELAY??? IS THAT ALL??? by xth (2.00 / 0) #1 Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 03:42:36 PM EST

You want to try the South East of Britain.

[Splitting comments into subject and body is soooo 1994]

: 10 and then 35 for a total of over two hours by lylehsaxon (2.00 / 0) #4 Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 07:44:43 AM EST

Ah... now you mention it, I remember the buses and trains not running on schedule in San Francisco either. They usually run on time here, but things seem to be slipping....

LHS

The shortest way home is the longest way 'round....
[ Parent ]

B ecause by ad hoc

(2.00 / 0) #2 Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 06:07:22 PM EST

they're drunk out of their minds.
--

At 7:30 a.m.? by lylehsaxon (2.00 / 0) #5 Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 07:47:38 AM EST

That could be... but the timing is weird - it seems to happen *after* the first trains of the morning (around 5:00 a.m.) and just before the peak of the morning commute (around 7:30 or 8:00 a.m.). I'm beginning to think it's a deliberate wrench thrown into the gears, but if so, I worked out a motive for it yet.

Lyle

The shortest way home is the longest way 'round....
[ Parent ]

: Typo fix... by lylehsaxon (2.00 / 0) #7 Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 07:53:56 AM EST

I meant to say "I *haven't* worked out a motive for it yet..."

Lyle

The shortest way home is the longest way 'round....
[ Parent ]

Your coroners are efficient. by LinDze (2.00 / 0) #3 Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 09:04:11 PM EST

Apparently my system had two fatalities last friday. The last one was at ~5:30 at took about two hours to clean up. I ended up car pooling with strangers who had a coworker driving the same direction.

-Lin Dze
Arbeit Macht Frei

Two hours for clean-up? by lylehsaxon (2.00 / 0) #6 Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 07:50:02 AM EST

Two hours for clean-up? I'm trying to remember how long it takes here... I think it might be a little faster - maybe 45 minutes to an hour? Jumping in front of a train is a common way to taking the ultimate express check out here.

Lyle

The shortest way home is the longest way 'round....
[ Parent ]

something like that by LinDze (2.00 / 0) #8 Wed Nov 11, 2009 at 12:23:36 AM EST

Maybe stopped for around an hour, then another hour of partial delays? That seems about normal.

My commuter rail system is around 16 fatalities for the year so far. Maybe 1 or 2 more.

-Lin Dze
Arbeit Macht Frei
[ Parent ]

: Japan - suicide capital? by lylehsaxon (2.00 / 0) #9 Wed Nov 11, 2009 at 04:56:04 AM EST

That prompted me to look up some numbers, and I came across this:

"Suicide rates in Japan have risen this year amid economic woes, and could surpass the record 34,427 deaths in 2003. Last year, nearly 2,000 people committed suicide in Japan by jumping in front of a train, about 6 percent of such deaths nationwide."

Lyle

The shortest way home is the longest way 'round....
[ Parent ]

"Knock 'Em Off the Rails! Grrrrr!!!!" | 9 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback