Hey, there! Log in / Register
Red Line shut as man commits suicide by subway train in Central Square
By adamg on Sun, 02/20/2011 - 7:35pm
8 p.m. update: The MBTA says full service has resumed.
Shuttles in both directions following the incident shortly after 5 p.m.
Brett Loop reports from the first car of the train:
Heard some strange braking noises (e-brake) and then the driver yelling frantically into her CB and then yelling for help. People were trying to break into her cabin b/c we thought she was in trouble. The power went out and the doors were locked and finally she came out and said what happened. She was very upset. She said the man looked at the train and then just went in front. It was a very sad, solemn moment. I hope the train operator finds some counseling.
Krista Firkins reports from the scene (with photos):
Most T riders were left in the dark about the incident and were simply directed towards buses and shuttle services running out of central square, although most were packed. Buses also had a hard time getting in and out of the area with the congestion and traffic surrounding the scene. The square was flooded with Boston Police cruisers, Transit Police vehicles, unmarked police vehicles, ambulances, and fire trucks.
Andrew Phelps posted a photo of the FUBAR situation at Park Street as throngs waited for a shuttle bus.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
The messages playing
The messages playing throughout the system actually said "Due to person struck by a train at Central Square, all service is being replaced between blah blah"
Looking at comments on
Looking at comments on Twitter, it looks like a lot of people were put off by the tell it like it is announcment.
They can't win
In the past, when somebody got hit by the train and the T only announced a vague "medical emergency," people got put off.
Exactly. Cripes.
Exactly. Cripes.
Decoded
I thought by now everybody knew that "medical emergency" was code for "someone done got hit by a train"?
It does seem a *little* graphic to tell it like it is - on the other hand, though, that's a damn good reason for it all to go pear-shaped (unlike, say, cold weather), so maybe they're on the right track.
In Kenmore and Government Center
...they said "Due to a medical emergency at Central Square."
At Harvard, around 5:30, all
At Harvard, around 5:30, all they were saying was that it was a medical emergency, and that shuttles were upstairs, but they wouldn't tell anyone where to wait, and after about 45 minutes we finally managed to get a cab. I never saw a shuttle, but there were a couple at Park when the cab dropped us off. How terrible for the poor driver and everyone involved, though.
The announcement at Broadway
If you're at work, put in some earbuds for this one (for the very end).
Gov't Center
That was the same announcement I heard at Gov't Center at 6:20. Caught me off guard because I'm used to the "medical emergency" cop-out.
Judging by some of the
Judging by some of the responses (like the "what the F" in the youtube video), probably better to "cop-out" or sugar coat it, since not everybody responds to hearing about someone being struck by a train in the same way. I think if they use "medical emergency" and "shuttle buses" in the same announcemnt, most people can put 2+2 together.
Is that why I saw Silver LIne buses on the Longfellow?
About an hour ago, someone was driving me home on the Longfellow Bridge, and I saw a Silver Line bus go by, with HARVARD SQUARE on its destination sign.
I suppose it's a bad
I suppose it's a bad situation all around, but I always feel so badly for the T drivers when this happens. That must be horrible, to not be able to stop it from happening.
Also: the suckage on the T was even worse because the last train to get through Harvard went express to Alewife, but the conductor said another train was right behind him. What a bad time for me to believe that!
first train
I was on the first train, right behind the driver. Heard some strange braking noises (e-brake) and then the driver yelling frantically into her CB and then yelling for help. People were trying to break into her cabin b/c we thought she was in trouble. The power went out and the doors were locked and finally she came out and said what happened. She was very upset. She said the man looked at the train and then just went in front. It was a very sad, solemn moment. I hope the train operator finds some counseling.
People who do this never
People who do this never think of the operators and how they'll feel.
Yup
They're assholes. Same with Suicide by cop.
Maybe they do it because it can be argued it's wasn't suicide, and thus insurance money goes to their next of kin?
I always found it odd that insurance can refuse to pay out because of suicide. Life is pretty much the biggest thing going against it, not many people would go for it just to get a payday, ya know.
Honestly I've been close to
Honestly I've been close to that point. Not suicidal but not particularly caring if I died. I think the appeal of the train is that it's easy. It would be SO easy to step in front of one of those trains as it comes roaring in. It's not like hanging or something which requires any planning or much effort. And I think people forget that there's a person driving those things, especially with the big traditional subway style cars on the blue, red and orange lines.
Jeez Louise.
It's a pretty gruesome way to go. Way to simplify whatever issues were tormenting the poor victim enough to do this. I almost wish I could see the world in the same black and white in which you seem to see it. :-/
It's not black and white. I
It's not black and white.
I just think it's selfish, especially since bothy the instances I cite you're putting your burden onto someone else.
I do feel bad for the situation the person was in, and my condolences go to his family and friends, but that doesn't make him any less of an asshole for dragging others into it with him.
RIP david bohn, sorry you
RIP david bohn, sorry you couldn't overcome that which overcame you
I work at a cafe in Central
I work at a cafe in Central Square, I had no idea what happened until a few customers came through asking themselves what happened. We usually see tons of emergency lights outside, but it was excessive tonight. All of Central Square was blocked. Pedestrians were all on the streets. Buses were shuttling. People didn't know where to even get on the shuttles. I finally asked an officer what happened as soon as he got a second and he told me flat out a man jumped in front of a train. Later on I spoke to an MBTA driver and he said it was awful, and that they had just removed the body of a 50 to 60 year old man from the Central Square station, it was a suicide.
My thoughts go out to the driver of the train, and the family and friends of the victim and witnesses. Hopefully more preventative measures will be made so that these things don't happen.
I know the T is broke, but
I know the T is broke, but perhaps walls and doors should be installed in all future station reconstructions, to block passengers from even attempting to get on the track.
Pic for reference:
Problem with your suggestion
Older Red Line cars have three doors. Newer Red Line cars have four doors (because rider surveys said that people preferred to have more doors instead of more seats). This means that not all cars have doors in the same location on the platform when they are stopped.
Eh, it's still workable
1. Have sets of doors that work for both configurations. They could all open for every train, because there's nothing wrong with having an open platform door through which one can touch the wall of a stopped train and not do anything else.
2. Have it be one bigass door that opens upward and rolls onto the ceiling in segments like a garage door only with more clear panels.
3. Have it be an invisible force field.
It'll be fun when those doors
It'll be fun when those doors get stuck and trap everyone in the car so they have to go to the next station, switch over, and come back.
(That happened to me once in the NY subway, where the train stopped and didn't open a single door, so I had to transfer to come back -- no protective walls needed)
And knowing our maintenance situation, they may get stuck for several stations in a row!
Enclosed tubes are nice, certainly, plus they can reduce air resistance, and they change the way ventilation works in the system. However, we'll need a modern, well-maintained, computer-controlled subway to make it work. I'm not holding my breath...
This is the MBTA. Whatever
This is the MBTA. Whatever technology they employ, it will not work reliably.
MBTA only has to work well enough that commuting is feasible for people who drive cars, by taking the low-income and the masochistic off the roads.
Masochistic is relative. I
Masochistic is relative.
I don't enjoy the T crowding and delays but I would absolutely lose it if I had to deal with traffic before and after my workday.
I'd actually pay extra NOT to drive. Instead I save money and have less stress.
Sleep walk thru the T commute, get coffee and settle into the day.