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Commuter-rail conductors getting modified iPhones to keep passengers up to date on problems
By adamg on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 8:48am
Keolis says it's found a way to deal with the fact that commuter-rail passengers with smartphones often know about problems on their lines before their conductors: Give the conductors modified iPhones that let them access "real-time data" on train and rail-line problems.
Keolis this morning begins handing out some 400 of the devices to conductors. Keolis says the phones have been modified so they can't be used to access the Internet, e-mail or any non-Keolis apps. And while they can be used to make emergency calls, "they cannot be used for ordinary phone calls," Keolis says.
Like T drivers, Keolis conductors are not supposed to use phones while on duty. In a statement, Keolis CIO Ric Salvatici says:
As a result, our passengers, nearly all of whom carry smart-phones, sometimes knew about incidents or issues before our conductors did, creating frustration for both sides. Our goal with this initiative is to insure our teams have the information they need to keep passengers accurately informed about what is going in a more timely manner.
Keolis hopes to update the apps to give conductors online access to other job-related info and let them file daily reports electronically, rather than on paper.
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Comments
Or, when there's a problem on the line
The train dispatcher can notify the engineer via the radio, who can then notify the conductor and trainman. And the best part, the infrastructure to do this is already in place.
This is such a horrendous WASTE of money and effort it staggers the mind.
Oh, but it's "high tech", so it's good. Utter BS.
Two things
With the lines always having problems, could you imagine the radio traffic necessary?
Ok, that's more of a joke than serious commentary. But did you see the part where they'll be adding the ability to do other job functions through the smartphones? A radio doesn't let them file their daily reports online.
Also, a radio doesn't store information. So, you radio out to the engineer...the engineer radios the conductor. Great...is he supposed to write down everything you told him or memorize it for when a passenger asks what the hold-up is? In 30 minutes, is he supposed to radio the engineer who radios control who radios back to the engineer who radios back to the conductor to see if the status has been updated or changed? Or does he just check his app?
99% of the time,
the train that's having the problem is the one that the passengers are already on. So the engineer is already communicating with the dispatcher about the issue. Little additional effort for the conductor to either call the engineer on the short range radio they have with them, or - gasp - walk up to the control car or into the locomotive to communicate with the engineer.
About once or twice a week, the 8:00 inbound train from Reading is delayed south of Wyoming Hill because an outbound train hasn't yet cleared the single track section. If the delay is going to be more than a couple of minutes, the engineer or the conductor always makes an announcement over the PA - all without the need for special expensive high tech devices. So I fail to see the problem in establishing that as standard protocol for all crews and trains.
As for the other job functions, I fail to see what is so important that the conductor has to do it en-route.
As I say, a WASTE of effort and money. And we really don't need another high tech bauble so management can say "See, we're innovative and responsive" when we can use the system that's already in place to accomplish the same goal.
*headdesk*
I have 138 messages in my inbox, just from the Fitchburg line, just containing the phrase "disabled train" or "previous delays," just from the last three years, that would like to have a discussion about percentages.
Average length of train car: 85 feet. Average length of train: 7 cars. Average walking speed: 3MPH. Average transit time for round-trip to locomotive: 2 minutes and change. By which time all the passengers on the train have already looked up the source of the delay, and begin griping about how much Keolis sucks.
It makes sense to deploy an
It makes sense to deploy an official smartphone to drivers and conductors. They're not allowed to carry a personal phone, for good reasons. In the future the MBTA will (hopefully?) deploy a bunch of apps to support operations.
I agree
In my opinion, radios are even too high tech and unnecessary. What they really need is people relaying the messages on horseback. Real, reliable, and you don't need an IT guy if something goes wrong. Not to mention it would create jobs, and the horses would have something more meaningful to do than tow tourists down Broad St.
HORSEBACK?
Do you think we're just MADE of money? Even the Boston Police Department has gotten rid of their equestrian division, IDIOT. Horses have to be stabled and fed, and what happens if one throws a shoe, huh? Whole line from South Acton gets to sit there and wait until we get a blacksmith out. Not looking like such a great idea now, is it, smart guy? OBVIOUSLY the only way to send signals to our fleet of diesel locomotives is via a series of semaphore stations, manned constantly by unpaid orphans who will do the work in exchange for thin gruel and a leaky roof to sleep under.
Gruel??
Do you know how much millet costs because you have to import it from Africa??
You make a valid point, BUT...
I have 2 words for you: Carrier. Pigeons.
Wow. That's way too lavish
Here's the Roadman Approved(tm) solution!
On the other hand
It will take about 5 seconds for an enterprising young coder to build an app that would allow the NFC capability of these non-phone devices to be able to read the charlie cards and make it possible to switch from the subway to commuter rail on a single ticket. It wouldn't take much more to allow conductors to swipe credit cards for ticket sales on the train.
For all the stupid crap Keolis and the MBTA waste time & money on, these devices could both be useful and pay off if given the attention.
CharlieCards
Especially when you consider that mailed and corporate-provided monthly commuter rail passes have been provided on the rigid CharlieCard stock for the past year, vs. the flimsy CharlieTicket stock used previously. While it's great to not have to use the fickle ticket readers on the Charlie gates, how wasteful is it to hand out passes on card stock that's meant to be used for years and which is instead trashed each month?
Old Hat
Old hat here.
In Europe train crews have had modified GSM-based cell phone technology in use for many years. The phones are locked down so they can only communicate with each other within the train, train-to-train, or train to dispatch. They use these in place of radio systems that may only be located in the operator's cab area. The proliferation of radio and GPS train control systems (sometimes referred to as Positive Train Control or PTC) makes the positioning of cell towers such that this system works, and works well.
Train crews in Boston already have walkie-talkies that are used to do inter-personal and to-base communications so the question is what the new cell phones can do? If all they are doing is accessing the same data that passengers can then it's a waste.
The problem is getting usable communication from the dispatchers that can be conveyed to passengers. Let's keep in mind that while the MBTA has set up a crew just for dealing with public communication, i.e. Twitter, etc, those people still depend on the data coming from the dispatchers who are the ones talking to the trains in the field, and those people are talking to multiple trains and are dealing with the safe control of trains and thousands of lives, same as an air traffic controller.
What really screwed the train crews and riding public was the ban on personal cell phones preventing operators from even having them on their person. There were plenty of rules in place and all the MBTA had to do is enforce those rules. They didn't, or those charged with enforcing them refused. The result was legislative action that took the cells away leaving train crews without reliable communication anywhere - to dispatch or local police or 911 lines - in case of an emergency.
The whole legislative thing was a knee-jerk reaction by law makers based on public outrage, and that after several well-documented rail accidents across the nation. It was a perfect storm. When you have an accident over-and-over at a roadway intersection you may need to re-design that intersection or install other traffic abatement systems. You don't close the road altogether. same should have been the case here. The same stupidity put the train emergency override switch on the outside of the train. result... runaway red line train. (And that guy was not the first to tie-off the throttle just to make the train work and get passengers to their destinations.)
While trains do have 2-way radios they are limited in range and often their broadcast quality stinks. Any person can tune-in on a public service radio scanner and you can hear for yourself. Often it's worse than the broken train PA systems on the Orange Line and Red Line. At least with the new cell phones they will also have GPS positioning in case that is needed.
So, carry a cell phone, carry a flashlight, learn how the emergency doors operate and are released (so you don't need to kick out windows - that was never necessary, that was panic and lack of knowing what to really do), because on one-operator trains you are pretty much on your own.
While trains do have 2-way
With respect, I'm not buying these arguments.
Commuter rail radios operate through a repeater system. While the reception may be lousy monitoring on your average consumer radio scanner, the reception is actually quite good for people using the system with the provided equpiment.
Subways and buses were recently upgraded to a trunked radio system - which provides for even better reception than commuter rail has. IMO, it's overkill and a bad use of limited resources, but my point still stands about range and reception.
Keolis
Well Keolis isn't here to appease JUST you roadman.
You hate technology. We get it. Sheesh. Give it a rest.
You'd whine if you didn't know what was going on and hold them at fault for that. Now they are giving employees a tool to get notification so they can tell you, and you're STILL whining.
Nothing the T ever does can make you happy or ever will.
(please spare me your needless argument about radios or some such silliness. I just don't give a rats ass today, you're just a whiner plain and simple)
I don't hate technology
I do hate finding an excuse to waste money on upgrading technology when it is UNNECESSARY to do so. As I've indicated, the systems currently in place for other reasons will WORK PERFECTLY WELL for this purpose as well.
Sorry, but this just another "let's roll out something that's expensive and mostly pointless to divert attention away from the fact that we're doing very little to solve the underlying problems that are actually causing the delays." Forgive me if I'm not jumping up and down for joy here.
Yes you do
Every time they try to do something new, you bitch.
Well because that's worked so well so far... I mean you've bitched about lack of communication from Keolis also. So obviously, it's not working.
Unless you're privy to information, you have absolutely no idea what ELSE those phones are for, who paid for them and what not. You're making a broad assumption about something you know little about.
Same with fixing the problems.. are you privy to information that we're not? Yeah, I didn't think so.
So we're back to roadman just being bitchy, whiney roadman because nothing the T or Keolis will ever be good enough for you.