Star: Paramedics' aid may cut transit delays

From the Star:

Paramedics' aid may cut transit delays
Feb 27, 2008 04:30 AM
Tess Kalinowski
transportation reporter

The TTC may assign paramedics to subway stations in a bid to reduce growing train delays.

Sick passengers are one of the biggest contributors to a 23 per cent increase in delays on the system, which totalled 447 hours this year, according to a TTC report obtained by the Star.

A paramedic pilot project could begin later this year at the station at Yonge and Bloor Sts., TTC chair Adam Giambrone confirmed yesterday. "We'd let people know it is there and encourage people, if they're feeling ill, to get off and talk to (paramedics) on scene," he said.

The cost is still unknown, but if the pilot is successful, paramedics could be placed at up to 10 stations. Paramedics are already used this way in cities such as Hong Kong, said Rick Cornacchia, deputy general manager of subway operations.

Last year, there were 84 more hours of subway delays than the previous year. Those caused by mechanical and maintenance issues declined about 2 per cent. But there were 40 per cent more delays caused mostly by passengers, including 49 hours blamed on illness, and 39 hours lost to doors jammed by passengers or debris.

A shortage of operators was responsible for about 47 hours of delays last year. But that number should decline significantly since the TTC reached an agreement with the transit workers' union last year to allow a "spare board" system, which would speed the deployment of backup operators.

Delays are inevitable given the increasing use of the subway. Overall, TTC ridership grew by about 3 per cent last year, with more than 1 million people riding the subway on a typical weekday. But things can be done, Giambrone said.

The TTC is installing cameras and adding more special constables to discourage disorderly behaviour.

New trains coming on stream next year will be "10 times as reliable as the ones they're replacing," with a new signalling system that will reduce delays. The commission is also studying the use of platform-edge doors – gates that regulate access to the cars to keep people from jamming doors open, jumping onto tracks or throwing down debris.

The TTC has a 96 per cent on-time index, said Cornacchia.

AoD

yep I have seen this On the GO as well.

The TTC has a 96 per cent on-time index, said Cornacchia.

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I'm assuming this is on subway lines.

This is a pretty good idea, I think. They often have ambulances waiting at big events, so having one or two at Bloor-Yonge station, which sees hundreds of thousands of people a day, could save lives.

The commission is also studying the use of platform-edge doors – gates that regulate access to the cars to keep people from jamming doors open, jumping onto tracks or throwing down debris.

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More high-tech gadgetry for the TTC... yay!

I'm assuming that the TTC will look at full-height platform screen doors that will enclose the platform area from the tracks with a wall of glass and which will prevent people from throwing garbage onto the tracks. If that is the case, then the TTC could take the next logical step and heat/air-condition the station.

A platform gate system (where the platform doors go up only to shoulder height) would work as a suicide barrier, but people can still throw debris onto the tracks.

Last year there was a fatal accident in the Shanghai metro when someone got stuck between the closing train door and the platform doors and got crushed. Hopefully there will be adequate safeguards here.

Great, i can only imagine what it would be like for people to have two sets of doors to hold open

The issue with platform doors is accuracy of the train's stop. With the 2016 YUS signal upgrade presumably automatic train control would provide the required accuracy, especially if as Steve Munro says it is planned to go from 6 to 7 carriages which means using every inch of platform.

EDIT: "jumping onto tracks" sounds more benign than "selfish ****s offing themselves and traumatising drivers"

dowlingm said:

The issue with platform doors is accuracy of the train's stop. With the 2016 YUS signal upgrade presumably automatic train control would provide the required accuracy, especially if as Steve Munro says it is planned to go from 6 to 7 carriages which means using every inch of platform.

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On London's Jubilee Line (and other places, IIRC) platform doors are used without automatic operation, so it is possible. However, it forces the trains to brake earlier and drive slowly so they can stop at just the right place to line up with the doors.

That's great to hear that they're planning to move to 7 carriages. That should be an easy way to increase capacity.

Platform-edge doors are pretty much standard on any new subway line being built these days, for both their safety and energy efficiency benefits. They were planning to include them on Sheppard but they were cost as a cost-saving measure.

At the bare minimum, the TTC should install them at all the outdoor stations. Every time the train passes them, the cold air rushes in and the cars have to be completely re-heated. It's also very unpleasant standing and waiting at an outdoor station in our climate. Platform-edge doors and heated stations would be a big win for all concerned.

Seven carriages are a fantastic idea, but shouldn't they maybe have thought of that when they were ordering these new Toronto Rocket cars? They're 6-car trainsets which would be very difficult and time consuming to rebuilt to add a seventh car. Likewise, the T1s are married pairs, so they would have to be rebuilt as single car or triple car sets to produce an odd number.

I'd be concerned about the doors freezing up and general maintenance involved with outdoor stations, though I'm sure it could be overcome. It would certainly make using transit at those stations more comfortable. Interesting to note that the three outdoor stations on the Jubilee Line extension don't have platform edge doors.

unimaginative - since only 39 trains are in the first batch the TTC has to order more "rockets" anyway by 2016 so I imagine these will be 7 car length and initially the 6 cars would be withdrawn on a 1-for-1 basis and lengthened in the yard. I doubt it would take long to do given the much more modular nature of modern articulated vehicles compared to say the ALRV.

Thanks, dowlingm. That makes sense. I just wish they would have thought of this a year ago before they started ordering the new cars! It seems like a complete no-brainer on an over-crowded system.

if we had 7 car rockets before the 2016 signal upgrade they couldn't be stopped accurately so all 7 cars couldn't be accessed from the platform. We'd have somewhere under one-sixth more power consumed dragging around an unusable car. I reckon people might object to that

dowlingm said:

if we had 7 car rockets before the 2016 signal upgrade they couldn't be stopped accurately so all 7 cars couldn't be accessed from the platform. We'd have somewhere under one-sixth more power consumed dragging around an unusable car. I reckon people might object to that

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Why do you say that? The platforms are already more than long enough to fit a 7-car train; drivers would still have about a 15-foot buffer zone by my eye.

Stations are 500' long. Current subway cars at 74'6" long (approx), making a set of 6 approximately 453' long when you allow for the space between the cars. Train sets of 7 cars would need slightly shorter cars.

Why are we going on aout this in a Paramedics thread anyway?

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