The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which manages all transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), announced the unlocking of the back door and the resumption of two-car train service on the new LRV4 trains.
All single-panel train doors, which are located at the ends of each car, have been retrofitted with additional sensors. In addition, the train couplers, which allow for the connection of two trains, have been modified to allow safe operation of two-car train service.
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Between November 2017 and April 2019, there were three incidents that involved the rear-door that resulted in a passenger injury. The most recent incident was in April, when a passenger tried to hold open the rear door and fell into the trackway at Embarcadero Station. Siemens, the train manufacturer, developed an updated door design that provides two additional sensitive edges, including one on the exterior side of the single panel door. This provides increased sensitivity to account for a broader range of obstructions with the doors.
SFMTA is reminding customers they should always avoid holding the doors open in any way, since preventing the doors from closing can damage the door mechanism, cause service delays, and can also be dangerous.
On April 11, 2019, a two-car train with no passengers onboard experienced a coupler failure. Couplers are a train component that allow multiple vehicles to operator under the control of one operator. Upon inspection, Siemens and the SFMTA found broken shear bolts that were a symptom of a design flaw within the coupler. Siemens addressed the design flaw, inspected all vehicles and replaced the shear bolts. They are also in the process of replacing any coupler units that were damaged and expect to be complete by the end of July.
These repairs allow for the continued rollout of these once-in-a-generation trains that are more comfortable, reliable, and rider-friendly. These cars are part of a fleet expansion that will add more train service to reduce crowding and improve service for hundreds of thousands of daily riders.
The Plan is CTA's formal response to an FTA Special Directive issued in December and details how the agency will significantly expand the law enforcement surge it launched.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
During a safety blitz, Metra employees will visit one of the railroad’s 243 stations during the morning rush hour, distributing educational materials on train and grade-crossing safety, answering questions, and listening to riders’ safety concerns.
Operated in partnership with Tech Valley Security, trained CDTA Ambassadors will be on select routes and will rotate throughout CDTA’s route network. Their presence is intended to provide customers with an approachable, visible resource focused on assistance and engagement.
Customers have always been able to report concerns through the CATS Customer Service line or the “Report a Problem to CATS” feature in the CATS-Pass mobile app; however, CATS has also integrated a Text-a-Tip line, giving riders multiple, easy-to-use channels to get support.
