Comments on: I.C.E. — In Case of Emergency http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2007/02/08/ice-%e2%80%94-in-case-of-emergency/ Mass Transit's editor, Fred Jandt, speaks weekly on critical issues facing the public transportation industry. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:34:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Peter Rochester http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2007/02/08/ice-%e2%80%94-in-case-of-emergency/#comment-19 Peter Rochester Fri, 16 Feb 2007 15:12:05 +0000 http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2007/02/08/ice-%e2%80%94-in-case-of-emergency/#comment-19 On feb.14th we had a snow storm here in the Montreal Quebec area. My son took the commuter train from Hudson (near the end of the line) to downtown Montreal, with no problem. On the return trip however, they were stuck on the track for over an hour due to a stalled train ahead of them, which they ended up pushing into a siding, after getting the go ahead to do so. To make matters worse, the roads were relatively clear. This line started operation in the 1890's, owned and run by CP rail. Now it is run by the AMT (Metropolitan Transportation Agency), which runs four other successful commuter train lines which service the Island of Montreal. The AMT lost a great occasion to highlight the advantage of the commuter rail service. On feb.14th we had a snow storm here in the Montreal Quebec area. My son took the commuter train from Hudson (near the end of the line) to downtown Montreal, with no problem. On the return trip however, they were stuck on the track for over an hour due to a stalled train ahead of them, which they ended up pushing into a siding, after getting the go ahead to do so. To make matters worse, the roads were relatively clear. This line started operation in the 1890’s, owned and run by CP rail. Now it is run by the AMT (Metropolitan Transportation Agency), which runs four other successful commuter train lines which service the Island of Montreal. The AMT lost a great occasion to highlight the advantage of the commuter rail service.

]]> By: Sloan Auchincloss http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2007/02/08/ice-%e2%80%94-in-case-of-emergency/#comment-16 Sloan Auchincloss Fri, 09 Feb 2007 03:24:08 +0000 http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2007/02/08/ice-%e2%80%94-in-case-of-emergency/#comment-16 Another part of this is the critical role transit plays in emergency management......and it often goes unnoticed because transit authorities are so self-effacing as well as focused on serving their communities. But the fact is transit in return for subsidies pays back. To illustrate, here are a couple of examples. Capital Area Transit in Harrisburg, PA loaned buses so firefighters could warm themselves in shifts while fighting a conflagration in an ice storm. In Arizona, Amtrak served up cemergency commuter service when floods made highway bridges impassable. I'm sure other systems have had similar experiences. Another part of this is the critical role transit plays in emergency management……and it often goes unnoticed because transit authorities are so self-effacing as well as focused on serving their communities.

But the fact is transit in return for subsidies pays back. To illustrate, here are a couple of examples. Capital Area Transit in Harrisburg, PA loaned buses so firefighters could warm themselves in shifts while fighting a conflagration in an ice storm. In Arizona, Amtrak served up cemergency commuter service when floods made highway bridges impassable. I’m sure other systems have had similar experiences.

]]> By: Tom Hingson http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2007/02/08/ice-%e2%80%94-in-case-of-emergency/#comment-13 Tom Hingson Thu, 08 Feb 2007 21:27:03 +0000 http://www.masstransitmag.com/interactive/2007/02/08/ice-%e2%80%94-in-case-of-emergency/#comment-13 Absolutely Fred, I agree with your sentimet. Here at Everett Transit, in the Pacific Northwest, we recently experienced several days of unseasonably cold weather and damaging windstorms. Granted nothing like the Midwest but cold for us. We are a medium-sized municipally owned and operated system connecting with two larger, commuter oriented systems. When the weather gets bad our ridership often decreases but those who are waiting for the bus really need the bus. We park our artics (they tend to slid sideways down hills, chain up the 40-footers, send out inspectors in vans to the tough the serve spots and do whatever we can to keep the system going. The most amazing thing to me and a great sense of pride as well is that not a single driver failed to get to work due to their own travel challenges. Some didn't have power at home but they made it to work anyway. In times of challenge and crisis we can praise our planning and forthought but we cannot forget that it is the dedicated employee that makes it all come together for the customer. Absolutely Fred, I agree with your sentimet. Here at Everett Transit, in the Pacific Northwest, we recently experienced several days of unseasonably cold weather and damaging windstorms. Granted nothing like the Midwest but cold for us. We are a medium-sized municipally owned and operated system connecting with two larger, commuter oriented systems. When the weather gets bad our ridership often decreases but those who are waiting for the bus really need the bus. We park our artics (they tend to slid sideways down hills, chain up the 40-footers, send out inspectors in vans to the tough the serve spots and do whatever we can to keep the system going. The most amazing thing to me and a great sense of pride as well is that not a single driver failed to get to work due to their own travel challenges. Some didn’t have power at home but they made it to work anyway. In times of challenge and crisis we can praise our planning and forthought but we cannot forget that it is the dedicated employee that makes it all come together for the customer.

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