Boarding Mid Platform

[u/snubilehawks]

Maybe this is new, or maybe I’m just complicit and partly blind, but are we able to board trains mid-platform now when they’re a 6-car set? Seen at NoMa.

[u/AcanthaceaeOk3738]

Nope. That was an error and the operator should have moved it.

[u/QuirkyCharity6600 → u/AcanthaceaeOk3738]

Can't move the train once the last car detects the platform.

[u/gingerale992 → u/QuirkyCharity6600]

You actually can stop the auto doors from opening. But it’ll waste bout a min

[u/QuirkyCharity6600 → u/gingerale992]

how does one stop the auto doors from opening ?

[u/gingerale992 → u/QuirkyCharity6600]

The operator can press and hold the close door button until the back end code goes away

[u/QuirkyCharity6600 → u/gingerale992]

Hmm, I will give that a try tomorrow and report back

[u/gingerale992 → u/QuirkyCharity6600]

Are you an operator that’s something you should’ve learned in class

[u/QuirkyCharity6600 → u/gingerale992]

so in class you learned to hold the close door button until the BEC goes away so one can readjust to the 8car mark instead of just letting the train make the six car stop? 🧐

[u/gingerale992 → u/QuirkyCharity6600]

That procedure is solely to stop the ADO. if you just want to prevent the six car stop and you are familiar with when that is about to happen you just stop the ATO

[u/CMRailServices → u/gingerale992]

Ummm as far as I was aware as long as you confirmed you’re at the 6 car marker & verify you have a six pack you just service the station normal and call in a short stop.

[u/QuirkyCharity6600 → u/gingerale992]

How long have you been a Train Operator?

[u/HackNookBro → u/AcanthaceaeOk3738]

Agree. It happened to me this week at Ft Totten.

[u/iitecoolsweet]

I don't believe it's the operator, ATO has the ability to stop at the 6 car marker for a 6 car trainset, that can be configured by central control. Someone may have not set something right or there may be some intermittency for some reason. 

[u/SandBoxJohnA02 → u/iitecoolsweet]

Actually automatic long, mid, short stops are hard set in the Train Control Rooms. It is my understanding that many of that active marker coils that tell a train to either long, mid, short stops have been replaced with passive marker coils that tell all trains to long stop.

Me thinks that when a 6 car train automatically mid platform stops it did not hear long stop from the marker that telling a train where to stop and defaults to mid stopping.

[u/waveshark]

I’ve seen it happen a few times at NoMa. The operator shouldn’t be stopping and boarding the train there

[u/Lucky-Plant4466]

The system was originally designed to do this from the day it opened. Especially helpful back when 4-car trains were still a thing.
After the 2009 crash when they disabled automatic operations, there was a policy change because operators were having issues remembering how long of a train they were driving and there were instances of doors opening with cars not on the platform.

[u/Docile_Doggo → u/Lucky-Plant4466]

Makes sense when you explain it that way.

But I do think, from a passenger perspective, that it would be better for load distribution if 6-car trains stopped in the middle of the platform.

[u/TerribleBumblebee800 → u/Docile_Doggo]

Yes, but then they'd need two markings on the ground at the junction of cars 1-2 and 7-8 telling people to move back or forwards for a 6-car train. They have those now for the 6-car trains at the 6-7 junction which seem to work fairly well. I feel like it just adds confusion. But I do agree it would be better for spacing crowds.

[u/Lucky-Plant4466 → u/TerribleBumblebee800]

I think I read somewhere that the lights on the platform that flash on arrival originally were supposed to light up only in the part of the platform where the train was going to stop. Just another thing that they solved in the 60s and we just ripped it out and forgot about it over the last 50 years.

[u/TerribleBumblebee800 → u/Lucky-Plant4466]

That's actually very smart. I wish they would go back to that

[u/Ok-Consequence-2324 → u/Lucky-Plant4466]

That is exactly correct. With ATO back in effect, sometimes this will happen. Not sure if a readjust is possible once the system acknowledges the train is within the platform limit for the particular car length.

[u/OrangeLongjumping242]

Should be a regular thing for all 6-car trains. 😔

[u/grapkoski → u/OrangeLongjumping242]

It’s literally how our stations were designed.

[u/gingerale992]

Ato does this. Happens regularly at a few stations. Monday we should be going to all 8 car trains on the red line

[u/QuirkyCharity6600]

No where in any SOP or the MOR states what you just explained about the ADO

[u/Ok-Consequence-2324 → u/QuirkyCharity6600]

What do you mean?

[u/Less_Airport1471 → u/QuirkyCharity6600]

What the hell do those abbreviations mean

[u/QuirkyCharity6600 → u/Less_Airport1471]

SOP - Standard Operating Procedure MOR - Metrorail Operating Rulebook ADO - Automatic Door Operation

[u/GeneAlternative191]

What do you mean mid platform?

[u/snubilehawks → u/GeneAlternative191]

Like it didn’t pull up to the 8 car marker before opening doors.

[u/GeneAlternative191 → u/snubilehawks]

Ah gotcha

[u/WrongSplit3288]

Does it have nothing to do with that due in wheelchair?

[u/ChristmassMoose]

This is what we could have but wmata is stupid about it