The incident affected passengers travelling on the 6:50 pm Georgetown (Kitchener) train which ended its trip at Bramalea GO Station. Passengers who were on the train involved in the fatality were left to wait for over two hours on-board while GO Transit arranged for buses.
The victim's name was not released.
Man struck and killed by GO train in Brampton http://t.co/Fg9roVYGcq pic.twitter.com/05vBGH3IKN
— CityNews Toronto (@CityNews) September 16, 2015Numerous buses lined Queen St E in Brampton earlier to help move 1,000 stranded passengers from @GOtransit incident. pic.twitter.com/bnlxFEzDXk
— DR (@Media371) September 16, 2015
11 comments:
RIP
So sad.
Always very sad when this happens. And so stressful for the passengers - it's bad enough when something major causes this kind of a serious delay, but when you know that you are literally right on the scene of an accidental death, the psychological factor is especially difficult for everyone.
OK Am I going to have to be the heartless one here? Accidents are tragic but they are also an unfortunate part of day to day transit operations. Why must they cause so much disruption? It's the same with traffic investigations. We have to find a way to deal with these issues more expediently.
It's a pain, I know, but GO Transit can't logistically have 30 buses on stand-by every day with drivers just milling about waiting for "the call" and it's not like suicide jumpers call 1800GETONGO and give a heads-up. The fares would jump considerably and well, do you really want that?
But it is improving. As Metrolinx builds more yards to hold trains and better co-ordinates its team of engineers and CSAs with Bombardier, they can deploy extra trains from other areas.
Unfortunately I have had to deal with a few of these scenarios as part of a train crew who has hit someone. When there is a fatality (which is the usual outcome of train vs person) there are protocols that are immediately put into place. The train crew communicates with GO Ops who then arrange for the first responders. Depending on where the incident occurred that can take some time. The fire department usually arrive first followed by police and ambulance. Rail traffic is halted on all tracks for everyone's safety. The train crew will complete a witness statement and are then relieved of duty as these events can be very traumatic for the crew. The coroner is summoned as is a relief crew for the train. These people do not just materialize out of the ether. The train is held until it is released by the police and the coroner and the scene is relatively clear of the remains. Once the train is released the relief crew must make sure the train is operative and not damaged from the emergency brake application. All of these things take time and there is no way to know when/where these events will happen. The safest place for the passengers is on the train. While some complain about being "held hostage" the thought of 2000 people walking around on the tracks in high heels carrying bags and laptops through what can be a very grisly scene is no better than staying put until everything is clear. So you are late for dinner or missed your yoga class.....at least you weren't hit by a train or had to sit there helplessly while it happens in front of your eyes. Tweet, complain, text or vent however you like but try to have some perspective and compassion.
^ What he/she said.
Thank you anonymous!
EDIT: anonymous @ 3:49.
Thank you Anonymous, we need to hear this to realize what is really involved. I've been affected many times with pedestrian deaths over the years on GO, it is horrible to be delayed but we need to put ourselves in the families place and have some respect, human life lost vs. a few hours lost = not a big deal.
What was this individual soon doing on the tracks in the first place.
At least Darwin is doing its job for this purpose.
Anonymous said...
"What was this individual soon doing on the tracks in the first place.
"At least Darwin is doing its job for this purpose."
As you can see from the picture this is a level crossing where cars and pedestrians cross the tracks and it is at an angle to the road. There are often 2 trains passing at the same time. Unfortunately many people start to walk as soon as the first train clears. If the second train is close but not in the intersection this is often what happens.
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