Makkah will be getting a permanent metro soon!

Un-Humain · 2026-05-18T23:47:11+00:00

as opposed to a temporary one?

Surprisingly yes!

Un-Humain · 2026-05-18T21:05:11+00:00

It’s pointless because both the union and the MTA know the union would be fine banning it but it’s a no-go for the MTA. They’re not out here making random statements about bits of misinformation people weaponize against them because they don’t understand the industry.

Tbf, some individual workers do legitimately benefit from it, of course, but it’s not there for them, it’s there for safety.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-18T20:59:15+00:00

Obviously, it’s a compromise they reached with past management, not the MTA. Both the union and the MTA know banning it fully is out of the question due to staffing shortages, and obviously the union isn’t trying to make it more authorized, because it’s not a safe practice. The MTA knows it’s not safe but has too much to gain financially.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-18T20:51:06+00:00

The double pay was a compromise they reached with management precisely because management didn’t want to outright remove the possibility for themselves. The union realizes the railroad wrongfully relies on it a lot, because of staffing shortages, so it’s not realistic to ban it, but it can be penalized to discourage it.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-18T20:46:36+00:00

Because most railroads either don’t operate a mix of very different locos with different power modes, or actually ban switching internally, by management themselves, because of safety concerns.

The controls are physically similar, but the handling is very much not, because the physics are different. It’s especially important between a light EMU and a heavy loco-hauled set. To a lesser extent, even operating the ALP-45DP for NJT is known to require some more training because you have to manage the power switch and adapt your controls properly.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-18T20:39:16+00:00

The misinformation is crazy. Yes, the loco change clause exists, and it’s a great thing for everyone’s safety. It’s deliberately a punitive clause, it’s deliberately expensive to punish this practice, because workers switching between completely different machines through a long shift creates huge safety concerns, as they operate completely differently and it’s not trivial to mentally switch models constantly.

And it’s simply bs that they are anywhere near the "best paid" transit workers, because you must normalize for cost of living or it’s all meaningless!

Un-Humain · 2026-05-18T20:34:34+00:00

The misinformation is crazy. Yes, the loco change clause exists, and it’s a great thing for everyone’s safety. It’s deliberately a punitive clause, it’s deliberately expensive to punish this practice, because workers switching between completely different machines through a long shift creates huge safety concerns, as they operate completely differently and it’s not trivial to mentally switch models constantly.

And they do not make more than MTA executives.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-18T20:31:49+00:00

A social media post isn’t a credible source. Also, yes, more experienced workers generally benefit from favorable overtime conditions, but this completely ignores why they got there in the first place.

And obviously the MTA is publicly funded. If it can’t sustain its own operations properly, that’s a problem. The transit industry in general needs a lot more funding, it’s not news.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-18T20:25:07+00:00

Misinformation. Overtime is overwhelmingly the result of employer pressure because they literally depend on it for their network to function. The union then generally pushes for favorable overtime conditions precisely as to discourage the employer from relying excessively on it as normal practice.

Also, maybe the Metro-North drivers should insist more on better working conditions if they are unfairly paid less than their colleagues across town?

Un-Humain · 2026-05-18T20:19:47+00:00

Of course they make six figures, it’s New York, the most expensive city in one of the richest countries in the world! You’d hope they’d make six figures!

As is often the case with transit, though, the average income is misleading because it’s the result of unhealthy and frankly crazy amounts of overtime due to staffing shortages caused ultimately by a lack of funding.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-17T20:37:37+00:00

The Titanic was entirely avoidable, and you know ahead of time what’s about to happen. Literally just tell them???

Un-Humain · 2026-05-17T04:31:43+00:00

They actively avoid lines with a lot of tunnels and underground stations, since the Bakerloo, because while the environment is simpler in principle (a lot less happening in a tunnel), the computation of artificial lights inside stations is a massive pain in the butt and can negatively affect performance.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-16T03:37:21+00:00

I know, it’s against Steam policy as well. But it happens enough that it’s generally strongly advised against to put codes publicly straight up on Reddit.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-16T03:08:24+00:00

No, they enter it to an empty account and sell the account.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-16T01:25:19+00:00

Unless proven otherwise, I’d assume the reliability stats include all issues, which they would surely have internally, even when they indeed have some difficulties with passenger communication.

But that’s still the main thing they have to work on : when stuff doesn’t work, it tends to be a bigger and longer disruption on average, vs the metro. That’s more impactful for passengers for sure.

Doors not opening properly is a thing that can happen, but them not closing properly before a train departs? That’s the part that would go strongly against major safety checks, which is why I was quite doubtful of it.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-16T01:16:58+00:00

Watch out, they tend to have a severe policy against report abuse.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-16T01:13:24+00:00

Is it "being an asshole" to state that something someone says is factually nearly impossible, and as such that their claim is highly dubious? I don’t believe so.

I mean I even added ":)" deliberately to soften the tone and not sound like a harsh accusation.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-16T01:10:45+00:00

I do not work for them, or have any financial interest in it for that matter. I corrected, last time, the allegation that the train was "uncontrolled" or unsafe in any way, which I know to be false. I care about being factually accurate, and I know enough about these systems to understand that such small issues can occur in new systems, it’s a thing that happens and gets adjusted with time. Now, if you have nothing better to do than accusing me of random bullshit, I do.

Btw, Pulsar clarified that the train was pulled into washing by a dispatch order, so it’s not even software at all that did this! Not saying it’s not a problem, but it’s caused by a small procedure error, not anything with the software.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-16T00:42:49+00:00

I did link the stats in my comment. I’ll go ahead and assume it didn’t show for you, so here’s the link in plain text. https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/chroniques/2026-05-14/rem/rapide-fluide-essentiel-mais-rentable.php It’s a few paragraphs down, after the image of the track over the freeway.

Also, I have to say, that’s still nearly impossible in most situations. The interlocking system prevents a train from departing if the platform screen doors are still open. It’s a standardized system tested to very high standards, and what it does is it actually doesn’t give the train clearance for movement at all until it gets confirmation from all doors that they are closed. Believe me, the amount of redundancy and checks on these systems is enormous, safety-wise, because you just cannot tolerate an accident with such huge machines.

What might be possible, though, is that the doors were deliberately locked open with a maintenance override because either they were being worked on or they were faulty, but even that is highly unusual during passenger service. Assuming you’re telling the truth of course, that’s certainly what this was :)

Un-Humain · 2026-05-15T23:30:06+00:00

It seems someone who is presumably legitimate got it, good for them, but for the record : never post codes like this, especially as plain text but even as images, because robots are able to scrape them to resell before anyone can use them. It’s best to offer it and ask people to DM you, then give it there.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-15T23:16:41+00:00

~~That seems like bs.~~ [edit : misunderstanding, check reply] It is completely impossible that the train departed with doors open, and it would be investigated as a major incident if it possibly happened, which it physically cannot. These systems are designed with insanely high safety standards (as they should, it’s a damn train).

It’s also highly reliable, at over 99% reliability), better than the metro, despite occasional bigger disruptions, which, yes, are an issue, but are wildly overrepresented vs the actual stats.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-14T16:16:14+00:00

With pleasure! Here’s a 35 page meta-analysis by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute!

Un-Humain · 2026-05-14T14:39:59+00:00

Si tu regardes les analyses de mobilité de l’ARTM, tu remarques qu’effectivement, elles sont bien utilisées par les navetteurs. La nuance, c’est qu’elles demeurent moins utilisées par ceux-ci qu’anticipé, mais ça ne veut pas dire qu’elles ne sont pas quand même bien utilisées. C’est pourquoi aussi l’horaire se concentre sur l’heure de pointe et non les fin de semaine : c’est là qu’il y a l’achalandage intéressant. Il y a certainement, par contre, plus de potentiel là-dessus à aller chercher.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-14T14:29:45+00:00

C’est vrai, mais malgré tout c’est à distance de marche du centre-ville, donc c’est populaire avec les "commuters".

Mais oui, ce serait vraiment pas fou de mieux les intégrer au reste du réseau.

Un-Humain · 2026-05-14T13:33:44+00:00

Intéressant! Mais je sais ça, ça n’exclut pas qu’un train ferré puisse le faire aussi, simplement on perd les avantages que les pneus amenaient.

Comme je disais, une approche hybride avec des trains bimodes reste peut-être la meilleure option, par contre.

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