[solutionyogi]

I hate the driver who pens the L line going to Brooklyn from Manhattan. He speeds way too much and then breaks way too hard. I have seen passenger fall because of it time and again. If we can't get rid of the union workers, I would rather have MTA pay these guys wages to sit at home and replace them with computer-driven subway.

[InitialLastName]

The L is entirely computerized already. The two people working on each train are there to press a "keep the union happy" button every 30 seconds.

[chimeracoder]

> The L is entirely computerized already. The two people working on each train are there to press a "keep the union happy" button every 30 seconds.

In case anyone thinks this is a joke, it's not. The MTA pays the Transit Workers Union massive sums of money when they use technology they use which does a job otherwise performed by a human, even when it's been standard practice worldwide to automate that job for decades.

One example, from tunnel boring:

> The critics pointed to several unusual provisions in the labor agreements. One part of Local 147’s deal entitles the union to $450,000 for each tunnel-boring machine used. That is to make up for job losses from “technological advancement,” even though the equipment has been standard for decades.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/28/nyregion/new-york-subway-...

[lobster_johnson]

I've never been bothered by that (and as others point out, the L is automated, anyway). What I'd like to know is why, when the L reaches the 8th Ave stop in Manhattan, the operator waits 10 seconds after coming to a full stop before opening the doors. The train has already stopped, so this seems unnecessary.

There's also this weird thing where, while the train is sitting there waiting to return the opposite way back to Brooklyn, they close all the subway doors except one in each carriage. It doesn't prevent people from getting on.

[alexhutcheson]

> There's also this weird thing where, while the train is sitting there waiting to return the opposite way back to Brooklyn, they close all the subway doors except one in each carriage. It doesn't prevent people from getting on.

My understanding is that it's to keep the subway cars relatively climate-controlled. Especially in the summer, it's better not to let all the cool air from the AC leak out the open doors.

[jrockway]

They do this at every terminal. I have no idea why.

[michaelper22]

The L train already uses CBTC (i.e automatic train operation); fast speeds are issued by the computer.

[electricEmu]

TFA mentions train operators will preemptively slow down to keep their job.

Nothing to do with a union, but keep trying to shoe horn that in.

[CamperBob2]

It has everything to do with unions, specifically public-sector unions that shouldn't be allowed to exist anyway.

You can't expect the development and deployment of efficient automation in an environment where it's impossible to fire the existing human operators. Or where firing them would be just as expensive as keeping them around doing nothing useful.

[chimeracoder]

> TFA mentions train operators will preemptively slow down to keep their job. Nothing to do with a union, but keep trying to shoe horn that in.

As alluded to in the article, the TWU has been fighting very aggressively against the reforms for most of the issues documented in this article.

[L_Rahman]

There's also at least one conductor who starts closing the doors during the morning rush our while passengers are still existing at the 1 AV stop.

One of those times the doors smashed into a person walking out on crutches.

[jrochkind1]

Kinda sounds like he's doing his part to keep the trains actually on time in a totally broken signalling environment!

[rohansingh]

The L train is actually the one train with fully upgraded signals, and no track sharing with other trains. Probably for that reason, it also has the highest on-time percentage of all trains.

[8bitsrule]

Oh yeah, that's it. Because non-union-workers would never drive like that. :-P