Don’t expect to see two-car trains on Muni’s new T line. It isn’t equipped to ADA standards, nor does the Union allow it.
Art Curtis writes in the RescueMuni list:
3. MOU WITH THE TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION: This MOU, in effect through 30 June
2008, DOES NOT ALLOW the operation of two-car trains in revenue service OUTSIDE of the subway,
believe it or not. The wording is as follows from Section 16.5 - Multiple Car Trains:
183. “Multiple car trains are two or three cars coupled for lead car
control. During the terms of this MOU, LRV operators may be assigned to operate
two or three car trains while the cars are in operation between West Portal or
Church-Duboce and Embarcadero Stations. An LRV operator may be assigned to
operate two car trains for pull out and pull in movements on the street,
provided that the second car is not in service and its doors are not operated.”
There must be a side letter somewhere in the MOU that allows the operation of
two-car trains on the street on the L, M and N lines, but we’ve all seen two car trains on the
J or on the K where the second car is signed as “Not-In-Service” because of
this MOU restriction.
When I was still at MUNI, the union was always saying that, for safety reasons,
every car should have an operator, no matter what. One of the reasons was so
that if someone did fall between the first and second car, the second car
operator could prevent the train from starting or stop the train.
So even if the “T” had “between car barriers” in place, the current MOU would not allow
for operation of two-car trains on the “T”, no matter how heavy the service demand.
As noted, the MOU is up for renewal in June 2008. I think it’s time that
changes are made prior to implementation of the next MOU.