what would you do?

[Briar Rose 7457]

here's the scenario:

Penn Station, the Long Island Rail Road concourse. the concourse has shops, new stands, etc. to catch your train you go to a specific track number and walk down the stairs. the trains run on a schedule, and you can get that information from a printed timetable or from the boards and monitors posted at the station. if you miss your train it will likely be at least 20 minutes, or sometimes 45 minutes to an hour, before the next train to your destination leaves the statin. track assignments are posted 10 minutes before the train leaves, and the station master makes numerous announcements over the public address system. two minutes before a train is scheduled to leave, the station master will announce "last call" for that train. at departure time the station master announces "all aboard" and the conductor is supposed to close the train doors and prepare to leave the station.

when I got to Penn Station this morning I saw a woman trying to catch a train. the station master announced "all aboard" just as she was starting to walk down the stairs to the track. she got 1/2 way down the stairs and started to yell to the conductor to "hold the train."


I didn't stay around long enough to see whether the conductor waited for her.

should the conductor have held the doors for her? and would your opinion change if I told you that in her left hand was a cup of coffee she'd purchased from one of the Penn Station vendors?

 

[BrianD]

Originally posted by Briar Rose 7457
should the conductor have held the doors for her? and would your opinion change if I told you that in her left hand was a cup of coffee she'd purchased from one of the Penn Station vendors?

should the conductor have held the doors for her? No. Because then what is the point of saying "All Aboard" if its negotiable. Plus, what if the conductor let her on says "All Aboard" again and then here comes someone else down the stairs. Does the conductor wait again?

I think the fact that she has coffee from a Penn Station vendor is irrelevant.

Thats just my opinion.

 

[TIdoublegaER]

No and NO, especially given the fact that stopping for a cup of coffee was more important to her than actually catching her train. Why should everyone else on the train be late now because ONE person couldn't get themselves to the train on time.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

No, he shouldn't hold the train for her, coffee or not. I honestly don't get the point of bringing up the coffee anyway...who cares if she bought coffee? It's her problem if she missed the train, and her problem if it's going to be a while before the next one. She should get up earlier.

 

[Blondie]

.

 

[aprincessmom]

No, he shouldn't hold the train. The rules here in MA for announcing trains in South Station for the commuter rail are the same. And once he gives the all aboard and clear signal they are off.

 

[Steve H.]

No, he shouldn't stop the train

 

[Blondie]

LOL! Wrong thread.

It wouldn't let me delete it, thus the .

 

[Steve H.]

I kind of figured -- that's why I edited too.

 

[Evil Princess]

It's NYC, its the way things work. I would never expect anyone to hold the train for me. Take responsibility and wait for the next one.

 

[gina2000]

I've seen conductors do incredibly nice things (like holding a train for running people) and incredibly rude things. In the scheme of things, does it really matter if he did something kind for someone? I'd rather see that than some of the rude behavior exhibited on NJ Transit.

JMHO.

 

[crazyme5kids]

The all aboard call is notice to board the train, not a the doors are closing right now. If she was heading down the stairs when the call was announced, I think he should wait. The coffee is irelevant, who knows when she purchased it. Those of us that have ridden the LIRR have all done the mad dash at one time or another, and I would like to think the conductor did the right thing for that woman. I wonder if people would feel the same way if it was an elderly person walking down the stairs at that moment.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

When we were at Animal Kingdom one time on the tram from the parking lot, the "conductor" gave the all clear, and one more person nearby still got on, as another group came running...then another...and another. As we stayed there letting "one more person" and "one more group" on (because each time, it was no longer "all clear"), more people would come running. The CM got more and more annoyed, which was actually pretty amusing, as she yelled "that does NOT mean hurry up and jump on the tram!" I thought we'd never leave.

This person in NY was not just "one person"; I can't begin to imagine how many times a day someone runs for and yells to hold the train. The conductor's job and responsibility is to keep the trains running on time, for the people who arrive on time.

She was at the top of the stairs, per BR, when the conductor yelled "all aboard".

 

[jfulcer]

Originally posted by crazyme5kids
I wonder if people would feel the same way if it was an elderly person walking down the stairs at that moment.

Elderly people can wait for the next train, too.