Oh, MTA: On the same day the transit agency announced that crippling debt could mean another round of fare hikes, a Metro-North rider shot video of an open door on a crowded train that barrels from the 125th Street stop towards Grand Central. Here's what the rider wrote on YouTube, "Open door on MetroNorth from Harlem/125th to about midway within the tunnel to Grand Central. No warning lights, no conductors nearby. Door finally closed on it's own with a little passenger assistance. Notice the packed vestibule, probably 75 people standing from [Stamford] to GC. And the trains were running 45 minutes late." Obviously this is why riders need beer cars.
According to the Post, "The extremely cold temperatures froze the circuit that control the train’s door at the 125th St. Station — causing it to stick in place. The frost also caused a malfunction of the mechanism that would alert the conductor to the issue, according to James Fahey, the president of the Director of Association of Commuter Railroad Employees... Instead of getting a warning that the door was open as the train started moving, the conductor’s control board showed that all doors were closed safely, Fahey said."
Naturally, riders were upset when shown the video: One told WCBS 2, "Is that part of the capital maintenance program?” (HA!) while another said, "A lot of times it’s too crowded so you have no choice but to stand by the door. That’s a death waiting to happen."
The train has been impounded and will be inspected. Metro-North's Marjorie Anders said, "The footage in this video is very concerning to us and Metro-North is investigating this door malfunction. A door opening en-route is an extremely unusual occurrence... Metro-North is in the process of inspecting all train doors and all doors will be re-tested before the initial run of the day."
