An interesting (and unfortunate) article on the response of the engineers’ union, BLET, to Metrolink’s placement of surveillance cameras in the engine cabs. The link to the Simi Valley Acorn article is here:

http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2009-10-23/Community/Engineers_file_lawsuit_to_remove_cameras_from_trai.html

Below is a letter I sent in to the editor of the Acorn, with my opinions.

I was riding in the first car on Metrolink 113, just minutes beind train 111. I am the founder of LAPassenger.com, the largest online community of Metrolink passengers. It is discouraging that The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has taken actions to remove video surveillance systems from Metrolink trains.

First, the BLET’s own mission statement says the BLET “exists to promote and protect the rights, interests, and safety of its members”. Why not support video taping to protect the safety of your engineers and conductors? If your members deserve safety, why not the passengers?

The BLET says that video surveillance would not stop an engineer from using a cell phone. It would allow this prohibited behavior to be observed, reported, and corrected. It allows the many responsible train crews to be rewarded for their continued focus on safe practices, while highlighting those operators who may put themselves and passengers at risk.

The BLET stated that cell phone signal jammers would be a more effective prevention against engineers who text message and use cell phones, but I did not see a timeline or BLET plan to get jammers installed. I hope that their members are taking swift action to help get these jammers installed in the interst of safety, A combined safety system of video surveillance and cell phone jammers would be the most effective.

The BLET mission statement boasts of “solidarity”. The Metrolink Board led by Councilmember Millhouse should be commended for their solidarity in a mission of protecting passengers. Even as high unemployment levels lowered Metrolink’s revenue, they got the camera’s installed. As requests for more safety funding linger, and debates over video surveillance drag on, what is important is being accomplished one step at a time…Metrolink passenger safety has improved with video surveillance.

Chatsworth Metrolink 111 Accident Anniversary

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of the Metrolink Train 111 accident in Chatsworth.  I received a call from KPCC reporter Brian Watt who did a very respectful piece on the accident and LAPassenger’s online community last year.  He informed me of a memorial scheduled at 9:30 AM at Stoney Point Park which is being organized by 12th District Council member Greig Smith (as it so appears from the invitation).  Also, there is a second separate memorial event at 4pm at the Simi Valley Metrolink station.  Both events will include the unveiling of two permanent memorials at both sites.

The Simi Valley Acorn did an article on the anniversary and interviewed one of the survivors.  She describes her injuries and said that the anniversary will be extremely difficult for her.  Do anniversary events and memorials help the surviving victims, or just bring more pain and unfavorable memories back?

Metrolink is Hiring

Metrolink is hiring for a Digital Community Administrator. Part of the job duties include: “direct the development and communication of information designed to keep passengers, major employers, governing board members, Technical Advisory Committee members, member agency staff, contractor staff, SCRRA staff and other customers/stakeholders informed of key operational and customer service issues.”

Metrolink continues to work on keeping passengers informed of service issues. Keeping passengers informed of issues is the main reason I started LAPassenger two years ago.

I have decided to apply for this position within the Metrolink organization. If you would like to send me feedback on how LAPassenger.com has been useful to you as a passenger, I may use the supportive comments to assist me in my job application. Please click on the “reply” link to this blog post, or send your comments email.

Note, all submissions become the property of LAPassenger.com.

To view all current job openings at Metrolink, visit the Employment Opportunities link on their homepage http://www.MetrolinkTrains.com.

Metrolink to Begin Negotiations with Amtrak to Provide Engineers and Conductors

On Friday August 28th I attended the Metrolink Board of Directors meeting which is open to the public and normally held once a month in Downtown. The key topic of interest was should Metrolink in-source their train crews (the engineer and conductor) to make them Metrolink employees or begin negotiations with Amtrak and outsource the service to Amtrak to provide these crew members.

Since the Chatsworth accident in September 2008, Metrolink chose to no longer contract with Connex Railroad LLC, the previous contractor who provided the train crews at the time of the accident.

In June 2009, the Board agreed to pursue a plan to bring the crew members under the Metrolink organization. The advantage of bringing the train crews in as Metrolink employees would be the complete control of crew member policies and training. One downside is that Metrolink would have to negotiate directly with railroad unions, a process that may make it difficult to remove problematic engineers and conductors.

Unlike their decision in June, during Friday’s meeting the board unanimously agreed that negotiating a sole-source contract with Amtrak was the best option for maintaining operations.

While listening to the board’s discussions I witnessed a unwavering focus on passenger safety in whichever decision was made. The board members were in agreement that passenger safety was not negotiable and vowed to insist on important safety improvements, such as inward facing cameras in the cab car and unscheduled safety audits, be implemented.

Los Angeles Times reporter Rich Connel sums it up best with his article here: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-metrolink29-2009aug29%2C0%2C7365376.story

LAPassenger Going Social

LAPassenger continues to implement innovative, easy to use methods to keep our membership informed of Metrolink delays. We are looking for passengers who are interested in helping us develop services using the newest web services listed below.

- iPhone Web Applications
- Blackberry Web Applications
- Improved SMS/Text messaging services (we need suggestions on SMS providers)
- Online video production for new passenger instructional videos
- Online collaboration and groupware tools that facilitate real time communication
- Online discussion forum implementation

If you are a web professional, web hobbyist, video production student, or class instructor looking for a great project for your class, please contact LAPassenger by email or phone at (888) 545-TRAIN. No experience is needed, just the willingness to be part of a fun and useful project.

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Chatsworth Metrolink Accident Anniversary

Greetings LAPassenger.com members. LAPassenger continues to thrive as an online community of Metrolink passengers who collaborate to keep each other informed of delays, cancellations and other Metrolink alerts. The sense of community on our trains extends to the website, and I truly enjoy providing this service to all of you. However, I only provide the sand, its the passengers who make the sand castle by calling our toll free number 888-545-TRAIN, emailing us, text messaging us, or posting alerts from you iPhones and Blackberries right on our website using the P2P System.

As we approach the September 12th anniversary of the Chatsworth Metrolink train accident, we are reminded of those fellow passengers who lost their lives coming home on a Friday afternoon. For any passengers who have ideas or suggestions on how we can properly remember the victims, as well as support the survivors who continue to heal, LAPassenger will open our channels of communication to support the effort.

I invite any passengers with comments, suggestions or ideas to post a reply “comment” using the link below this article. You can post anonymously. You can also email your thoughts to LAPassenger using our email address on the homepage.

I will be attending the Metrolink Board of Director’s meeting tomorrow morning at 10am as a way to stay informed of Metrolink matters. I have off erred my time and assistance to Metrolink should to need it in planning or facilitation of any memorial events.

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Passenger-to-Passenger (P2P)

The goal with the Passenger-to-Passenger (P2P) addition to the website is to give LAPassenger users the ability to post immediate delay information right on our homepage. A large number of our users carry Internet enabled cell phones and more consumers will switch to a smart phone for their next model.

There are two ways to use the P2P module, via the main homepage or via our mobile site. Depending on what type of phone you have, it may be difficult to view the regular homepage in your mobile web browser. If this is the case, I suggest you go to the mobile P2P page accessible at http://www.lapassenger.com/mobile.

If you would like to post a P2P alert from a regular desktop or laptop, use the P2P module on the homepage.

P2P messages do not automatically get emailed and distributed via text message to subscribers. P2P messages just get posted on the mobile and regular LAPassenger homepage. So please continue to call or email in your alerts to me for any delay greater than 15 minutes, so I can send out the information to your fellow passengers.

When posting a P2P alert, remember to include important information. This includes
1) Train line
2) Train number or numbers
3) Delay information including: Where is the train currently located relative to stations? Is it moving, stopped, or running slow? Length of delay in minutes?

Here are a few examples of good alert postings:
-Ventura train 104 just arrived at Moorpark 20 min late. Train now en route to Simi Valley.
-Ant. Valley 215 stopped between Glendale and Burbank Downtown. Mechanical issue. Will update when we start moving again.
-OC 606 just departed Union Station 9 min late.
-San Bern. 311 just struck debris between Upland and Montclair, train stopped, expect big delay. Will update when conductor gives us more information.

The LAPassenger.com website only provides the means for passengers to send and receive information. Its up to all our members to participate by posting alerts with P2P, emailing LAPassenger with updates, or by calling our toll free alert reporting phone number.

Enjoy!
Brian

Legal Information for Metrolink Train 111 Passengers

Below is a letter from Carter Spohn, a LAPassenger member and daily passenger for ten years. I am posting this information for our members’ benefit and I hope it will help those passengers and victim’s families who are healing and grieving after the Metrolink Chatsworth accident.

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I reside in Claremont, California and commute to Century City where my office is located. I have been riding Metrolink, San Bernardino line for nearly ten years. The law firm I work for, Magana, Cathcart & McCarthy is located in Century City.

I have stated many times in church, that I have my church family, my office family and my train (Metrolink) family. Like church, we seem to be a creature of habit; we sit in the same seat, and become disappointed when it is not available. We learn about each other’s lives and come to appreciate our relationships of the people we spend one hour a day with, five days, a week, and fifty weeks a year.

We feel safe in our commuting environment and when that is threatened it tends to work on us. Much like 911 we go on with our lives, however, in the back of each one of our minds we have concerns. My boys asked me “why I was not going to discontinue riding Metrolink after the accident?” I explained, it is still safer than driving. I have noticed many riders no longer riding in the first car. And there are those that have an expression on their face of fear as they lift there leg to get on one more time praying that nothing will happen to them.

So our world, our sacred commute, has been interrupted.

I have been involved with lawyers and the legal profession for over twenty-five years. During that entire time I have never, nor has any member of my firm ever chased a case, advertised for business or pursued an accident victim. My law firm is one of the oldest plaintiff law firms in the state. And for over sixty years we have allowed the grieving process to go on and wait for a prospective client to contact us with their requests.

Please know that in my opinion, there is no reason to act quickly. Now is the time to grieve and spend time with family members and begin putting the pieces back together in your life. You do not and should not be making any decisions regarding your legal representation at this time.
To be clear; Metrolink is a Governmental entity, a formal claim must be presented within six months of the accident date.

Governmental Code section 945.5 provides “that no lawsuit for money or damages may be maintained against the governmental entity unless a formal claim has been presented to that entity and has been rejected either by action on the part of the entity or by the passage of time. The governmental entity has only 45 days within which to either accept or reject the claim. If it failed to act within the 45-day period, the claim is deemed rejected by operation of law. Once rejected, the claimant must file a lawsuit within six months after delivery or mailing of the notice of rejection.”

Therefore, you have time to spend with loved ones as long as you file a claim within six months of the accident date. It is doubtful that Metrolink will honor any claims and offer settlements in short order.

I know many attorneys and law firms chasing your business would like you to believe that there is a need to sign up with them as soon as possible in order to protect your rights. However, you have time and there is no immediate hurry.

My firm has been handling mass transportation cases around the world for well over 45 years and we have chosen to wait until the client contacts us rather than come knocking on their door. In fact, years ago a federal judge instituted a rule prohibiting attorneys from contacting family members or of anyone injured in an aviation disaster until thirty days after the accident. Sounds like good advice to me.

I appreciate you contacting me and asking my opinions on this matter.

Carter P. Spohn
BUSINESS DIRECTOR
MAGANA, CATHCART & MCCARTHY
310.553.6630

October Member Newsletter

Greetings to all LAPassenger.com members, both existing and the over 20% of you new members who have joined the largest online community of Metrolink passengers since September 1.

October Topics:
- LAPassenger celebrates a new membership milestone on our first anniversary
- LAPassenger welcomes our first sponsor
- Our community comes together during the Chatsworth tragedy
- Legal information for our members from a fellow passenger and transportation attorney

LAPassenger Celebrates Membership Milestone on our 1 Year Anniversary
LAPassenger welcomed its 1000th member in late September. Thanks to each of our members letting other passengers know about our free service, our membership continues to grow each day. For those of you who are new to our community, welcome! Add our toll free number to your cell phone contacts and our email address to your smartphones. When a train is 15 min late or more, all it takes is ONE phone call or email from you to alert hundreds down the line.

It was one year ago in October 2007 when my sister, Laurie, and I stood in the tunnels of Union Station handing out Emetrolink.com cards to morning passengers. 60 people signed up that day and soon after we received a letter from Metrolink expressing concern about the similarity in the name EMetrolink.com and Metrolink. So I changed our name to LAPassenger.com, and one year later, 60 members has grown to over 1000. LAPassenger.com is now the largest community of Metrolink passengers online. Thank you to all our members who continue to phone/email us alerts and let their fellow passengers know about LAPassenger.com

LAPassenger Welcomes Our First Sponsor, Luminary Photo
Luminary Photo, run by Dave Alton and his wife, offer special event photography. Dave is a daily passenger on the Ventura County line and a regular contributor to LAPassenger information network. I invite you to visit LuminaryPhoto.com and contact Dave for your photography needs. In order to keep LAPassenger a free service to our members, I have been seeking sponsors for our website and our emails. If you would like to sponsor LAPassenger, or know someone who would, please click on the Sponsor link on our homepage menu.

The LAPassenger.com Community Comes Together During Chatsworth Metrolink Tragedy
At 4:32 on September 12, I received a phone call alert about the terrible accident in Chatsworth. I was riding on the Ventura 113 train and my hands were shaking so much that my alert that went out to Ventura trains 113, 115, 117, 119 that night was short: “Serious Metrolink accident in Chatsworth. Seek alternative transport immediately.”

I set up a chat room on our website by 6pm and many members logged on to share their thoughts, prayers, frustrations, and disbelief as they saw the horrific scene reported on over the weekend.

On Monday morning, those Ventura line passengers who chose to ride, reunited at the Chatsworth Depot. There were hugs as “train friends” reunited with each other and tears as some realized their friends were among the victims. Hundreds of passengers signed the two get well cards for our conductor Bob Hildebrand (see earlier blog posting for pictures of the cards). As the media cameras focused on these get well wishes, the message was clear, Metrolink passengers are a community, deeply saddened by the events of September 12th.

On Friday September 19th, many LAPassenger members and hundreds of others from the Chatsworth community joined in a candlelight vigil at the Chatsworth station, held at sunset. The event was organized by two Chatsworth teens and sponsored by the Chatsworth Chamber. Large candles with the names of each victim and 130 other votive candles were lit to wish the injured a speedy recovery. It was a time to remember the victims and also thank the First Responders who were also present for their service.

Legal Information for Passengers Involved in the Chatsworth Incident
Recently there has been an onslaught of legal ads targeting the victims and those injured on train 111. It is not my place to comment if litigation is appropriate, however our LAPassenger community benefits from the membership of experts in many fields, including legal. A daily passenger, Carter Spohn, agreed to give some tips and advice to those passengers and family who are coping with loss and injuries, while being assaulted by lawyers who may not be experienced in these matters. You can read Carter’s informative letter to LAPassenger members on our blog. Go to our homepage and click the Blog/Discussion link.

Have a great October everyone. Welcome again to our many new members. Remember, LAPassenger alerts come from you! When you become aware of a late, stopped, or cancelled train, call our toll free number or send us an alert email. Its that simple!

Metrolink Passengers Return to the Trains and Wish Bob Well

This morning I got up as early as I could, picked up the two get well cards I had made up for Bob Hildebrand, and headed straight to the Chatsworth Metrolink Station. I arrived about 6:15, just in time to see Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa board the 102 train into Los Angeles. I think it was a great sign of confidence in the Metrolink train, and I thank him for showing his support.

I set up the two large “get well” cards on a table outside the lobby entrance and immediately passengers began to come over and sign them, wishing Bob a speedy recovery. Many asked me about his condition, which I did not know specifically.

Once the Mayor had boarded the train, the media quickly turned their cameras to the two greeting cards, so I know that they were filmed by CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, and other international stations.

With each media crew that came by, I asked them to let the public also know about the donations we are collecting on LAPassenger.com to benefit the Chatsworth accident victims.

Bob, I hope that you see the images of these cards on television, and they make you smile, as there are hundreds of passengers wishing you a speedy recovery.

I spoke to a very kind reporter, Brian Watt from my favorite radio station, KPCC, the Los Angeles NPR station. Its so much easier speaking into a microphone than a live video camera.

The 104 and 106 passengers soon began to assemble, many coming in via the bus bridge from Moorpark and Simi Valley. It felt good to hug my “train friends” and see them doing well. I also got to meet many of the members of LAPassenger.com in person, and I appreciate everyone that finds the service valuable. The 104, 106 and finally the 108 trains all departed, each carrying hundreds of passengers. The normal load was definitely lighter than usual, but this can be expected as there was no bus bridge to Montalvo, Oxnard, or Camarillo.

As I was starting to pack up, the a CNN camera crew appeared and did a live shot, again focusing on the get well cards for Bob.

Finally, I met with Justino Águila, a writer from the Daily News. Justino and I spoke for a good 30 minutes about all facets of the Chatsworth accident, and I thanked him and his fellow newspaper writers who really deliver a more in depth and personal account of the stories. Over the past 2 days I have kept the graphic television accounts of the accident off in my house, choosing instead to printed news that is broader, detailed, and less visual.

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