Walkup's Doug Saeltzer Interviewed by Channel 11

Doug Saeltzer was recently interviewed for the evening news on KNTV, Channel 11. In the video, he underlines the economic calculus that is part of public transit safety. Life altering injuries to just one individual in a collision such as this could result in a claim ranging into the several millions of dollars. Here's the video:



Because of the economic impacts of being unsafe, railroad operators like MUNI have every financial incentive to prevent collisions, and to follow their own public safety rules. As the Chronicle is reporting, however, it seems that the L train violated at least two rules when it rear-ended the K train at West Portal.

We've known for a few days that it switched from automatic mode to manual mode while still underground on approach to the West Portal station. While underground, MUNI trains are controlled automatically from a central control. This is to prevent collisions. Over the years, operators have developed the habit of switching out of automatic mode slightly early, a fact that, according to the operators' union, was known to SFMTA. Switching out of automatic made a collision like this one possible.

Second, the operator of the L train is now claiming, through his union, that he blacked out right before the collision. The union official providing the statement, Irwin Lum, also stated that a medical condition of the operator caused him to blackout. MUNI rules require that operators pass physical exams every other year. It seems that a medical condition that can cause blacking out would also cause the operator to fail such an exam.