Why don't I just take the subway to work? Because I can't be sure Wesley Autrey will be around if I fall on the tracks. The New York Times reports:

Mr. Autrey was waiting for the downtown local at 137th Street and Broadway in Manhattan around 12:45 p.m. He was taking his two daughters, Syshe, 4, and Shuqui, 6, home before work.

Nearby, a man collapsed, his body convulsing. Mr. Autrey and two women rushed to help, he said. The man, Cameron Hollopeter, 20, managed to get up, but then stumbled to the platform edge and fell to the tracks, between the two rails.

The headlights of the No. 1 train appeared. “I had to make a split decision,” Mr. Autrey said.

So he made one, and leapt.

Mr. Autrey lay on Mr. Hollopeter, his heart pounding, pressing him down in a space roughly a foot deep. The train’s brakes screeched, but it could not stop in time.

Five cars rolled overhead before the train stopped, the cars passing inches from his head, smudging his blue knit cap with grease. Mr. Autrey heard onlookers’ screams. “We’re O.K. down here,” he yelled, “but I’ve got two daughters up there. Let them know their father’s O.K.” He heard cries of wonder, and applause.

Here's Wesley on the Late Show with David Letterman:


Check out the computer simulation of the rescue at the end, with the train cars whizzing by a mere inch or two above Wesley's head. Amazing.

Via Fark, the BBC reports:

A campaign to cut over-crowding has been launched by frustrated rail commuters in the west of England.

...Simon Carpenter, Frome resident and campaign co-ordinator, said: "The overcrowding of trains is scandalous.

"It is becoming increasingly common place for passengers to be left standing at stations because trains are already at bursting point."

The Fark comments thread on this story is chock full of train-hatin' from commuters who are mad as hell and aren't going to take it any more.

The BBC also reports that this stellar level of train service is now costing commuters even more, with rail fares on the rise across the country.

The Mainichi Shimbun reports:

Two trains came to an abrupt halt early on Wednesday after running over rocks left on the tracks, police said.

The driver of a Keihan Electric Railway Co. train applied the emergency brake after hearing an unusual noise as the train passed a railway crossing in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, at about 5:10 a.m.

...About 1 kilometer south, another Keihan train made an emergency stop after its driver also heard an unusual sound.

Police think the rocks were left on the tracks deliberately. No word on how long the trains were delayed by this sabotage.

The New York Times reports on another hazard of riding the rails:

Any way you cut it, $102,009.17 buys an awful lot of pants.

That is how much the Long Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Railroad have paid over the last four years to customers who have torn clothing on the notoriously fabric-snagging armrests in a line of cars known as the M7.

...The armrests are longer and narrower than those on older cars and can slide unobtrusively into a trouser pocket as a passenger sits down — and then snag as he settles into his seat or when he stands up to leave. They are made of a rubbery material that seems to grab onto fabric and not let go, and the armrests also seem to have an affinity for the pockets of coats and suit jackets.

It seems odd that you'd be more likely to damage your clothes on a train than on a motorcycle, but there you have it.

Reuters reports:

A train in Germany was brought to a shuddering halt when a soccer ball flew from a nearby pitch and disabled the locomotive's brakes, police said on Tuesday.

"The ball directly hit the brake pipe between the locomotive and the first wagon and undid it, leading to a loss of pressure," said a spokesman for police in the western city of Muenster. "This caused the train to brake automatically."

This story reflects poorly not only on the durability of Germany's trains, but also on the accuracy of its soccer players.

The Mainichi Shimbun reports:

TAGAWA, Fukuoka — A 10-meter stretch of a communication cable has been stolen from a railway line here, forcing its operator to cancel at least 14 trains, police said.

There have been numerous incidents in which copper wire has been stolen as the demand for nonferrous metal is growing due mainly to China's economic growth. Police are investigating the latest case, suspecting the culprit stole the cable to sell its copper wire.

Of course, people steal motorcycles, too. But you can always lock your motorcycle up, or park it in a secure place. How are you supposed to guard an entire rail line?

Via Fark, 1010 WINS reports:

A man was struck and killed early Tuesday by a New Jersey commuter train sent to pick up passengers stranded after their first train hit and killed someone else, authorities said.

Luckily, a third train was not needed to pick up passengers on the second train, which kept on going.

The Associated Press reports:

A local train derailed Sunday in Okayama Prefecture, injuring all 25 passengers and the driver, police said.

The two-car train operated by West Japan Railway Co. fell on its side while traveling early Sunday in mountainous areas between Makiyama and Tamagashi stations in Okayama Prefecture, prefectural police official Hirofumi Yamazaki said.

Investigators found a large rock near the rail tracks which cut through the mountainside, Yamazaki said.

The cause of the accident was still under investigation, but the rock, which apparently had rolled down from the mountain, might have hit the rail tracks and damaged them, he said.

Sure, you won't find rocks tumbling onto the tracks in big cities like Tokyo. There, it's more likely to be garbage and cooking pots.

The Mainichi Shimbun reports:

NUMAZU, Shizuoka — A train left a station here early Monday morning without its conductor aboard, delaying several trains by nearly 40 minutes, the railway operator said.

Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) is set to investigate the incident.

...The incident delayed six west-bound trains by up to 37 minutes, inconveniencing some 2,200 passengers.

Not exactly a super conductor.

Via Japan Probe, the Mainichi Shimbun reports:

A senior railway worker has been arrested for molesting a woman on a train operated by his employer, police said.

Tomio Momiyama, a 50-year-old supervisor at Tobu Railway Co.'s Shiki train depot in Saitama Prefecture, is accused of violating a prefectural anti-nuisance ordinance. He denied the allegations during questioning, investigators said.

The incident occurred while Tobu Railway, the operator of a major railway network in the Kanto region, is in the middle of a massive campaign for preventing molestation on trains.

He must not have gotten the memo.

Reading the posts in this series, you might be thinking, "Sure, GB, trains may occasionally run off the tracks, but　roads can be dangerous, too."

And you'd be right: On the road, you might get hit by a train that's run off the tracks. Via Fark, the Calgary Sun reports:

Calgary Transit riders watched in horror Wednesday morning as part of a derailed train came careening into the side of their bus and sent them flying from their seats.

...Jim Feeny, spokesman for Canadian National Railway said there were two trains passing each other, one headed eastbound and one westbound and some sort of sideswipe or collision took place in the rail yard.

Sydney Broatch was sitting just behind the back door of the bus and said the end of the train car ended up breaking the rear door, as well striking the spot where she had been sitting.

Trains: A menace to society.

A picture's worth a thousand words:

A derailed train hangs from the end of a railway station in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, Oct. 27. (AFP/Teh Eng Koon)

Normally, this sort of thing wouldn't be a problem, but neither Spiderman nor Mr. Incredible was in the vicinity at the time of the incident.

One of the reasons someone might prefer riding trains to motorcycles is that with a train, you leave all the work of maintaining the vehicle to skilled professionals. Er, most of the time. Via Fark, the BBC reports:

Train passengers were left startled when they were asked if they could fix a fault on their broken down train.

The appeal on the Virgin Trains service from London Euston to Manchester came on Friday afternoon when the Pendolino stopped in Rugby, Warks.

The train had a faulty windscreen wiper and was unable to continue in heavy rain. Travellers were asked if anyone had a cable tie to repair it.

...A Virgin Trains' spokesman said: "After staff consulted with the train manager, it was decided to ask anyone on board if they had a cable tie.

"One person did kindly volunteer but the cable tie was not long enough and unfortunately the train had to be taken out of service."

If only the passengers had performed a thorough pre-ride inspection before boarding, this problem could have been easily avoided.

The Mainichi Shimbun reports:

A Nozomi No. 61 bullet train reportedly hit a man on the tracks at JR Shizuoka Station at about 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The train was not scheduled to stop there and was running at a speed of some 220 kilometers per hour.

The driver of the bullet train noticed the man on the tracks and applied the emergency brakes, but the train hit him, officials said.

The train continued for several kilometers after the driver applied the brakes. Bullet train operations resumed on the line shortly before 11 a.m.

So the people on the train were stuck in place for about two and a half hours. Bullet train? More like bullet time.

FOLLOW-UP:
The Mainichi is now reporting that the guy on the tracks may have committed suicide. I blogged about the Japanese phenomenon of suicide-by-train here.

Train beats moped.

The Mainichi Shimbun reports:

At about 10:35 p.m. on Tuesday, the driver of a local train bound for Tokyo's Ueno from Kagohara heard a strange noise when it was traveling between Akabane and Ogu stations in Kita-ku, Tokyo, and applied the emergency brakes, East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) officials said.

The driver found garbage such as clothes and cooking pots scattered around the tracks. The train resumed operations about 40 minutes later after JR East workers removed the garbage.

The incident delayed 29 other trains on the Tohoku Line and other JR lines by 38 minutes, inconveniencing about 21,000 passengers.

Delayed by garbage? That's just pathetic.

Reuters reports:

As little as 30 minutes a day exposed to the high decibel levels of New York's subway system could result in hearing loss — and wearing an iPod can increase the risk, according to a new U.S. study.

Researchers from the Mailman School of Public Health at the city's Columbia University found that exposure to the noise levels of the New York transit system can exceed recommended guidelines of the World Health Organization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"A big source of urban noise is mass transit ... (but) it's our means of transportation that is so vital to us that we have to accept it as it is," said Robyn Gershon, professor of sociomedical sciences and lead author of the study.

The study, published in the latest edition of the Journal of Urban Health, found the highest decibel level on the platform was 106, and the average level was 94 decibels.

But motorcycles are just as noisy, right? Maybe if you're blasting along the open highway on your Harley, with the wind in your hair. But not if you're wearing a quality full-face helmet, and riding at city speeds. And especially not if you're on a modest scooter, which is more practical than a big bike in the city anyway.

The Mainichi Shimbun reports:

A fire that broke out underneath JR Tokyo Station on Thursday morning caused the temporary suspension of services on the JR Keiyo Line, inconveniencing tens of thousands of commuters.

Due to the fire at a substation, power supply to the JR Keiyo Line signal system temporarily stopped and train services were suspended on the line.

Keiyo Line officials at Shin-Urayasu Station in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, announced that services would not resume in the morning, angering many commuters.

Many regular Keiyo Line commuters waited for bus services that connect Urayasu Station to the subway Tozai Line. The line for buses extended for about 700 meters at 9:30 a.m.

Ayako Yokoya, a 21-year-old university student, had to wait for about 90 minutes before getting on a bus. "I don't think I can attend the first class that begins at 9 p.m.," she said.

I can't scientfically prove it, but I honestly believe that avoiding nonsense like this is good for my health. I arrive at work (and back home) every day happy and exhilarated, instead of angry and stressed out.

The Associated Press reports:

The experimental maglev train project in Japan won't be affected by an accident in Germany that killed 23 people, a company official said Saturday.

...The government "is closely watching what German investigators conclude about the cause of the crash," said Transport Ministry official Michio Igarashi.

Initial indications have been that human error, not the sophisticated technology, was to blame for Friday's accident in Germany, in which a maglev train smashed into a maintenance car, killing 23 people.

Oh, great. It's not like Japanese trains have ever had any problems caused by human error.