Jay Honeck
Touchdown! Greaser!
So it's not really based on any wind-speed limitations inherent in the system.
Good enough answer...
Why Must the NYC Transit System Shut Down at 39 MPH?
- Thread starter Jay Honeck
- Start date
So it's not really based on any wind-speed limitations inherent in the system.
Good enough answer...
A substantive decision, based upon essentially irrelevant criteria.
Sounds like a perfect bureaucratic solution!
No as was said before, you're going to use a number well below that of where there is a physical risk to safety in a situation that is known to be increasing to give you time to get eveything and everyone secure before that time. When Tropical Storm Force winds hit, they knew they were dealing with a rather short time until the storm made transit impossible and could leave equipment and the people in a vulnerable state. Believe it or not, these people usually have a clue.
Last edited:
You've got to set it somewhere. The amount of times they get 40 MPH straight line winds in NYC are infrequent. Unlike heavy rail or even your RV, there are some pretty low speed sharp turns that don't take much to cause a derailment. These cars are small, so small that you can't take ones off one line and stick it on another because they're sized for the particular tunnels (width and turning radius) that they're on.
It's an operational thing, the cars are stored outside anyhow. They do pretty good on weather they DO encounter annually. Even in the snow I've been able to get from my sister-in-law's (on the surface lines in Brooklyn) down to Manhattan.
It's an operational thing, the cars are stored outside anyhow. They do pretty good on weather they DO encounter annually. Even in the snow I've been able to get from my sister-in-law's (on the surface lines in Brooklyn) down to Manhattan.
I think MTA gave a pretty rasonable explanation. They knew the storm would be over within 12hrs and wanted all the vehicles safely tucked away rather than stuck on the tracks and in tunnels. They were not worried about derailing at 39mph, they were afraid of loosing power at 50mph with increasing winds and having to evacuate a car on a elevated track at 85mph.
Nobody got hurt on the transit system, their approach was proven right. This shutdown was announced in advance, everyone knew it was going to happen. What is the whinig about again ?
Nobody got hurt on the transit system, their approach was proven right. This shutdown was announced in advance, everyone knew it was going to happen. What is the whinig about again ?
Pretty much the same as most things, someone who doesn't understand something getting indignant over something that doesn't effect them. Nothing new in the USA....
woodstock
Final Approach
Does anyone think maybe they learned something from Katrina? Maybe?
And that PREVENTING problems is a whole lot less messy and cheaper than cleaning up afterwards? I would think all pilots would understand that/it would be inherent in their nature.
And that PREVENTING problems is a whole lot less messy and cheaper than cleaning up afterwards? I would think all pilots would understand that/it would be inherent in their nature.
Jay Honeck
Touchdown! Greaser!
You guys are HILARIOUS. A simple question is turned into whining...
We all understand that the system was shut down as this hurricane escalated in intensity and wind speed. 39 mph was the threshold shut-down speed, set by officials as winds climbed ever higher. They needed to draw a line somewhere, and 39 was the number they picked.
Did they use the same number in the face of diminishing winds? In other words, after the storm passed did they re-start the system when the winds were, say, 45, but predicted to go lower, or did they wait until it fell below 39?
This would be one way to determine if the 39 mph wind speed was set arbitrarily, or was actually based on substantive reasoning.
Not that I really care anymore...
Jay Honeck
Touchdown! Greaser!
This post perfectly illustrates the problem with thread creep, and the perils of not reading the entire thread.
NO ONE at any stage of this discussion has questioned the reasons for shutting down the New York transit systems in the face of an oncoming hurricane. NO ONE has said anything about it being anything except an intelligent decision.
The bone-simple question was "Why 39 mph?" This got lost in all the arm waving...
woodstock
Final Approach
You guys are HILARIOUS. A simple question is turned into whining...
We all understand that the system was shut down as this hurricane escalated in intensity and wind speed. 39 mph was the threshold shut-down speed, set by officials as winds climbed ever higher. They needed to draw a line somewhere, and 39 was the number they picked.
Did they use the same number in the face of diminishing winds? In other words, after the storm passed did they re-start the system when the winds were, say, 45, but predicted to go lower, or did they wait until it fell below 39?
This would be one way to determine if the 39 mph wind speed was set arbitrarily, or was actually based on substantive reasoning.
Not that I really care anymore...
It wasn't the question, it was the "If My Mother..." rant that you put out.
Jay Honeck
Touchdown! Greaser!
None of your quotes suggest otherwise.
Many, believe that 39 mph is an absurdly low threshold number, arrived at by bureaucrats who picked it out of their arse. That said, with a hurricane coming, promising winds of 100 mph or more (which did not come to pass, thankfully), shutting down the transit system was inevitable, and no one suggested otherwise.
That included you right? Do you still feel that way? Do you understand thst the time between 40kt winds and 70kt winds is around an hour? Have you been there for a hurricane hit yet? It gets a might sporty on the barrier Islands. I spent one hurricane jacked up behind Mustang Island with a lift boat. That was a pretty big storm. Jeez, what year was that, same one that hit King Ranch?
Doggtyred
En-Route
As an educated guess from someone who's worked quite a few if these....
I will say No. They didn't restart based on wind.
They waited until storm conditions abated enough until transit staffers could report back to work. Transit employees are nonessential and dont need to ride out the storm in the clock.
Once roads are clear the buses could resume. The subways, whole nother ballgame. Make sure the tubes aren't flooded or contaminated. Those are electric cars and run off a hot 3rd rail.
But that's just a guess.
Yep, all the lines will be run and inspected before passenger service resumes. Doesn't take long.