Commentary
Meg Baker and her trusty Speed-O-Meter to the rescue!
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefCBS News legends Edward R. Murrow, Fred Friendly, Charles Kuralt and Walter Cronkite must be turning over and hurling in their graves.
Care for a good laugh? Take a look at this cracker-jack piece of reporting—cracker-jack because a Cracker Jack box apparently is where CBS2-New York investigative reporter Meg Baker, her news assignment editor and her producer “earned” their credentials:
One week after Amtrak’s horrific and tragic wreck on the Northeast Corridor that was caused by an overspeed condition, the origin of which the National Transportation Safety Board has yet to clarify, CBS2 decided, for whatever reason, that it “wanted to find out how fast trains in our area are going,” and dispatched Baker “with an array of technology to investigate.” Target: New Jersey Transit, which as we all know is staffed with adrenalin-overloaded throttle jockeys who delight in running the wheels off their trains, gleefully defying the limits of wheel/rail adhesion and balance speeds on super-elevated curves, totally ignoring the employee timetable and NORAC operating rules.
A few highlights from this frivolous fool’s errand, with my observations:
“First, Baker and her crew tested the equipment by calibrating and checking the technology. Baker tested the Speed-O-Meter app she was using for accuracy alongside the speedometer in a car—and found it to be pretty accurate. Using the app and a radar gun along multiple routes, CBS2’s Baker went out to test the rails of NJ Transit, following complaints. She clocked a 72 mph train zooming through Secaucus Junction, and a 69 mph train speeding through South Orange—a smaller station.”
A cell phone app and a radar gun. I’m impressed—NOT! “Pretty accurate”? Oh sure, just as if Larry David were on camera delivering his catchphrase of “pret-ay, pret-ay, pret-ay, pretty good.” Complaints? By whom? Passengers who (unless they are using Speed-O-Meter on their cell phones) have no clue how fast the train is running? And 72 mph through Secaucus? Timetable speed there is 90 mph. Did you consult the NJT employee timetable? Same deal with South Orange.
“According to an NJT safety worker, those speeds are too fast. Off camera, he said trains passing through a station should not exceed 60 mph.”
What is a “safety worker”? I thought all railroad employees were safety workers. As far as the speed through a station, again, what does the employee timetable say?
“Commuters complained about being jolted in their seats as the train went around the curve leaving Secaucus on the way to Penn Station. ‘I kind of thought we were going kind of fast,’ one woman said after getting off the train. ‘I think if it’s coming near an area where they know they reach a curve, I think they should go less,’ another said.”
I’ll overlook the bad grammar. I’d like to know: Are you suggesting that NJT passengers be consulted about timetable speeds and be allowed to participate in writing NORAC rules and AREMA track standards, like Wikipedia?
“Speeds are not posted like they are along highways. Right now, engineers must work from timetable schedules to keep adjusting their speeds.”
I’ll give you credit for getting the timetable part partially correct. However, you neglected to mention wayside and cab signals, ATC, alerters, and all the other complex elements that go into operating a passenger train.
“Baker said she rode the rails—including the tight curve from Secaucus to Penn Station—and felt her own body shift strongly in the seat. NJ Transit would not answer whether the curve was a banked curve—meaning the outer edge of the train is higher than the inner as it passes through. A banked curve would offset the train’s center of gravity at high speeds.”
Thanks for the kindergarten-level explanation of super-elevation and track geometry, which you obviously didn’t take the time to even try to understand. You might as well have attempted to explain an amusement park ride. Tilt-A-Whirl, anyone?
“CBS2 repeatedly called NJ Transit for an explanation, but the agency would not go on camera—giving very few details about speed limits or track conditions. . . . CBS2 . . . continued to press NJ Transit for answers, but it was not clear why they would not speak about exact speeds.”
It’s perfectly clear to me. Why should NJT bother? You wouldn’t understand it anyway, and it would be too complicated for your dumbed-down, assumption-filled, fact-deprived, agenda-driven report.
Thank you, Jedi Knights of CBS2, for uncovering the secret society, populated by Sith Lords wielding encrypted rulebooks and stormtroopers masquerading as engineers and conductors: NJ Transit, which is just one element of the evil empire known as the railroad industry. Sinister these people are! Frightened out of their collective wits, these NJT passengers should be!
CBS2 is not the only media outlet guilty of clueless reporting on railroads. None other than the esteemed Gray Lady, The New York Times, made this numbskullish notation on a story about the Amtrak accident (boldface emphasis mine):
“In addition, Northeast Regional Train No. 188 was equipped with a second safety system designed to ring buzzers and bells in the engine’s cabin if the engineer does not touch the steering panel for a short period of time, people briefed on the investigation said. The system, which is intended to prevent crashes if engineers doze off or become distracted, is supposed to automatically stop the train if the engineer does not touch the steering panel after the alarms have sounded.”
Add Brenton Welling, who years ago was The Times’ railroad transportation editor, to the list of journalism legends turning and hurling in their graves.
As Luther S. Miller, our recently retired Senior Consulting Editor, often told me, “The mediocre are always at their best.”
