TransLink CEO apologizes to passengers for SkyTrain shutdown: 'not good enough'
Shutdown that stalled 19 trains was caused by a single motor failure, said CEO
TransLink CEO Doug Allen said a faulty motor on a single train caused the two-and-a-half-hour SkyTrain shutdown yesterday that stranded passengers on 19 trains.
In a media briefing Wednesday morning, Allen apologized for yet another shutdown on the Metro Vancouver transit system, and pledged to make changes.
"There are a number of actions that we need to be taking given what happened yesterday and the inconvenience that many of our passengers faced," he said.
"I want to apologize very directly to them."
Allen said 15 of the 19 stuck trains were attended to within the 20 minute target set by an external review after a series of shutdowns last year.
But four were left too long.
"That's not good enough," Allen told reporters Wednesday morning.
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TransLink pledges more staff to help during shutdowns
Allen said when shutdowns happen, the key is getting people off trains quickly.
"Our issue yesterday in my mind is that we still don't have the proper allocation of staff to be able to respond in the 20 minute [target]," he said.
TransLink will bring on 16 more staff by Aug. 1 and a total of 64 new workers by Oct. 1, he said.
Maintenance workers will also inspect the 500 induction motors on the system to be sure the failure yesterday isn't more widespread, said Allen.
No refunds this time
TransLink's vice president of communications called yesterday's delay a "long wait" for people, but not long enough to warrant the refunds passengers were offered after a six-hour shutdown on May 22.
"'We are sorry, but I know that's not enough for people," Colleen Brennan told Rick Cluff on CBC's The Early Edition.
Riders will not be reimbursed this time, she said.
Brennan said with an aging system and a large city, shutdowns will happen, but TransLink is concerned about the recent frequency — even if the events seem to be unrelated.
"Unfortunately we've had a spate of them. We're talking this morning about why these things are happening, and how we can reduce the frequency and duration."
With files from Dan Burritt and The Early Edition