There’s nothing worse than being stuck on a train – for many riders their minds immediately go to the worst case scenario. And its even worse when the conductors fail to make any announcements and riders can smell smoke.
That’s what happened to Hoboken resident Dan Kaplan on Sunday.
Around 1 p.m., a PATH train stopped halfway into the 9th Street station and remained stalled. Passengers in the front care, including Kaplan and his girlfriend, could see and smell smoke.
“The train's conductor did not make a single announcement to panic-stricken passengers. "Open the doors," passengers were screaming. A man standing next to me repeated to himself, ‘Please don't let me die.’”
A Port Authority spokesman confirmed there was a small fire. As per PATH protocol, he said, the conductor exited the train and put out the fire himself with a handheld extinguisher. The conductor was supposed to make an announcement. And the whole incident took 2 minutes the spokesman said.
No so, according to Kaplan. He estimated they were stuck for a bit longer.
After about five minutes, passengers were allowed to exit. But we were just seconds away from busting out the windows. PATH train operators obviously need additional training to learn how to better communicate with passengers and keep them informed and calm during even minor situations. In today's unsettled word, panic only takes seconds to set in. Just ask the guy next to me.
While Sunday’s incident seemed scary but benign, remember what happened in August 2004? That was real panic.
Also, it’s fascinating that it is PATH protocol for the conductors to get out of the train to put out small fires.
-- Chuck Bennett
