That Japanese train driver incident

[railsquid]

This one - I though there was already a thread but couldn't find it - very big news, one TV company (Asahi) went to the trouble of making a pretty detailed mockup, complete with symbolic driver standing at the door:

 

 

(the model is actually regular and square, I think combination of my camera angle and the TV camera moving when I took it make it look distorted).

Edited September 19, 2016 by railsquid

[katoftw]

When you gotta go, you gotta go.  Maybe his coffee in the morning was too big?

[Guest keio6000]

I have a fair amount of sympathy for this guy.  They stick a middle aged man on a vibrating train in full public view and a schedule to keep  These things will happen.    My main criticism of him is if this happened before, he should probably plan for it - window shades down, sports bottle, etc.   

[westfalen]

We have jobs where we are driving for over four hours with only a 9 minute break halfway through which includes 8 minutes to change from one end of the train to the other so it can be a long way between 'personal needs' stops and I'm sure close to anyone's limit of endurance so I can certainly sympathise with him.  But at a platform in full view of everyone?

 

This JR Central driver on the Ltd Exp Fujisawa I caught at Kofu at least had the decency to try and hide behind his train.

 

[railsquid]

I though there was already a thread but couldn't find it

 

Got confused with another forum.

 

 

But at a platform in full view of everyone?

 

Out of the side door onto the tracks away from the platform.

 

According to the news there was a toilet in the 2nd car of the train which he could have used, just would have needed to inform the control centre. Train was 20 or so minutes away from the terminus, though 20 minutes is a loooong time if you have to go I guess.

 

Personally I'm not all that bothered, just amused by the effort the TV show put into reproducing the situation, including reasonably accurate pyhsical model of the train and platform...

[JR 500系]

I could empathise with the train drivers, as although I am not one, I drive everyday and getting caught in traffic for 1 to 2 hrs with the need to go is about the same situation I guess...  

 

I was wondering, wouldn't that JR Tokai driver be seen by the passengers sitting on the right side of the train in the first car near the driving cabin?

[westfalen]

The thing is that your concentration is affected when you are busting to go, I think Mythbusters did a segmant that proved car drivers in desperate need of a toilet break were as bad or worse than drunk drivers.

 

I'm not sure if he could be seen from the train but the group of passengers who wandered down the end of the platform for a smoke certainly would have.