Open MAX train door: 'This type of failure is rare'
PORTLAND, Ore. – A MAX train traveled between two stops last week with one of the passenger doors wide open, prompting safety concerns.
A passenger, Roz Miller, posted video to YouTube of the open door as the train traveled between the Hollywood District and Lloyd Center stops. That’s approximately a five-minute ride with relatively high speeds for part of the trip.
In the video, you can clearly see the one open door as the train speeds along next to Interstate 84. At one point a man walks up to the door and sticks his head out as the train is moving.
- Watch the video on YouTube (warning: explicit language)
Miller, who we have been unable to get in contact with, wrote in the comments of his video that people tried to hit the emergency button. The door eventually closed when the train pulled into the Lloyd Center station.
TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch said once the train’s operator was alerted the door was immediately disabled.
"This type of failure is rare and the train has been pulled from service as crews investigate," Fetsch said in a statement. "We always encourage the public to immediately alert the operator if they see any safety concern."
MAX trains are not supposed to be able to move while a door is open - they have safety systems to keep that from happening. And there is a warning light in the driver's cockpit that indicates when a door is open.
TriMet is looking at whether the malfunction was a multi-system failure. The transit agency's head of safety and security said they are examining the train's data recorder to find out what went wrong.
They are also looking at whether the train's intercom system was not working. According to TriMet’s website, trains have up to four emergency intercoms to report a problem.
TriMet told us they hope to have answers by Thursday. Meanwhile, the train car has been pulled from service.
I guess there is a reason why my mama always told me to never lean on doors
The construction "reason why" is redundant. It is commonly used, but redundant.
Is a open door on trimet more of a danger than a eleven year-old with a loaded gun
You asking a question, are you? Try some punctuation.
This comment has been deleted
No. Motorcycles don't have doors. Duh. Cars, trains, airplanes and ships have doors. We expect them to close. Oh, and in some countries it is "normal" to circumcise a daughter or kill her for "disgracing the family" if she wants to go to school. So, to answer your question, people with IQs higher than room temperature care.
The operators will NOT answer the intercom when the train is moving. Maybe KATU should go test this out and see if they actually answer.. that is if they can board the train without a huge media circus before hand, but more than likely they'll just tip in Trimets favor.
Mercy me!
Well, I for one am SO glad that Trimet had that multimillion dollar redecoration done at their headquarters. Feng Shui is ever so much more important than safety.
:-P
There are times I wish there was an open door to throwout the rude
Just one question, How many more safety failures and such will it take to end this abuse once and for all? What will it take? a 2x4 across TRIMET's 's managers head?
 Please understated not advocating violence , just making an observation that the staff seem to be stubborn and need some kind of severe correction that is equivalent to a 2x4 Metaphorically speaking on 2x4.
Are there not any young people who know how to comment on anything/everything without using an incredibly limited vocabulary that consists of 35-55%+ profanity? More and more, the general public in the US is appearing to be disturbingly verbally incompetent in expressing themselves. I have a parrot who speaks far more eloquently than these half-wits on this video and she doesn't ever use any profanity whatsoever while doing so. I think my dog probably speaks more eloquently than these oafs... and no profanity from him, either. These guys don't just use one purposefully put curse word to make a shocking point of exclamation...it is a spewing of profanity as nouns, adjectives etc. School drop-outs? Just pathetic whatever the case.
@whirledworld Â
They are the product of the modern American culture and family, or lack of it. Sex, drugs, God out of school, cheapening of life and the government is your daddy. It's all down hill from here. Hang on for the ride and keep your arms and head inside the windows, or door.
@Scotty9 @whirledworld Agree with you except for the God in school thing. Growing up in a Catholic family, my folks would have not liked it at all if we kids were being subjected to protestant god stuff in a public school. My ex's family was Jewish and they did not appreciate their kids being inundated in Jesus at his school, either. A public school is just that: public and therefore a separation of church and state is a good thing. Solid morals can still be instilled in kids without even one mention of God in schools.
@whirledworld @Scotty9 Â
 I totally agree that no religion should be pushed in the class room, but neither should there be this outright paranoia about anything discussed from a religious perspective. It has gone way past the point of separation of church and state, the point of which was to keep government out of religion not religion out of government. Subtle, but important difference.
@whirledworld They are The Kenyan's minions and will coming after you real soon if you keep telling the truth!!
@boned Wow. I always pictured you as being smarter than that.Â
@boned @whirledworld Oh for heaven's sake! Get a grip! This has nothing to do with Obama...it has to do with TV, movies, games (where poor use of language is regularly modeled), and parents, teachers and coaches and other youth leaders who do not demand better vocabulary standards nor model it themselves for young people.
@boned @whirledworld Tell me you're not really a birther.
"boned" is a birther, a flat-earther, and an idiot.
@boned @whirledworld Get over yourself.  I know what a minion is...you're implying the kids that made this video clip are Obama's minions.  We get it -- you don't like President Obama.  Your rant has nothing to do with this story in any way, you just like to throw out the verbal vomit every chance you get, legitimate or not.  Sounds pretty desperate....guess you're still a bit bitter about the last election, eh?  LOL.
@boned @Sundowner I know what both are...but to fight a minion it would take an army of good to over come them, as for the Kenyan. well. he will have his day..and as they say, Paybacks are a_____ That is if the American people even have the guts left to take a stand.
@Sundowner Do you even know what a 'minion' is? Perhaps not and I could care less where The Kenyan was born as he continues to ruin this once great nation. Minion=A servile or fawning dependent - Sir.
That is a freaking massive safety, Who cares if the people were idiots had that been a child that jumped out there Collective arses at max would be owned.
Lee, had a child jumped out, I can assure you that the parent would be suing trimet for their lack of common sense in not holding onto their child.
What is a "feaking massive safety?" "Who cares if the people were..." is a question and needs a question mark. "Had that been..." commences a new sentence. It should begin with a capital letter, and the previous sentence should have ended with a period. A child is a "Who," not a "what." Why is "Collective" capitalized?  In addition, I suspect that the arses at Tri-Met are, in fact, already owned.
@lee986321Â Good Lord - bring kids into a simple malfunction. You must be following The Kenyan and all the others that bring kids into a simple dialogue.Â
@lee986321Â ~ Â Well, one would hope that, if there were a little kid on board, the parent (or other adult in charge of same) would restrain the kid from walking around in the aisle and getting anywhere close to the open door... Â That fully-open door is pretty noticeable, and unless the parent is yakking on their cell phone, or with nose buried in a book, or other distraction, he / she should be able to keep the kid safe. Â Things like this DO occasionally happen, and it's up to parents to keep watch over kids (in addition to the transit carrier maintaining safe equipment. Â
"What if", "could have", "might have" just gets people all unnecessarily stirred up... In this case, fortunately, no one fell out and no one was hurt... Â Hopefully, Tri-Met will do a thorough inspection into the workings of this train, and fix whatever the problem turns out to be...Â
@margay1Â I am surprised that you bought off on the child thing - amazing...
@boned @margay1 ~  Don't quite understand your comment, boned... "...bought off on child thing"...???  Â
@lee986321 While you are correct on one hand, reality check: no one did fall out. No one was injured. People like to play the "What if? What if? What if?" game, but fortunately, that did not happen here. TriMet needs to be held accountable for the incident and they need to investigate but fortunately no one was hurt.
Maybe this is Tri-Mets new open door policy.
@Rob C 503 Maybe this train operator was trying to air out a car that was particularly smelly! by the looks of the people in the video, it might be a reasonable thing to do!
The first few seconds of the video was informative showing the open door. Â After that the guy taking the video was only making an ass out of himself.Â
Of course that guy's going to court -- he probably has the route memorized.
Now I know what that Spanish language message is that they spout over the intercom at every stop..."Congratulations for not falling out the open door and welcome to America."
Now, if you can find a video of a MAX train moving during icy conditions, that would truly be astonishing.Â
Trimets new open door policy
@Phuzz ......ah, ya beat me to it !
Throw mama from the lightrail
Could of been a botched train by shooting
My Dad had a medical emergency on a rear segment of a max train. He collapsed and was non responsive and the intercoms did not work. Someone had to hop train segments at a stop and alerted the driver by pounding on the door. Tri-met only said that the problem was fixed and shrugged off our concerns. They knew the intercoms were malfunctioning beforehand too. So just because the car has intercoms do not rely on them in an emergency. So yes a train door open and not being able to alert the driver could be a real event.Â
Are we supposed to be outraged by this or something? If someone fell out, that might be newsworthy but by itself it's really a non-event.
Adding this to my ''first world problems'' collection.
@Lips ~  Isn't that the truth.???  An open door on MAX... that's right up there with our crumbling economy, the deficit, and unemployment... seems to take so little to get people stirred up these days... :-)
Just a numbskull with a camera and not much else to do. They appeared to be too lazy to let anyone know about the door. Some people really make you wonder....and then wonder some more why they do what they do.
My minivan has a dashboard "Door Ajar" warning light.. Â Don't these trains have anything like that..???
People just amaze me... all they had to do in this case was to signal the operator that there was a door open and stay in their seats (or stand away from the door)..! Â Â So why all the hysterics..???
That idiot on the video who decided to lean out of the open doorway just leaves me speechless... every time I think I've seen the ultimate in human stupidity, somebody else comes along and raises the bar..!
As for the other knothead who was blathering on and on about "we're going to court", I hate to break the news, but you need DAMAGES for a successful lawsuit... sorry to burst your bubble...Â
@margay1 The operator will NOT answer the intercom when the train is moving.Â
@margay1 Oh he has damage alright. Just not from the train.
Well anyone with not enough brains to go look out of the door on a moving train for no apparent reason deserves to fall out. Most anyone with a IQ over 7 would know to just stay away from the door. Big deal! You ride with your car windows open all the time. Afraid you might just get the urge to jump out at any minute?
@stinger139Â "Honey, the door is wide open and I can see that we're going really fast here...as fast as traffic on the Banfield. Â I think I'll step outside and take a look/see to make sure everything's OK. Â Here, little Britney -- take Daddy's hand and come with."
@stinger139Â If family is in the car with me, I've considered jumping out the window. Â