[Rescue Muni] Startup Woes

Max Pong (pong2@llnl.gov)
Wed, 26 Aug 1998 07:33:39 -0700 (PDT)

Thanks to Peter and others for the Muni Metro updates. The Breda wheel
diameter incompatibility with ATCS that Peter mentioned should have been
detected earlier. Every LRV should have been test driven by the ATCS
during the night-time testing period.

Startup of new plants and equipment is always troublesome. Normal
industrial practice is to start up the first system, and when everything is
running okay, additional systems are put on line. It does not appear Muni
followed this approach. On Saturday, Muni began 1) POP, 2) running N's to
Caltrain, 3) discontinuing the E-line, 4) using the new Embarcadero
turnback and 5) ATCS operation. The result was chaos.

In the Tuesday Examiner, P. Johnston of Muni stated the ATCS was running on
Monday "without any glitches and was not causing delays". Fact or fiction?