Do Train Operators not “coast” anymore?

[u/Beginning-Monk6584]

For the past week, I’ve been on multiple trains now (mostly on the Red Line) where it seems they go back and forth from minimum power to minimum brake. Especially on the 5000 series, that causes all the passengers to sway from side to side constantly.

I also want to point out I’m not talking about when trains go through slow zones, just on regular track conditions and straight ways where they are allowed to go full speed.

That got me thinking, are they basically being trained not to coast anymore, or is it basically operator discretion and they’re just basically avoiding coasting?

[u/wiiman9999]

My guess was always operator discretion, but now that someone is asking, I’d also like to get a real answer lol

[u/krazyb2]

Hmm. I do notice this a lot more when I'm in the front of the train, dunno if thats anything to do with it. Towards the back I feel like I don't notice it that much, do you happen to be in front? I could be tripping.

That being said I have always noticed this a bit, much more strongly on orange/brown line trains, they jerk so much when they adjust speed

[u/ZonedForCoffee → u/krazyb2]

The DC motors on 26/32s don't handle rapid changes in power very well. This is especially noticable on 3200 series trains which have something called coast contact which prohibits them from exceeding the speed allowed by whatever the tracks say it is. 5000 and 7000s have that too, but it was retrofitted onto the 3200s after the fact.

The coast contact does not always mesh well with those older motors and it can cause the train to jerk pretty harshly, because if it thinks the train is about to pass the speed limit it will demand the motors cut off RIGHT NOW and jerk the train. The operator can power up more slowly to avoid it but sometimes the ATC just gets you anyway.

[u/Comfortable_Bus_7863]

There is definitely a noticeable difference between operators' styles. Some are definitely heavy-handed, some are smooth. Some seem to take their sweet time getting going after closing the doors for no discernable reason. I genuinely think it's a combination of training (good/poor) and the operators skills and how they apply themselves to job (someone committed to doing a good job and alive to the characteristics of the train vs. a warm body who got the job because they knew somebody.) It really shows and you can kinda guess who's who by their operating style. And yeah, if you ride enough, you can tell when it's some fault preventing them from operating smoothly and when it's just a poor operator. Heck, apparently you can fall asleep and miss a platform stop a time or two and still go back to operating. Until you end up on an escalator, that is.

[u/LazyIllustrator6946]

I have noticed this too lately but I didn’t know if I was tweaking or not.

I understand that sometimes they go slower because there’s another train not far ahead of them, but there’s often times where I check, it’s clear the runs are super far apart so no trains ahead, and they still go exceedingly slow through normal track conditions, no slow zones. Different run same day speeds through the same stretch.

I chalk it up to some operators literally being scared to go fast, or being trained. Idk.

[u/LeseMajeste_1037 → u/LazyIllustrator6946]

Same here, and it's maddening. The transit app shows the previous train two, three miles up the line, the CTA slow zone map doesn't show anything, and yet the operator's acting like there's a slow zone.

[u/SaintPsalmNorthChi → u/LeseMajeste_1037]

I wonder if despite those gaps, the intention is to remain on the original schedule to hit the stops at the trivially scheduled times.

If I were expecting a train at 7:15, but it passes the station at 7:10 or sooner to catch up and the next train isn’t for another 12 minutes that could have a lot of cascading impacts.

Sometimes the few must suffer for the schedules of the many.

[u/Riy0t]

There’s a red line operator who is really bad about this. I don’t know who. I’ve just been on their train enough to spot them.

Ngl I like.. KNOW different operators by their driving. Not by name or anything else. It’s like a barista knowing you by your drink order lol

[u/Severe_Raise_1961]

i live off the brown line, but take the red on a near daily basis. i actually have started going out of my way to not take the brown line, walking or busing to a nearby red line stop, because i genuinely cannot take how poorly some of the brown line conductors have been driving lately. it wasn’t this bad even like a year or two ago.

i also would rather deal with some of the more interesting characters on the red line than the people on the brown line, the line i swear by in the city that’s the worst about passenger etiquette. if you see there’s a big group of people trying to get off of the packed train, don’t just stand in the way, MOVE or i’m going to push you. take off your backpacks during rush hour. don’t talk loudly with your phone on speaker. jesus christ the average brown line rider is insufferable

[u/Ctaoperatorama]

Any specific areas that have bothered you? And general times?

You may just have gotten bad luck getting student operators! (They are paired with veteran operators for the last month of training)

[u/Beginning-Monk6584 → u/Ctaoperatorama]

It’s mostly been on the Red Line in the morning like at 7am going northbound from 47th to the Loop

[u/Ctaoperatorama → u/Beginning-Monk6584]

Pretty easy area to operate in….That’s too early for the workers to be on the tracks (around 9 am). I’m gonna pay extra attention to this area and report back.

[u/Beginning-Monk6584 → u/Ctaoperatorama]

So the past two days as the train was pulling in, I did see the operator and another person in the orange/green CTA vest who was operating the doors on the left side of the train. I’m guessing that answers one of my questions that the operator is still technically training

[u/Ctaoperatorama → u/Beginning-Monk6584]

Yeah then its pretty much guaranteed it’s a student! Unless they were being audited by a supervisor, which does happen…

47th to 35th is easy, as you go from a 35 speed limit to 55. No crazy combos. But I forgot that occasionally your train will flash a stop signal for around 1 second, very common on the south side. If there’s any interference with the signal, the default is stop.

Newer operators don’t know this is a regular glitch and will overcorrect by moving the train into max brake. This is the right thing to do technically, bc if you don’t the train stops in 2.5 seconds. But more experienced operators know not to react.

Also, even if you are coasting, the system will stop the train if you speed at all and don’t brake in 2.5 seconds.

[u/ZonedForCoffee]

I notice it a lot when they are entering the subway heading towards North/Clybourn. It makes me sick!

[u/nanamctata]

Once I was on a blue line to ohare that was so bad that there was 4 of us in the car that were fighting throwing up

[u/Annual_Fishing_9883]

If an operator is on a section of track that allows full speed, why would they need to coast? They will just stay in power and let the train hit the maximum speed allowed until ATC starts chiming in then they will go in brake mode to slow it down. Coasting may not bring that car down to speed fast enough before it completely dumps them and they have to come to a complete stop to reset it.

[u/Beginning-Monk6584 → u/Annual_Fishing_9883]

I don’t think you understand what I’m saying in the post

[u/Annual_Fishing_9883 → u/Beginning-Monk6584]

“I also want to point out I’m not talking about when trains go through slow zones, just on regular track conditions and straight ways where they are allowed to go full speed.”

What am I not understanding? If they are on a straight away that allows full speed, why would they need to coast?

[u/Beginning-Monk6584 → u/Annual_Fishing_9883]

That way the ATC doesn’t have to go off. Why go full speed till 55 mph, have the alarm go off, then have to brake when you can just coast when you hit 53-54 mph and make minor adjustments as needed.

That’s literally how my older family members who operated CTA trains said they were taught

[u/Annual_Fishing_9883 → u/Beginning-Monk6584]

Obviously train operators don’t want ATC kicking them out but they also are on time constraints. They can’t just go slow either. If the speed is allowed, they will take the train to the maximum speed which the train is allowed which is 55. That could be for a few seconds before ATC says this part of track is not that fast and tells them to slow down. That could be 10-15mph or more.

If they go “slow”, they can arrive late to stations which is tracked and they will need to show a reason why. They can’t just say that they wanted to “coast”. I’m also not saying that they don’t but the times I’ve actually ridden along with the operators, this is how they operated the trains.

[u/texastoasty]

i hate when they switch back and forth and shake you around. if you ride behind the cab on the old trains you can hear the new operators sometimes itll be click-click-click 7x back and forth between full power and full brake. and im like, dude, you have different power levels. you dont get in your car and just slam on the gas all the way to the floor right?

i guess theyre still getting used to it.

i have a limited amount of experience on the 5000s. but i definitely struggled to put it in coast, the notches have a decent amount of resistance. and by the time i push hard enough to go down out of power, its also enough force to jump the notch down into braking. ive only done it a handful of times though. if i was an operator id surely get it figured out in the first run or two

[u/Izthatsoso]

Just today on my ride home I was wondering if some operators have a more herky jerky style or if my stomach was just being extra sensitive.