Last week New York’s MTA christened it’s first Robotrain—an automated L line that runs from Manhattan to Brooklyn with a computerized braking and accelerating system. The $326 million upgrade replaces a signals and communication network and allows trains to run closer together, which means more trains can run and more people can ride.
The Robotrains raise the possibility of replacing human motormen (i.e. conductors). A few years back the transit authority tried to eliminate the position but Local 100 challenged the proposal as a contract violation. The new system for the time being runs between 12:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., with human conductors aboard. In the next few weeks there are plans to expand the robots drivers into the morning shift as well. We went late at night to the L station on 8th Avenue in Manhattan and asked conductors what they thought of their new robot sidekicks.
On a stalled train a wild-eyed, grey-haired driver had his head out the window shouting towards opposing traffic. He offered some choice words on the Bots. “It’s only at midnight but we still have to be here for safety,” he said. “The last thing the public wants is to be stuck underground, getting mugged, with a robot conductor. People need people. I can call the cops, I can intervene. Last month I had to break up a knife fight. Well, I didn’t so much break it up but I called it in. A robot can’t do that.”
A middle-aged African-American conductor named Dwyane was pretty even keeled about the realities of a computerized system: “It’s the same as before. We open and close the doors and make sure the robot does what the robots supposed to do. If the robot doesn’t do what he’s supposed to do, we need to be here and ready to take over. It hasn’t happened yet but every system has it’s quirks.”
A grandfatherly gentleman seemed to embrace the auto-trains with open, and now free, arms. “It’s alright,” he said. “I think it’s a sign of progress. And I definitely don’t miss the announcements. That got old real quick. I’m happy to have the automated voice.”
A tense female conductor who demanded to know more about the Infrastructurist said curtly, “The automatic train is good but I have no answer. I have no idea if they’d replace humans.”
One job-fearing conductor shouted as the train pulled out of the station, “I heard they run fine. More than likely that’s the future for all train lines. They could easily replace humans but don’t put my name next to it because I’ll be the first to lose my job to the robots. I’m definitely scared that could happen.”
March 6th, 2009 at 10:49 am
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