SkyTrain car door suddenly opens while traveling on elevated track

Dec 19 2017, 6:23 pm

A door of a SkyTrain car opened suddenly while traveling ten metres above ground on an elevated track during today’s morning rush hour.

A set of doors opened as the train approached the Expo Line’s Edmonds Station, CKNW reported. According to a passenger, a man was near the door but was not leaning on it with his body weight.

Vancity Buzz has sent an enquiry to TransLink for comment on the possible cause.

In the past, TransLink staff has advised passengers to refrain from holding or forcing doors open. This can not only damage the locking mechanism that shuts the doors properly, but also interferes with the automation train scheduling which can in turn cause system delays. Interference with door closures is one of SkyTrain’s leading causes for service interruptions.

UPDATE: A TransLink spokesperson has confirmed the incident, however, the door opening gap was only about 10 centimetres wide.

“The train doors are designed to open between about seven to 10 centimetres for the safe removal of small objects,” said TransLink’s Jennifer Siddon. “We need to find out if that is what happened, or whether there is a problem with this train. To do this, we’ve pulled the train from service, and will review everything from the vehicle’s mechanics to electronics to reporting systems.”

2008 incident

While the situation would likely be a scary encounter for most passengers of a train, it rarely happens. As depicted in the image and video, the last widely publicized incident occurred in December 2008 when a train was driven manually by a SkyTrain attendant due to a technical issue.

Due to the manual bypass, the automation system did not detect the open door as the train left the platform. The doors were held open by an individual at the station.

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DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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