Child Seen Operating Subway Train on Lexington Line

The MTA is investigating an allegation that a young boy, approximately 8 or 9 years old, was allowed into the train operator's compartment for a little driving tutorial. On Sunday, Jules Cattie, a 41-year-old lawyer, was in the first car of an uptown Lexington Avenue express train when he witnessed "the craziest thing I've ever seen." First he heard the female train operator talking to someone, saying "It's green, speed up...Yellow, slow down." He assumed she was teaching a new MTA worker, but then he saw a child emerge from the compartment.

Cattie tells the Daily News the kid appeared to announce, "We're being held because of train traffic," then he returned inside the compartment. When Cattie peered through the glass, he observed the li'l subway prodigy standing with the MTA operator behind him. (The News has his photo.) NYC Transit spokesman Paul Fleuranges promises "a vigorous and thorough investigation" and explained that "the rule is quite clear: train operators are not allowed to have anyone else with them. It's a hard-and-fast rule." But this isn't the first time amateurs have been behind the MTA controls: Earlier this month a Long Island Rail Road passenger was allegedly allowed to drive the 6:45 a.m. westbound train from Port Jefferson between Hicksville.

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By John Del Signore in News on July 28, 2009 11:17 AM

Comments [rss]

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Potty Boy

Absolutely unacceptable. Should be fired immediately and brought up on charges. If the argument in their defense is that operators do little to nothing, why even have them there or keep them on the payroll in the first place? And if they do do something, then having anyone other than a qualified operator in the box is to introduce a distraction that risks the lives and well-being of hundreds of people.

invisibleman

Was the announcement legible?

and nobody likes a tattle tale Jules.

Manitoba

One of the following is true (or both):

1. This woman made a huge mistake, endangering thousands of lives and should likely go to jail, not to mentioned fired, have pensions removed, etc.

2. If a kid can do this job, and it takes little (if any) effort, then all of these conductors should be fired, and we can simply pay children $5 in candy per day to do their jobs. The TWU just lost a huge bargaining chip.

Potty Boy

Sorry, I didn't read your post earlier. My sentiments exactly.

dadoc

And, the fact that an 8 year old can run a train indicates that NYCTA/MTA/LIRR employees are way overpaid in relation to their skills. Bust the unions, and let's get reasonable. Besides, my 12 year-olds need summer jobs.

silver

"the rule is quite clear: train operators are not allowed to have anyone else with them. It's a hard-and-fast rule."

MTA doesn't enforce that on itself or anyone else.

If your extended family, bf/gf, or ANY thing with an MTA ID card, you get to ride in the front cab.

brandonz

When I was waiting for the 7 at 45th Rd-Courthouse Sq on Sunday there was a little kid in the compartment of the cab with the driver... I didn't assume he was actually controlling it, though (hopefully). Is it against regulations for someone to be in there, period? I bet it made the kid's day.

ak

it's all fun and games until everyone accidentally ends up in Jersey.

farleft

...or Queens. Just as terrifying.

marblehill

I've seen a conductor get on the A train at 207th Street and bring her kid in the conductor's booth with her. Of course, this same conductor took her sweet ol' time getting into the car after the bell went off indicating the train was to leave. So, the train left behind schedule and with a conductor and her kid in the car.

silver

Its worse when its 8 AM, and the conductor is nowhere to be found, and by union rules they can't substitute him for being a no show until 20 minutes after departure time, so the train just sat there with the dispatch bell being rung in vain.

jtj74

Alot of the operators are jackasses, a fact proven when they accidentally leave their mic on and you could hear them explicitly chatting about last night (I seriously witnessed this). I'm assuming this was the same deal in this incident.

yytttt

I just saw the photo on the Daily News website... I know that kid. He's actually not a kid, but a 48 year old adult with Williams Syndrome. He spent the last 24 years with the MTA, promoted twice from train conductor to senior trand conductor to conductor supervisor. He usually performs random tests on train conductors under-cover in regular clothes (he wears the MTA uniform at the office). What a silly misunderstanding.

ak

spoiler alert:

Somebody's been watching too much Orphan.

jaycjay

Then... what's he doing in the front of the train? And while a conductor isn't trained specifically on train operation, at least he should have a grasp of the "green speed up, yellow slow down" thing already.

This must make it tough to do the job: "Individuals with Williams syndrome have problems with visual processing, but this is related to difficulty in dealing with complex spatial relationships rather than to issues with depth perception."

valeriob

whatchu talkin bout wtttt?

jts239

I was riding on the 6 on Sunday and saw this kid. He opened the conductors door to the train and shouted "there will be no 5 train service for the next two weeks" then slammed the door. We just assumed the conductor couldn't find someone to watch her kid so she brought him with her.