U-Bahn door won't open - What do you do?

So there I am with my daughter (in a stroller) who is fussy & teething on the way home, on one of the newer u bahn trains. Arriving at our stop, the door wouldn't open (the sort with the lighted press pad), and there are those metal hand holds in the middle of the walkway to the next closest door. I figured it was a one off, so waited until the next station and figured I would catch the train back.

Next stop: door still won't open...what would you do??? Well, I made an executive decision to pull the red emergency door opener and manually pushed the door out & open. Apparently this renders the train unable to proceed (even if you push the door shut) and after a few min the driver has everyone disembark. Man I have never had so much hate directed at me in my whole life! Not that its not understandable to be p*ssed about the situation, but really, to (I assume) cuss me out was a bit much! I thought I was about to be lynched...

~Sigh~

Were other people not going out the other doors? It has happened to me a few times and then I (or usually someone else by that particular door) just goes to the next one. Oh well no harm done, I guess if you didnt get a fine for using the emergency opener it doesnt count as misuse, so I guess you did the right thing.

I'd've screamed bloody murder at you for stopping the train rather than going to a different door. I'm getting furious just thinking about that...

woof.

You got cold blooded hands. So next time ask some sweaty looking guy to push it for you.

I pointed out the metal things because MY STROLLER WOULDN'T FIT. I'm not talking about the old cars with just the pole in the standing area- the new trains have people sitting in a long line with those metal things down the center...duh, like using another door wasn't my first thought too...

Was it only your door which ddin't open or every single door in the whole U-Bahn? If it's just one door, then it's obviously broken so I'd naturally go to the next door which worked. Even if at the end of your tether, it would still be no reason to pull the emergency brake as (a) it's not a life-threatening situation, and (b.) it slows down the whole network while the driver checks out the problem and things get running again. Even a few minutes delay can cause back ups elsewhere.

EDIT - We replied at the same time In that case. I would've asked someone to help my carry the pram over if it couldn't be pushed through. Silly U-Bahn design if it's so restrictive, as what do disabled people do? Anyway, harm's done, nowt you can do now.

and I didnt pull the emergency brake, I pulled the manual door opener.

As far as I'm aware, that's the same thing. It's a door opener to be used in emergencies like when the train has toppled over onto its side. I could be wrong as I use S-Bahns more. Let me know with proof though

I would have yelled back at the driver, saying he should take better care of his train, and make sure all the doors work!

Forget what the other passangers are thinking- most of them are probably miserable all the time, and you just made there day!

I was on the ubahn once, when a kid (about 2) fell between the train and the platform, the mom and a baby in the stroller, and the poor kid was suck, couldn't believe the people actually got mad at her for the delay in the train, (Maybe Bad Doggie's family and friends?) but there was a women right there, that did pull the notruf handle as the doors were closing up on the women and child (she was in the train- he still stuck in the crack).

I guess in hindsight, having someone help me carry her over the "hurdles" would've been a good idea- at the moment I just thought "damn, how long am I going to have to stay on this train?" I guess having a fussing/screaming child can partially block out logical thought. I seriously had no idea that the door would then keep the train from running. I thought it would just close and that would be that...

Ah well, hindsight is 20/20. I would have been pissed off probably too, thinking that you were just being lazy by not going to another door (and not having noticed the fitting problem). But having read your side of the story, I would just shrug it off and not worry about it, taking the extra 5 minutes of delay to sleep, read or get off the train and walk home.

No big deal, even if it seemed like it at the time. Shake it off and keep going with your life. And try a popsicle on those tender gums.

@Carm - unbelievable! Hope the woman and kid were ok.
@KK - yeah when you're flustered and panicky and p-eed off, it's hard to think properly. Well for me at least!

Felch me, Carm. There's a huge fucking difference between a kid falling between the fucking train and platform and someone stopping a fucking train beacuse a fucking door wouldn't open.

One saves a life, the other selfishly inconveniences a couple hundred people for the benefit of exactly one person and makes sure everyone else was late and missed their connections. Rescuing a life vs. selfishishness: yeah, not much difference there.

woof.

Actually she probably saved the entire trains lives. A defective door could be a sign of bigger problems that could have been attached to defective breaks. The driver should be able to see that a door is not operating properly and check it out before moving any further. We were made to get off a train once because a little light didn't work and the driver even gave it a smack or two. How bout them apples.

Yeah, the other was way more serious.

The door has an interlock; the train shouldn't be able to move if the door's not fully closed, seated and locked. Each door has a microswitch which closes a circuit. As long as the door's closed properly, there's no safety hazard.

Now think about what you just wrote: you think the driver ought to be alerted that a particular door isn't opening and should go check it. On a train whih only opens the door if someone presses the switch, which -- outside of rush hour -- doesn't happen to half the doors. Impossible.

Yes, the door's defective. If the driver doesn't figure it out from the motion patterns of the people and check it at the Endstation, they'll find it at the Betriebshof later that night. That doesn't warrant hitting the emergency open which is there to let people out in case of an immediate threat or emergency -- like a fire.

By all rights kitty-kat deserved a big fat ticket and would've got one had there been a U-Bahn cop on board.

woof.

What would you have done BadDoggie, assuming you couldnt move to the other door cos you had a pram that you couldnt get past the metal bar?

Asked for help. If the door opened when pressed from the outside (which it had to have done for her to get on), people could've helped lift the pram or someone could've gone out the next door and pushed the open button.

woof.

Yeah, I thought of that after I posted it, but what the hell, it was sort of sarcasticly posted anyway.

One thing though, I too have noticed that those doors have a problem with wanting to open anyway. I have had to push them a dozen times to get them to open before. One time, it just wasn't going to open until someone ran up to it from the outside at the last second. Saved me from pulling the emergency door opener.

In that the door opened when I got on, you are correct. Actually both my door and the next wouldn't open, nor would they open for those who were outside. They all had to run to the third door too.

then its a defect in the train and the doors, and needs to be looked into, I still think the driver had no right to yell at you!

Oh the driver didn't yell at me- it was all of the people who were on the train! (which I completely understand, I would be mad about being delayed too.) Guess I learned my lesson! Like I said, as naive as it may sound, I really expected that the doors would close and the train would be on its way!

As much as I would have shouted at you too and as much as you should have simply asked someone for assistance either in opening the door, or getting to another one, I admire your simple honesty on the thing and admission that you probably could have handled the situation better. Well done and if people shout at you again just shout back a little louder, they always back off. I also think that those door buttons are one of the worst designs ever. I want a button to press, not some dopey touch pad which doesn't work half the time. Or adopt the Swedish system, just open all the doors automatically at each station, easy peasy.

In the winter as well??

Yeah no problem. The T-Bananas are well heated.

Actually, why wouldn't all doors open when train pulls into station? Because of winter? Does it mean that Sweden does not have winter?

I'm presuming Lupo was referring to the fact that winter is pretty cold, and in Sweden especially so, and that opening all the doors at every station would mean that the carriages would get pretty chilly.

i understood Lupo. i just want to know, out of curiosity, why all train doors won't just open, so we don't have to press the button/lever? back home, where we have no winter, doors open automatically so there's no problem of "trapped" doors or having to push a button/lever. the Swedish system as you said. if doors in Sweden open automatically, then it's not a question of winter, is it?

Or adopt the Indian system, NO doors at all. Easiest peasiest

Um.. The Ubahn network is underground for most of its route, so it shouldn't be that cold, down there even during winter.. The Sbahn would be a different story...

Besides, didn't Sweden buy up many of the old Sbahn trains for their own networks?? Thus ALL The doors that are opened STAY OPEN until they all close at the same time...

Freezing to death on the U6.

True. That would suck in the winter. I remember always looking around the carriage on the Sbahns and praying no one is going to get off at each stop because of the freezing cold air that rushes in.

The official word from the MVG is that they aim to maintain carriages at 18 degrees. They don't specify whether that is plus or minus.

When I do happen to be in the city I always open all windows in the wagon. It's always too hot in there and smells funny. I would get very panicky as well if the doors wouldn't open. I would have probably done the same and pulled the emergency brake.

maybe people shouldn't have such massive humvee model strollers

Don't do that in the new trains. They have AC and if you open the windows it actually gets warmer.