Anyone ever sit through a two hour stalled train with no AC? That was rough.

So yesterday I was heading home from downtown on the 5:15 express, same ride I've done for like 8 years now, and we get maybe 20 minutes in when the train just stops between stations. No announcement for the first half hour except static, then the conductor says signal problems. That's whatever, but then the AC starts blowing warm air around the 45 minute mark. By hour two, people were fanning themselves with metro cards and this one guy next to me kept muttering about missing his kid's soccer game. I ended up calling my wife to say I'd be late, no big deal, but my phone was at 14% and I had to ration it. Finally they got us moving and we crawled to the next stop, but the whole train was basically a sauna by then. Has anyone else had a commute where the backup systems just failed too, or did I just get the unlucky lottery ticket?

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young.kim28d ago

Honestly, I gotta push back on the whole "backup systems failed" angle. The train didn't fail you, the plan failed. You knew the risks when you got on the 5:15 express, we all do. AC dying after 45 minutes is basically standard for this line in the summer, it happens every other week. And rationing your phone battery? That's just being prepared, man, carry a power bank or download stuff offline. Missing the soccer game sucks for that guy, sure, but two hours stuck is a chance to catch up on sleep or podcasts, not a tragedy. You got home safe, the train moved eventually, so honestly, you hit the jackpot compared to the folks who get stuck for four or five hours on the tracks with zero word from anyone.