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Mufi's Evacuation Plan for Honolulu's rail is ... what?

Somehow, Seattle’s monorail got built without a safe evacuation plan.

“It just stopped” – Monorail breaks down, firefighters rescue passengers,
Brad Wong, Seattle P-I, 8/25/08
Monorail stops with 200 passengers stranded aboard for 90 minutes. “The heat was unbearable” and after 20 minutes, passengers managed to open an emergency door. Firefighters arrived to set up their aerial ladders to reach the passengers. Bottled water was lifted up in baskets for passengers waiting to be rescued. “Getting on the ladder was a little scary.”

The monorail was taken out of service earlier this month due to electrical problems that sapped one set of drive motors of full power. At the time, officials with Seattle Monorail Services said the malfunction could result in sluggish speeds for the monorail, or leave it stranded.

Monorail stalls; passengers evacuated, Seattle Times, 8/23/08
On Saturday, firefighters took the estimated 200 passengers down truck ladders one and two at a time.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008136822_apwamono..., KIROtv and Seattle Times, 8/25/08
The Seattle monorail is slow to get rolling Monday morning, after the weekend breakdown.

Like Houston’s Wham Bam Tram, Seattle’s monorail is ridiculed for its mechanical failures. Houston Chronicle stopped reporting on LRT accidents.

Six days since last monorail breakdown, The Old New Thing, 8/21/06

In Seattle, a Dream From the Past Has a Hazy future, William Yardley, NY Times, 9/25/06

So, what is Mufi’s plan for mechanical failures of Honolulu’s proposed trains? The public has yet to receive specific details, nothing on security and evacuation plans to protect passenger safety and security.

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Comment by Gerry Nagamine on August 31, 2008 at 8:49am: What happens if there is an earthquake of even the smallest magnitude? No rail until all structures and tracks have been inspected and certified safe? Or the alternative, we can use the structure to hang wet towels on.

Comment by Kaunaloa on August 26, 2008 at 10:47am: you presume there was an extinguisher in the car in the 1st place ...
:-)

Comment by Danny on August 26, 2008 at 5:22am: Well, let's put it this way, if I was onboard that thing, I'd likely grab the fire extinguisher and smash the window ... if getting out is the mission, we will accomplish it!

Comment by Kaunaloa on August 25, 2008 at 9:38pm: "after 20 minutes, passengers managed to open an emergency door"
how BADLY do you have to design a system where it takes 20 minutes to open an EMERGENCY door?! I'll even spot you the first 10 minutes of them sitting there "eh, it'll come back on any second!" but once someone got too hot, if it wasn't a simple pull-twist-yank-open, there is a serious problem there ...

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