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January 08, 2007

Giving birth on a train

Roger Henry sent this message to one of my various mailing lists, and I found it well worth stealing republishing:

The long awaited Taiwan bullet train looks set to actually carry passengers this year. Plagued with cost overruns — surprise, surprise — technical glitches and a couple of derailments! The operators have now discovered that the public has little faith in the train's ability to run on time and stay on the line. See http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world_business/view/176135/1/.html or Google around on Taiwan bullet train.

Another train related news item advised of a Portuguese woman who gave birth to a girl while traveling on one of the country's trains. The rail operator has rewarded the mum, and the bub, with a lifetime free pass. Presumably because she didn't blab that the child was also conceived on the same journey.

This made me wonder what the reaction would be in other jurisdictions to a woman giving birth on a train.

London Transport would almost certainly prosecute for attempted fare evasion (That's if the Metropolitan police didn't shoot them both, just in case)

The NY Subway would . . . what? Congratulate her for not getting mugged in the process?

Washington Metro . . . Security staff would simply watch and observe, unless the mother put the baby on her breast then they would both be arrested for consuming "food" on a train.

Tokyo subways . . . Probably halt the train and make the mother reimburse the operator for cleaning costs, lost revenue and insist on a groveling, public apology. (You should see what they do to the TV weather announcers who get it "wrong").

Sydney suburban network . . . Train would be halted (for the tenth time on a four station trip). An ambulance would be called but would be directed to the wrong station. Mother and child would be separated and transported to different hospitals. TV stations would "sort" out the mess and woman (and child) would make a motzah out of teary, TV, appearances. Five different fathers would be located. Finally the poor woman would have to submit to having a P*L*T*C*AN fawn all over her and the child. He would not be able to pronounce her name.

How would it work out on your subway?

Posted by Nicholas at January 8, 2007 11:06 AM
Comments
On the TTC, the passengers would lynch the mother the moment they realise that someone giving birth on the subway causes a half-hour delay in their daily commute. Posted by: Chris Taylor at January 8, 2007 04:20 PM
No, Chris, I think you've got it wrong here. Canadians are all polite, well-spoken, and unwilling to indulge in petty violence[*]. Instead they'd all deploy their icy glares of disappointment, dismay, and disgust. The poor mother would be lucky to escape with her mind intact. [*] Of course, hockey violence is never petty. Posted by: Nicholas at January 9, 2007 10:20 AM
Well since the TTC employees are public servants, they would just go along their business because it is not part of their job to help deliver babies. They may stop the train long enough to allow the ambulance to get her. Although, if their break was due, they would only stop longer at their break station, which I believe is Eglinton. If mom needs to get to Woman's College Hospital, then she can walk or wait. Do not get me started about the meetings, get withs and synergies, they would hold to decide if the the cleaning staff actually has to clean up the mess created since that is not spelled out in their contract. If the person whom is in charge of cleaning that train, is away, it will never get cleaned. Just a warning sign will be posted for days. That is if we are lucky. Posted by: Da Wife at January 9, 2007 10:52 AM
Already happened. Wikipedia says:
The only baby to be born on the subway is Mary Kim of Scarborough, Ontario. On 6 February 2006, her mother, Sun Hee Paik, took the subway with her family to St. Michael's Hospital from their Scarborough home. She did not make it to the downtown hospital and gave birth at Wellesley subway station. Her husband delivered the baby and Toronto EMS arrived later to help finish the birth and send the mother and child to St. Michael's. TTC officials later promised to provide Mary with lifetime transit access.
Posted by: Mark Dowling at January 9, 2007 12:11 PM
They said "lifetime transit access", as we all have. They said nothing about it being free. I would be shocked if the TTC did anything for free. Posted by: Da Wife at January 9, 2007 12:21 PM
They might intend to give her free lifetime access, but those good intentions will get lost somewhere in the bureaucracy. I get the Metropasses mailed to me through the annual discount plan. This past summer I moved to a new address and faxed the TTC the change-of-address form so my new passes would end up at the right place. Then a month or so later I decided to add a second pass for Wanda, so I faxed in a change-of-amount form. I got a call from the TTC MDP office a day or two after faxing the change to two metropasses. The TTC lady said "You have a different address on this form than the one we have on file". I was surprised. "Really? I faxed a change-of-address form to you a month ago." Hold on, said the lady, accompanied by the sounds of paper shuffling. Didn't take more than 10 seconds before she said "Oh here it is. Okay I'll process both of these for you." Whatever the failings of the front-life staff, they seem like they've got it all together compared to the MDP guys. Posted by: Chris Taylor at January 9, 2007 05:25 PM


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