This actually happened this morning on the C-Train at a little after 7:30 AM. I couldn't tweet as it was happening for a couple of reasons:
- The train station that I had to get off at was just minutes away.
- This could not fit in Twitter's 140 character limit.
- Other stuff that will soon become very obvious.
I got on the C-Train downtown at Centre Street Station, as I have to do every day as part of my commute. I found a seat, and started to read my newspaper while I was listening to my radio show. (I always pick up a copy of Metro for the train ride and I leave it behind in the office's kitchen. For the record, I also read the Post online at work with my coffee.)
I was sitting there minding my own business when a drunk guy fell into the seat in front of me and started talking really loudly to various other passengers. I couldn't make out what he was saying, as I was still listening to my radio and I was trying to ignore him. This guy was making various drunken accusations and was starting to bother me and the other riders.
When the train stopped at Bridgeland Station, some other guy from behind me came out from nowhere, grabbed the drunk guy by the shoulders, lifted him out of the seat, he fell to the ground, and was thrown out of the train's open door onto the station's platform! The train doors then closed, and the drunk guy tried to get back in, but the train was then pulling out and he got sideswiped! I saw the drunk guy do a 180° when his front came in contact with the moving train and he fell below the bottom edge of the window! I can only assume that he ended up in a heap right on the edge of the platform, as the gap is not big enough for somebody to fall in. For all I know, he might've rolled off onto the track after my train was gone.
I decided not to tweet this as it happened, because I thought that pulling out the überphone at that place and time might not be a good idea. I just took a quick glance at it and faked as if I heard it ring. (And I've gotten quite good at it as nobody calls me.)
So that's the story of my commute this morning, but I'll bet it's just typical for Calgary Transit these days. The transit police or the regular cops that patrol the C-Train lines were not there, so this was the first time I've ever seen this kind of vigilantism first-hand.
Glad to know that Calgary Transit is spending my $75/month on top-shelf rider security.
Figure out the irony in that for yourself.
