Computers don't make mistakes. They do exactly what they're told. The problem with the New Jersey trains is a programming error, but we can't blame some programmer in a cubicle. The source of NJ Transit's problem is poor quality control and lack of testing, and these are signs of bad management. An inanimate machine should not be the scapegoat.
-- Editor, PassengerNews.com
New Jersey Transit's newest locomotive caused a record number of delays for North Jersey commuters last year because technical problems forced the engines to shut down suddenly. Most of the failures were traced to a computer system that controls engine power, which occasionally turned off and then on again, much like a computer rebooting after a crash.
"No matter how much you test -- especially with computers -- you go through enough cycles and something is going to pop up," said Rich Sarles, an assistant executive director at NJ Transit.
