Conductor goes viral for stopping ‘vile’ comments

Employee in Tiktok video lauded for shutting down remarks on CT rail Hartford Line train

A conductor on a CT rail Hartford Line train was commended for calling out a woman who was allegedly making “vile comments” to a Muslim mother and daughter on a train headed to Hartford.

According to a Tik Tok video posted by one of the alleged victims, the woman said she was sitting next to her mother on the train “minding our own business” when a woman sat near them and made comments.

She wrote that she began to record the woman because she feared for their safety, as other passengers got off the train and informed train workers of the remarks.

In the video, the conductor approaches the woman and tells her, “You can’t talk to the passengers like that,” adding that she would never be allowed to ride a train he was conducting again. “If you see me, walk away,” he said. In the video, the conductor did not specify what the woman allegedly said.

Josh Morgan, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said that the department was made aware of the incident over the weekend and commended the conductor for his response to the situation.

“Hate speech, racist remarks, and inappropriate comments have no place in society, no place on buses or trains,” said Morgan. “People are riding public transportation to get to their destination, and we want to make sure that they can do so feeling safe, that’s most important. Those vile comments are unacceptable and it’s just a really great job by that conductor to step in, listen to passengers on the train and calm that situation down.”

According to Morgan, it happened on a train headed from New Haven to Hartford.

“It’s a credit to the conductor to understand that this is not appropriate and that it’s up

to them to step in to stop that situation from happening. And to stand up for the passengers who were feeling threatened on that train, and for all people who were on the train, and be a voice for them and make sure they feel they can safely ride on the train.”

Officials from the DOT said that the CT rail Hartford Line, which runs about 17 trains per day from New Haven to Hartford, is staffed by conductors from Transitamerica

Services and Alternate Concepts.

In the video, the unidentified woman waves at the camera, blocking her face as the person who records the video speaks. The conductor approaches and tells the woman, “You need to get off of the train,” to which she responds, “I’m not getting off of the train.”

The woman denies she is talking to anyone, and says she is looking out the window.

“Look at me,” the conductor tells her. “You will never ride my train again. I will look at you and tell you, you can’t ride, you understand that?”

The conductor told her that he could not force her off the train but expected her not to ride any train he was conducting in the future.

“I can’t physically remove you, but I can stop you from getting on. Do not talk to the passengers that way,” he said. “You will get off in Hartford and do not get back on my train ever again.”

Attempts were made to get reach out to the woman who posted the video and the conductor, with no response at this time.