By Tom Bridge
‘Penguin crossing’
courtesy of ‘afagen’
Late yesterday, WMATA fired a Metrobus driver who was involved in an accident in Southeast for failure to follow standard procedure. The April 13th incident involved a W2 at Irving & Alabama SE striking a pedestrian whose condition is currently unknown. Metro has taken months in the past to handle this sort of discipline, so it’s relieving to see that they’re taking this more seriously in the wake of last summer’s safety crackdown.
By Tom Bridge
‘Metro Bus, Downtown Washington DC’
courtesy of ‘Photos by Chip Py’
Metro has just announced that a passenger on board a U2 Metrobus was shot early this evening near the intersection of 18th & Minnesota Ave SE. The passenger was transported by life-flight helicopter to Washington Hospital Center with significant injuries. No motive is apparent, and MPD is investigating.
‘Foggy Bottom Up Escalator Closure’
courtesy of ‘brownpau’
It’s no secret that Metro escalators are a source of daily frustration for thousands of commuters.
“Escalators are an integral part of the passengers’ ride and experience,” Metro board member Mortimer Downey told The Washington Post, “and they need to be every bit as effective as the trains. They are not an amenity.”
If escalators are an integral part of the passengers’ ride and experience why don’t they work? Metro interem General Manager Richard Sarles announced today that a group of consultants are being brought in to help solve the “ongoing problems with escalators and elevators.”
About time.
As someone who relies on her own two feet and Metro for all of her travel needs, I’m baffled that it has taken Metro this long to admit that this issue is worthy of recruiting outside help. If it don’t work, fix it. If you can’t fix it, try and find someone who can.
By Ben H. Rome
‘Metro Emergency Button’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
Wondering what’s next up the track for WMATA riders?
More fare hikes, for one.
WTOP’s Adam Tuss gives a solid rundown of today’s WMATA Board of Directors/Finance, Oversight and Administration Commitee meeting to suggest budget guidance; topping the list is the apparent “resignation” that riders will once again need to pony up to help Metro close its yawning $189 million budget gap for FY2011.
Fares are likely to go up across the board. Peak rail rates will go from $1.65 to $1.90, off-peak from $1.35 to $1.55, and bus rates up $.25. Also discussed was a “peak of the peak” surcharge, placed on riders who travel between 7:30 – 9:30 am and 4:30 – 6:00 pm on weekdays. The surcharge could be an additional 10- to 20-cent fare hike or a 50-cent charge to those who use the busiest stations – Union Station, Metro Center, Dupont Circle, Farragut North, Farragut West, L’Enfant Plaza, Gallery Place-Chinatown, and Pentagon City.
Metro’s trying to decide quickly what to do, as it takes approximately 60 days to program and implement fare changes.
Makes me glad I broke up with Metro when I did…
‘Lotus #49’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
It looks like Metro’s trying to get responsible, start saving money, and create more time to do track maintenance. I’d say, “Great! Hoorah! I’m proud of you,” but I can’t do that. Why? They’d have to eliminate late night train service on weekends to do it.
Director of Operations Planning at Metro, Jim Hughes, told WAMU-FM’s David Schultz that Metro carries less and less people that later in the night it gets. Well duh, Mr. Hughes. The earlier closure time would cost close to 800,000 riders a safe way home, but would save Metro more than $6 million a year.
If Metro goes through with the proposed change, DC area businesses would run the risk of losing a decent amount revenue previously brought in during those late weekend hours. Metro hot spots such as U Street, Chinatown, Dupont Circle, and Adam’s Morgan could all be hit hard by Metro’s actions.
‘Metro Fail’
courtesy of ‘Karon’
Metro can thank the tourists and the major league sporting teams in town for setting the second and fourth highest ridership days in WMATA history this weekend. This is after last week’s record-setting ridership of 877,890 trips set on Thursday.
As a rider myself, I say a hat tip is in order since delays were minimal. But, with ridership up, you sure did feel like a sardine in a can with no hope of escape.
The numbers on the weekend are:
891,240 trips on Friday due to the blossoms, tourism in general, and the Wizards game.
674,173 trips on Saturday thanks to the blossoms (of course), the Nationals exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox, and Wale performing at RFK at the D.C. United home opener.
Today’s count won’t be in until later, but with the Nationals Opening Day game I expect the numbers to soar once more.
By Ben H. Rome
‘Barbod #3’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
Metro riders, you’ve only a few days left to make your voices heard. The last public hearings on WMATA’s budget crisis for the next fiscal year are tonight and tomorrow. Tonight’s hearing is at the Arlington County Board Room, Third Floor, 2100 Clarendon Blvd. Tomorrow’s hearings are at All Souls Unitarian Church, Pierce Hall, 1500 Harvard St. NW in the District, and Montgomery County Executive Office Building, cafeteria, 101 Monroe St. (entrance on Jefferson Street) in Rockville, MD.
Can’t make the hearings? You can still participate through an electronic survey or with written comments that can be emailed or sent directly to the Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. Comments are due by 5 pm on April 6.
By brownpau
“We need a doctor,” came the yell. Some of the last words you want to hear on Metro; they indicate that somewhere on the train, someone may be suffering or dying — and of more callous concern, that WMATA’s “Sick Customer” policy goes into effect, stopping the train and triggering cascading delays down the line.
It was Wednesday evening, rush hour. I was at Rosslyn, on the Orange Line to Vienna. The operator announced over the train P.A. that he would be leaving the cab to attend to a sick customer, emergency services had been summoned, and that we would be holding at Rosslyn indefinitely. In the second car of the train, an elderly man in a suit had collapsed from what appeared to be a heart attack, and lay on the floor, unmoving, a doctor examining him while another passenger checked his cellphone for emergency contacts.
Outside, the station P.A. announced delays on both tracks of the Orange Line due to a sick customer at Rosslyn, single-tracking in progress. Then, another announcement that the train at Rosslyn was being offloaded — but no such announcement had been made on the train that I was on. Passengers looked around doubtfully. Shortly after, the operator returned to the cab and announced that, yes, “this train will be offloaded, please board the train that is now arriving upstairs.” Continue reading
’55/365 – dupont circle’
courtesy of ‘dracisk’
As if Metro riders haven’t had enough day-to-day issues plaguing them as they fork over chunks of their paychecks for endless delays and an array of other dilemmas over the past year … now, there’s more.
WaPo reports that there are 60+ escalator outages throughout the entire Metrorail system at the moment. Way to go WMATA.
I mean — I’m a firm believer in walking up the escalator stairs because that’s what feet were made for — but with Metro turning down media requests for interviews regarding the escalator problem it makes you wonder, what else is wrong that they’re not telling us about?
By Tom Bridge
‘Car Chrisholm (LOC)’
courtesy of ‘The Library of Congress’
Metro can’t catch a break. Yesterday, the Examiner revealed, a Red line train operator ran a red signal in the Brentwood yard, causing a car to derail and damage the tracks and the third rail in that segment of the yard. No damage estimates were available, and it’s not clear why the operator ran the red signal.
C’mon guys, this just isn’t fun anymore.
By Tom Bridge
‘Butternut #3’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
The Pentagon Metro Station and Transit Center is now closed for the evening, while law enforcement works on the crime scene. In addition, both stations will be closed during the morning rush tomorrow, and all buses that were bound for the Pentagon will now head to Pentagon City Mall. It’s not clear when the FBI, who have taken over the investigation at the site, will issue a reopen command for those areas.
You will need to add twenty to thirty minutes to your morning commute time if you’re passing through that area, as things are probably going to be a little hectic in the morning, plus the additional time to deal with the increased walking time.
We are pleased to report that the two officers who were shot by the suspect are expected to recover from their injuries.
By Tom Bridge
‘Killing Time on the Green Line’
courtesy of ‘Bogotron’
Metro this morning announced two safety programs now approved by the board: rollback protection on 5000-series cars, and door control unit repairs to 500+ cars. The former repairs should be done by this summer, but the latter will take until Spring of 2011.
Interestingly, the repairs to the DCUs suggest that it may be awhile longer until we’re back on Automated Train Operations (ATO): “Metro will repair door control units on 546 rail cars, which will enhance passenger safety once Metro resumes automatic train operations”. That suggests they’re either going to wait until we’re back on ATO to do the repairs, or that the repairs can’t be started until we’re back on ATO. Metro has given no public timeline for the return to ATO and has refused all inquiries related to that subject. Dave Stroup from Why I Hate DC yesterday called for a return to ATO sooner rather than later, suggesting that Metro’s current safety regime is more like security theater than actual security. I’m inclined to agree that if Metro wants to justify their fare hike proposals, they’re going to have to return service to something approximating normal more quickly than they had planned.
By Tom Bridge
‘Newspapers Newspapers Newspapers’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’
Kytja Weir from the Examiner has had a look at the FY2011 WMATA budget, and get ready to bend over, because here it comes again. Look for an increase up to $2.00 for peak rail fare minimums, with the new max at $5.10. There’s also a peak-of-the-peak period during the height of rush hour (7-8:30a and 4:30-6p) which will increase the peak fare by a dime each direction. Metrobus fares face a hike of a quarter each direction. Taking the shuttle to Dulles or BWI? That’ll be $6 instead of $3.10.
The increases are draconian, and will likely affect the commuting rider to the tune of $154 a year, with an additional $110 if they add bus legs each direction. Even worse? With these increases, Metro still has another $40M to make up in shortfall. No idea where that’s going to come from, but I’m hoping it’s not the ridership’s pockets. I suspect that’s a well they’ve gone to too much.
By Tom Bridge
‘EHN @ Artomatic’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’
With the word out that Metro is short another $18M due to lost fares and extra expenses during the Snopocalypse and Snowmaggeddon, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has requested some additional funds from FEMA to offset the loss. Her letter to FEMA director Craig Fugate highlights unique challenges to Metro, including its status as a multi-state agency. She wrote, “I understand that if the president declares Major Disasters or Emergencies that Metro likely will receive assistance separately through each of the states in which they operate. However, considering how unusual it is to be faced with a tri-state local entity under the Stafford Act, I would ask that FEMA provide the greatest flexibility in its administrative requirements so as not to unnecessarily add to the operational burdens that Metro faces.”
It would be nice to see FEMA come through with some emergency funding for our beleaguered transit agency, especially with WMATA facing a $189M shortfall for next year, with likely service cuts on the block. Isn’t a great time to ride Metro?
By brownpau
Those of you who ride Metro from Foggy Bottom Station, does this scene look familiar?
By Kirk
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
For some reason (I still can’t fathom why) the Metro closed at midnight on Friday and Saturday. This meant that for the average person out on the town, taxis were the only option for getting home, and apparently cabbies got wind of this. Instead of turning on their meters and offering their fares the normal rate, drivers would jack prices up two and three times the normal, knowing that cab scarcity and the freezing cold would leave their patrons with little recourse but to accept the gouged prices. This is illegal. But, when the driver says “30 dollars to take you there” and pulls away when you inform him of the law, what can you do? So, as one of those screwed-over patrons from last night, I offer a hearty “burn in hell” to the cabbies of DC. Seriously, die in fire.
By Kirk
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
So, I’m at work. I decided to skip the trains and made it in with little hassle via Metrobus. But, now I’m starting to worry about the commute home. Granted, it’s still five hours off, but thinking about the mess that the Metro has been this morning makes me wonder if I should even bother trying to get out of the city. I might just hunker down with a beer somewhere and wait this whole situation out. Things should be resolved by 8ish, right?
By Kirk
‘Train approaching’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’
As you are all aware, the Fed has finally reopened today after nearly a week of closure. With roads fairly clear and sidewalks mostly shoveled, it seemed like the right call. But I’m beginning to suspect that maybe it wasn’t. Metro appears to be woefully unprepared for the return of the Federal workforce. Trains and buses are running sporadically and we’ve been getting reports of measured chaos at many metro stations. Personally, I want to know what the deal is. According to the WMATA website, all lines are on schedule and Metro has “expanded service for Friday.” Problem is, expanded service apparently means one train every fifteen minutes. In my book, that’s not quite enough for rush hour. So, what do you all think? Was it a good call to open the Fed, or did your commute tell you otherwise?
By Tom Bridge
The word for tomorrow is out, and it’s not good:
For Monday morning, Feb. 8, commuters should expect limited underground Metrorail service to start at 7 a.m., and very limited Metrobus service from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., as icy conditions on roadways and Metrorail tracks continue to be a barrier to providing safe service. MetroAccess service for Monday will be suspended for the entire day.
Blowing snow and re-freezing are the culprits currently keeping Metro from restoring above ground rail service. Regarding Metrobus:
Fewer than two dozen Metrobus lines will be in service on Monday, Feb. 8, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. due to snowy and icy conditions that persist on the region’s roadways. Metrobuses will stick to snow emergency routes to start the day. Customers may want to take advantage of the next bus prediction technology to get an idea when the next bus will be arriving by logging onto Metro’s web site or calling 202-637-7000 and saying, “Next Bus.” Buses are expected to be moving slowly on the roads, which remain slippery.
This is a particularly rough showing for Metro in a time of dire need for the DC Metro area, and it’s not clear when things are going to get better with 4-8″ of additional precip expected this Tuesday night.
By Kirk
‘day144 :: year three’
courtesy of ‘erin*carly’
People cause me great consternation on my commutes in and out of the city. I have this vision in my mind of how everyone should behave on the metro in order to make a perfect commute. People would be kind and considerate, they would move briskly, no one would tote rolly book bags, and those two teenagers at the end of the car would stop their shouting. But no, it’s not like that. Maybe I’m just growing cynical, but the longer I take the metro, the more it seems like a virulent trap of obnoxious types intent on making commute as unpleasant an experience as possible. It’s gotten to point where I’ve started grouping people into certain personalities. There’s the “stand in the doorway” guy, the “pole dancer“, the “I’m sorry my bag is sitting here” guy, and so on and so forth. It’s really been weighing on me for the past few days. I’m sure this is something that you rehash this with your peers every so often, but let’s share: who is your least favorite metro personality? Mine: rolly book bag person, without equivocation.
By