I normally feel some urge to be more balanced than that, but that’s the only conclusion I could come to as I read the story in today’s WaPo about the possible new “high-tech” cars. I’d admit to being somewhat torqued at the onset to read about plans for upgraded cars when they can’t manage to handle rail maintenance without killing workers or get trains to at least hold the line as far as timeliness, but I tried to keep an open mind. A design feature to allow for simpler maintenance of windows by standardizing sizes certainly sounded good. Then I got to this line.

Several aspects of the new design are supposed to give passengers better information and a more comfortable ride. They include ergonomic, cloth-covered seats; overh-

Wait, what?

cloth-covered seats

I mean this in the least-possibly nice way WMATA: You’re off your goddamned head, and if we didn’t have such a shambles of a mental-health system I’d suggest you be committed.

It’s been less than a year since we had discussion of ditching carpets – and these new train designs are non-carpeted designs – because they pick up stains and moisture and are difficult to keep clean and clean-smelling. So your new design includes seats that will pick up rain, snow, spills, and sweat in the summer months from every person who passes through.

Cleaning these cloth-covered seats will be done… how? Certainly not with a quick spray and swab that vinyl or solid plastic seats would take.

I’m now out of remotely restrained words and am going to go froth [more] incoherently for a while.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs