Category Archives: WMATA

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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NextBus is Back and Better than Ever

 Photo courtesy of
‘F6 Bus Stop’
courtesy of ‘justgrimes’

It’s July 1st, the day we’ve all been waiting for!  Not only is tonight our first anniversary party (which you should plan to attend, because I hear a certain Metro pylon hat might be there to celebrate), it’s also the day that NextBus finally re-launches here in DC.   You just need a cell phone or an internet connection, and you’ll finally have an answer to the question of whether you have time to grab a coffee before the bus comes.

Here’s how it works.  If you’re like me and you don’t have a web-enabled phone, just call 202-637-7000, and enter your bus stop number shown on the circular NextBus sign.  Update: Or, you can send a text message with your information and get your response via text (thanks, TransitNut!).   If you have web access, simply click on the link from WMATA’s website and you’ll get the estimated arrival times for the next buses serving that bus stop.  You can even bookmark the page, so you’ll have an easy way to tell when the next bus is coming!

I used NextBus this morning and it was spot-on.  I could leave my house a couple minutes later than I usually do, and I still got to work early because I cut down on all that waiting time.  Have you tried NextBus yet?  Let us know how it’s working in the comments.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Passenger Struck, Killed at Forest Glen Metro

Photo courtesy of
‘unusual destination’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Metro is single-tracking around a fatal incident at the Forest Glen station this evening. The incident, which happened just after 4pm today, has resulted in the death of the individual who was struck by the 8-car Shady Grove-bound train. On top of the other delays (which WMATA advises may add 30 minutes to your transit time) this will add significant time to your Red Line commute this evening.

No word on details of the incident yet, but we’ll update this story as we hear more.

Update 1 5:10pm Metro spokeswoman Angela Gates is now saying that the person who was struck was on the tracks deliberately. Metro Transit Police is very interested in talking with anyone who saw the incident today, please call them at 202.962.1792.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro’s Proximity Circuits Failed During Crash

Photo courtesy of
‘Circuit Board Art’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

The Post is reporting this morning that the trackside train proximity sensors did not function properly on Monday, or in a test on Thursday. These sensors are designed to detect where the trains are in the system and provide that information to other nearby trains to slow or stop them based on proximity.

Metro has undertaken a complete review of all the electronic relays on the Red Line, and will keep the system operating on manual with a maximum speed of 35mph until the review is complete, which may take a few weeks. We’re going to be on manual for a while, so that means adjusting where you’re standing on the platform, as trains are going to be pulling forward to the 8-car mark even at 6 cars long. In addition, Metro will be moving all of the 1000-series cars to the center of trains for safety purposes. If you see a 1000-series car at the front of a train, mark down its car number, time of day and where you saw it, and put it in the comments here? We’ll make sure Metro knows about it.

The Daily Feed, The District, WMATA, WTF?!
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Fenty on the Death Toll Count Problems

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcwashington.com/video.

Mayor Fenty, in the Tuesday morning news conference at the site of the Metro crash, cited a figure of 7 dead, a number that had been reported by all the media earlier in the morning as 9 dead. Now, we have an explanation from the mouth of the Mayor, saying that all of the media was wrong, and that only he could’ve known the truth. I’m not sure that I believe him here. If the media had been reporting 10 dead, and only 7 ever died in the incident, perhaps, but with 9 being the final death toll, and the media got 9 from somewhere, this seems a little odd to me.

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Faulty Computer Circuit May Be Cause

Photo courtesy of
’emergency only – push to talk’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’

Preliminary reports coming from the NTSB investigation of Monday’s Metrorail crash are indicating they’ve located a faulty computer circuit along that particular stretch of track. While the officials are reluctant to say it’s broken, they have indicated there were several “anomalies” coming from one particular circuit. According to a WTOP report on the air this morning, an internal WMATA memo indicated that the computer system may have sent the “all clear” signal instead of a “train ahead, all stop” one. An “all clear” signal would accelerate the train to the track’s top speed; in this area, it’s 59 mph.

When at that speed, the operator may not have seen the stopped train ahead in time for the emergency brakes to stop the six-car train. Fully loaded trains of that length weigh around 300 tons and need a good distance to brake.

Metro is still running trains on manual control, which gives the operators greater control over their cars. They will be working in such a mode for the foreseeable future.

The NTSB continues to stress their investigation may take over a year before arriving at a conclusive result and that the anomalies are only one discovery so far in their preliminary work.

Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Steny Hoyer Asks for $3B for Metro

Photo courtesy of
‘House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Failed Conservative Policies’
courtesy of ‘Center for American Progress Action Fund’

If Metro wants to live up to their responsibilities, Councilman and Metro Chairman Jim Graham says Metro will need approximately $1 Billion to do it. Today, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has petitioned Congress for $3 Billion. I’m not sure why the figure mis-match, perhaps it’s to negotiate down from, perhaps it’s to replace every 1000-, 2000- and 3000-series cars, but there it is, clear as day.

Will WMATA get the money? I don’t know. If there was a way to make sure that it was spent properly, I’d endorse that, since I trust Metro to manage its money about as much I trust your average quasi-governmental organization to spend its money well: Not. At. All.

So, will this help? Or will Senator Coburn strike it down, yet again?

News, Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA, WTF?!
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Talkin’ Transit: Hard Questions

Photo courtesy of
‘Franconia-Springfield metro station’ courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’

So Metro, now what?

That’s the question in the back of everyone’s minds here in the District after Monday’s tragic Metro accident. It’s not an easy question to ask and in the coming days, how John Catoe and WMATA answers it may well make or break the transit agency.

It will certainly redefine it, for good or ill.

One of the biggest issues I’m seeing so far is the continued lack of communication from WMATA. From the top down, Metro needs a serious reworking of how it communicates with the public, emergency personnel and with itself. Catoe’s shameful performance on WTOP yesterday morning is just one poor example; his response was a canned one, not addressing the reporter’s question but instead rambling into an answer I’d heard verbatim elsewhere. The response was so off the mark that WTOP had to interrupt him twice to try bringing him back to focus.

But more damning is the failure of Metro to let emergency responders know what the magnitude of the situation was in the first critical minutes after the collision. DCFD officials have been critical of how understated the accident was described; fortunately, rescuers realized the magnitude of the incident upon arrival and summoned additional help. But the question remains – what if the proper amount of help had arrived at the start? Would some of the victims be alive today?

Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Red Line Returning

Photo courtesy of
‘Empty Ride’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

WUSA 9 reports that WMATA reopened the Ft. Totten and Brookland-CUA stations this morning, showing signs that the situation on the Red Line is returning to normal.  At present, the Takoma Park station remains closed as crews work to remove the wreckage from Monday’s crash. WMATA has not provided a time table for when the metro system will be completely back up to speed.

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Sick People on Orange Line

Sick passenger on Orane Line

In the aftermath of yesterday’s Metro crash I went with my backup plan today of skipping the Red Line in favor of the Orange. A malfunction had just occurred at Eastern Market, causing some delays, but a train arrived soon enough at Capitol South — then was held for ten minutes due to a sick passenger (photographed above). The train got moving faster than expected, however, and as it passed Metro Center I spotted yet another sick passenger being removed from another train on the New Carrolton side. Later still in the day, there was notice of more Orange Line delays due to a sick passenger on the train at Landover. Lots of sick people today.

To WMATA’s credit they got trains moving faster than I expected given the all-manual mode the trains are running in. And I must give kudos to Foggy Bottom Station for having the escalators all running with relative reliability for the past week. Yay.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Metro Crash Update: Death Toll Rises, Press Conference at 8am

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Good morning everyone. First, some updates in the overnight:

The death toll rose to nine overnight, including the operator of the striking train. We’re expecting a press conference at 8am this morning, which I’ll cover live in this story. As you might imagine, with the system on full manual control today, the signaling system is suspected in the tragedy, and operator error may have added to the mix, as well.

There’s some additional transit news this morning. Due to a malfunctioning train at Eastern Market, the Orange & Blue lines are also operating at a significantly reduced capacity. Shuttle Buses are operating in the Red Line gap, so please be patient.

If you’d like to watch with us, NBC Washington is providing live video of the press conference via their website. Read on for the press conference information

Continue reading →

Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA, WTF?!
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In the Aftermath of the Metro Crash: Tips for Tuesday

Metro Map

Tomorrow is going to be a very, very difficult day for many. Our hearts go out to those who’ve lost loved ones, or were injured in the catastrophe. But, we must go on, and we must learn from what happened. We have to get ready for tomorrow.

Let’s start with what’s closed:

– Red Line Metro Rail service between Rhode Island Ave/Brentwood and Silver Spring. This will be closed all of Tuesday, and possibly longer. It’s going to take some time to get things back to normal on those tracks.

– Brunswick Line MARC train service will not be running on Tuesday.

There are options for getting around tomorrow, even though there is a giant hole in the Red Line. So, let’s ask one question, if you’re going to be affected by the Red Line closure or MARC train cancellation: Do you really need to be in the office? If you can work from home tomorrow, or take a mental health day, or can afford to call in sick, give it some thought. It’s not that your job isn’t important, but tomorrow’s going to be a royal cluster out there, and if you can stay home and still get everything done? Do it. For everyone.

If you’re an end-to-end commuter, Metro’s got some advice for you:

Metro officials recommend that customers who normally use the Red Line between the Glenmont and Silver Spring Metrorail stations should commute to Metrorail stations between the Shady Grove and Grosvenor-Strathmore Metrorail stations, or to use the following Metrobus lines to avoid the service disruption:

• Metrobus C8 line (Glenmont to White Flint)
• Metrobus Q2 line (Wheaton to Rockville)
• Metrobus C2, C4 line (Wheaton to Twinbrook)
• Metrobus J1 line (Silver Spring to Medical Center)
• Metrobus J2, J3, J4 line (Silver Spring to Bethesda)
• Metrobus L7, L8 line (Friendship Heights)

If you can possibly use the Green Line, instead of the Red, or bus to the Green Line and take it in, that would be a good option.

Commuters who are coming from the edge of town can continue to park at the outer-edge Metro stations on the red line and deal either with the shuttle bus, or attempt to park at College Park Metro, but parking’s going to be at a real premium, so if you’re not early, you’re going to miss out. Dr. Gridlock has some ideas about alternate busing solutions as well.

Whatever you do, be prepared for delays. Metro will be operating on full manual control tomorrow, which means that trains won’t be at top speed, and braking may be a bit of an adventure. Hold on tight. Leave a little earlier, if you need to be there on time. The trains are going to be crowded, the buses are going to be crowded, so, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I am, make sure you’re showered tomorrow, and make sure you’ve got deodorant going. Lay off the cologne and perfume, though, as that can be just as bad, if not worse, than BO. Be polite. Squeeze in a little tighter if you have to. Don’t block the doors. If you have to, get off the train and get back on after people have debarked. If you miss a train, it’s not the end of civilization. Relax. It will be okay.

And yes, I’m telling people to go ride Metro tomorrow. Metro is, historically, a very safe system. Less than a dozen people in the last 33 years of its operation have come to their end in an accident. You’re far safer on Metro than you are on the Beltway or on the surface streets, where thousands die every year in car wrecks.

Life in the Capital, News, The District, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro Derailment, Collision at Fort Totten, 6 Dead

Train Derail
Courtesy of WUSA-9 via Twitter & Flickr

trainderail2
Courtesy of NBC Washington via Twitter & Flickr

Shortly after 5pm today, two Metro Red Line trains collided just outside the Fort Totten Metro station. Systemwide delays in the middle of rush hour are now to be expected. It’s not clear at this time if there were any injuries in the trains that have collided. Metro is slicing the Red Line in half for the rest of the day with a full service interruption between Fort Totten and Brookland, and power has been cut to those tracks.

We’ll be updating this story with news.

Update 42 [8:55pm] ABC is going to be halting their coverage at 9pm this evening. Currently, they’re talking with GWU Hospital, which received 26 patients from today’s crash, most of which were “green tag” patients in need of treatment, two were red tag patients in critical condition. They’re being looked at now.

Update 41 [8:42pm] The Washington Post now has a Gallery of Photos from the Scene of today’s accident.

Update 40 [8:30pm]Mayor Fenty is starting now. There’s going to be an 8am briefing tomorrow. We’ve just visited the scene of the collision. The scene is as horrific as you can imagine. Our deepest condolences to the families of all the victims. 70+ transported off the trains to the hospital. Chief Rubin will give more information shortly. There are six fatalities confirmed on the scene right now. It will take a few hours to get through the whole scene to make sure there aren’t any other casualties.

Chief Rubin: 76 transported. 50 walking wounded (green tag), 14 yellow tag and 6 red tags and 6 fatalities. We’re continuing to staff all our stations, plus we’re relying on support from surrounding communities and we thank them. We’ve been working 3.5 hrs, 200-250 firefighters at the scene. They’re down to the two cars that are smashed together. Two responder injuries, both have been transported and are seeking treatment now at area hospitals.

Chief Lanier: Do not come to the site. New Hampshire Ave is closed from North Capitol to Eastern.

GM Catoe: Our condolences to the families who’ve lost loved ones. We’re still in investigation mode to determine the cause. We will not operate this segment until at least tomorrow. Manual mode is in effect, with reduced speeds. (this would indicate that the automatic system may be part of the problem here). Thank you to MPD and DC Fire/EMS. This is a tragic event. We will get to the bottom and find out what happened. The NTSB is involved, and we have a federal responsibility to find out what occured here today.

NTSB Examiner Kirshman: My condolences from NTSB, We know there are fatalities, and local groups will handle the announcements regarding this. There are 9 investigators and additional personnel from NTSB involved. We are working closely with local responders and the Mayor. Train 214 and Train 112 were involved in today’s crash. We will begin once they’re finished with the accident response.

Chief Rubin: The primary search is still underway. One of the train is compressed 75-80% at this point. Jaws of Life are being used. We will make sure the train is cleared, living or dead, before the investigation begins.

NTSB: We’re looking at maintenance, the tracks, and working with Metro to do initial documentation, but NOT until the accident response is complete.

FBI Agent: The FBI Evidence Response team will be participating with NTSB. We will meticulously review this scene. I caution also against assumptions about what happened and how it happened.

Chairman Graham: The board will convene at 2pm tomorrow to discuss

GM Catoe: I will not comment further until we have more detailed information. We’re in the mode of recovery. Once the investigation is complete, we’ll release information. GM Catoe looks very tired.

Update 39 [8:20pm] MPD is now requesting you call 311 to inquire about loved ones potentially injured or killed today. Do NOT call the SOC. If you’re out of the District, please call 202.737.4404 which is the Metro Accident Information Line. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Reload Your SmarTrip Card at CVS or Giant

Photo courtesy of
‘First subway ride’
courtesy of ‘ktylerconk (Tennessee)’

Great news from Metro today: you can now load value onto your SmarTrip card at over 100  CVS and Giant Food stores.  This is the latest step in making it easier to use and reload SmarTrip cards since Metro eliminated paper transfers back in January.  You can load value using cash or credit cards on portable SmarTrip devices at these stores, a welcome improvement over the cash-only reloading capabilities of Metrobuses.

The list of stores with SmarTrip reloading machines can be found here; the list includes 106 CVS locations and eight Giant Food locations.  Participating retailers will have a decal or sign on the door announcing the SmarTrip capability.

Thanks Metro, for making it a bit easier to avoid the swarms of tourists at the farecard machines in Metro stations this summer.

And oddly enough, here’s another way that CVS is making it a little bit easier to get around: apparently the CVS Samaritan Van has been rescuing stranded motorists for thirty years!  Who knew CVS cared so much about transportation?  Thanks David for the link.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Two People Killed by Trains Over the Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘The Evening News’
courtesy of ‘Bogotron’

This weekend was a deadly one for Metro riders as two people were struck by trains in separate incidents.  The first took place on Saturday at the Potomac Ave station when a man was run over on the orange line.  He was alive when rescue workers arrived but later succumbed to his injuries.  The second incident occurred on Sunday at Bathesda where a women intentionally jumped in front of a train.  Both deaths delayed service for several hours as police investigated.

Alexandria, News, Talkin' Transit, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Slow Downs on the Metro this Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Moving Red Line’
courtesy of ‘Amberture’

WMATA is warning customers to expect delays on the red and blue lines this weekend due to track maintenance.  Trains will be single tracking between between Van Ness-UDC and DuPont Circle stations, and between Van Dorn St and Braddock Rd stations. Delays on the red line will take place all weekend, while service on the blue line will return to normal during the evenings.

Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA, WTF?!
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Talkin’ Transit: Doors to Nowhere

Photo courtesy of
‘CSC_1718’ courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’

Remember a year ago when Metro said they were going to ‘crack down’ on the rash of “doors opening” off platform? That new safety and training programs would be implemented to keep such accidents from happening?

Guess what!

It hasn’t worked.

WaPo caught the story on Monday: over the last two months, there have been 17 incidents of train doors opening at stations with cars still in the tunnel. Of those 17, 14 of them were eight-car trains that weren’t properly berthed. During rush hour. Most on the Red Line. The other three were six-car trains…two of which not properly berthed.

Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, Special Events, The District, The Features, Where We Live, WMATA
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Where We Live: Southwest Waterfront

Photo courtesy of
‘The Forgotten City’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’
Hello and welcome to another edition of Where We Live.  This week we’ll be checking out the smallest quadrant in the District, Southwest.  Can you imagine city planners essentially wiping out an entire neighborhood and starting from scratch?  Well, that’s what planners did to this area back in the 1950s.  Read on to hear how it happened, and what’s going on today in one of the most overlooked neighborhoods in the city.

History: The southwest quadrant was present in Pierre L’Enfant’s original plan for the city in 1791.  In 1793, the city’s first rowhouses were built at Wheat Row, and in 1796 the Thomas Law House was built for one of DC’s first investors (both structures remain to this day).  In 1815, the Washington City Canal was built and essentially cut off this part of the city from the rest of the District.  The area became home to many poorer residents and tenements, but the neighborhood was thriving with churches, synagogues, and shops.  Anthony Bowen made this area a stop on the Underground Railroad.

But by the 1950’s, planners working with Congress decided that the Southwest Waterfront area was the place to try out all these novel urban renewal concepts, so they declare eminent domain over virtually all of SW, wipe out nearly all of the houses and shops and churches in the area, and cause the displacement of nearly 30,000 people.  Planners then build a series of modernist residential and office buildings, cut through the area with freeways, and destroy nearly all urban character that was there to begin with.  The neighborhood businesses were replaced by various new buildings and the Waterside Mall (which was recently demolished), which included a Safeway and satellite EPA offices.  These businesses didn’t exactly create a vibrant urban neighborhood, so they’ve been torn down to create a clean slate for massive new redevelopment.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Metro Opening Early on Saturday for Race for the Cure 5K

Photo courtesy of
‘Walk Start’
courtesy of ‘ManWomanGradyBaby’

Just a heads up from Metro that the system will open two hours early at 5 AM on Saturday to accommodate the Race for the Cure.  There are estimates of 50,000 people participating in this 20th anniversary event, so make sure you leave plenty of time to get there.  Also, Metro reminds us that there will be track work on the Red and Orange lines, so add in twenty to thirty minutes of travel time to get to the race.  And of course, we can expect many road closures in the area, so don’t even think about driving.

If you want to raise money for a great cause, there is still time to register— and you can even Sleep In for the Cure and avoid Metro altogether!  I’ll be running the 5K Saturday– see you there!

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Monday Morning Metrofail: Orange and Blue Lines

No Passengers

Orange and Blue Line riders had a hellish commute this morning thanks to a train down due to mechanical difficulties at Foggy Bottom station, causing single-tracking and trains held at stations up and down both lines in both directions. I waited on a Vienna-bound Orange Line train at Metro Center for about twenty minutes before wising up and getting on a taxi. You know it’s bad when the train operator doesn’t even use the word “momentarily.”

Unsuck DC Metro has collected TWITTER RAAAGE from the delays.

Update: From Get There blog, Orange Line problems explained. A combination of brake problems and communications dead zones led to a fifty-one minute delay on the failed Orange Line train before a Blue Line train could come within range to pick up communications. Both trains had to be offloaded before one could push the other to a rail yard.