By Tom Bridge
‘The Metro in winter’
courtesy of ‘afagen’
WMATA has announced they will not restart bus service or above-ground rail first thing in the morning, and will likely not resume service right away. There are a lot of factors at play here, including temperature and speed of plowing, but if I were a betting man, I’d say Bus service back on track by noon, and rail by 3pm. But, that’s entirely up to the good folks at Metro, so watch for more updates as they happen.
By Tom Bridge
Metro has just announced that they will discontinue above-ground rail service at 1pm today, until the snow has stopped. That will close 39 stations until the snowfall has been managed.
In addition: Metrobus and Metro Access will stop running at 1:30pm.
The reason for the closures at 8″ of snow is that if the third-rail is covered, it can no longer transmit the necessary running power for the trains, meaning you could get stranded by the snow. Once they’ve cleared up the snow, they’ll return to normal service, but I’d expect that to be tomorrow at the very earliest. You can read more about Metro’s snow policies on their site.
Steven Taubenkibel of Metro has just said that road conditions are far too treacherous to continue service. For the remainder of the day, they’ll run empty deicer trains on the above-ground tracks, so you may still see trains on the tracks, but there will be no service there. They are emphasizing safety, asking people to stay off the roads so they can be cleared for service.
By Ben H. Rome
‘double vanishing point’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
So if Catoe has his way with the budget, say goodbye to 8-car trains. And the peak period turnbacks at Grosvenor. And look for more crowded trains and buses.
Catoe unveiled his plan this afternoon to deal with the (now) $40M budget gap in Metro’s books.
Bus and rail service reductions, including lengthening the time between trains and buses. Gaps could increase by a minute during rush hour to upwards of 10 minutes over the weekend. Such service reductions would save the transit agency an estimated $4M.
The timetable for such cuts could be as early as February of next year through at least June, when Metro’s fiscal year ends. But keep in mind that Catoe & Co. have indicated that next year’s shortfall is now around $175M, so it’s quite likely such cuts – if approved – will become “permanent” for the foreseeable future.
By Ben H. Rome
‘Mind the Gap’
courtesy of ‘*tinadelarosa’
Dear Metro:
I’m just not into you anymore.
Look, it’s been a great relationship, for the most part. But I have to say, your actions and attitudes over the last few months had me worried to the point that I’ve begun looking at a much older friend to fulfill my needs.
I’d love to say “it’s not you, it’s me.” But it’s not me. It’s you.
By Tom Bridge
‘Farecard’
courtesy of ‘orphum’
This should shock precisely no one, but WMATA is expressing some concern that riders are actually using their farecards until they’re empty. WMATA was hoping to use the $11M in unused fare-dollars for other budgetary purposes next year, but the rise in SmarTrip card usage (upwards of 70% on rail and 60% bus, now!), and the recession that has people keeping their farecards and reloading them, even when they have less than a fare on them. Metro had been tapping up to 5% of fares as a slush fund of sorts useful for paying small deficits, but with fewer farecards in use, their accountants are recommending only 3% of fares be used in that manner.
There are internal proposals at Metro to raise fares up to 15% to cover the budget gap.
By Karl Johnson
‘Empty Metro Car’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
$175 million. That is the current projected budget gap for Metro for the fiscal year. That is a gap some $30m larger than what was predicted just three months ago and you may be paying the difference. WaPo wrote today that Metro’s managers recommended this morning that up to $92 million of that gap be made up through fare hikes. That would require a full 25 cent increase on each fare, bus and rail, to cover 50% of the total shortfall. But why is Metro even worse off than expected?
Well revenues are down, of course. Way down. But why?
Officials said the main reason for the growing gap is the bad economy, which has meant fewer riders and less revenue.
Friends, you and I and everyone in between know that the economy, however recessed it might be, is NOT the reason Metro’s revenues are falling like crazy. Job loss is not why ridership is far below estimates. Does anyone even remotely believe this? Of course the economy has hurt every business, and Metro has to be run like a business (sort of). But COME ON WMATA. Walk up to a mirror and the answer to your falling revenue will look you right straight in the face.
By Ben H. Rome
‘Turn Left’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’
Just crossing the alert wires now, so little detail to go on. Another person has been hit by a Metro train, this time at Gallery Place / Chinatown. Expect delays up and down the Red Line for your afternoon commute.
From the WMATA website:
Disruption at Gallery Place-Chinatown. Person struck by a train at Gallery Place-Chinatown. Trains sharing track btwn Farragut North & Judiciary Square. Delays in both directions.
UPDATE, 4:30PM: According to WMATA, it seems to be a minor who was struck by the side of the train as it was pulling in. According to DC Fire/EMS via Twitter, it seems to be a horseplay incident in which the victim was pushed into the side of the train. The injuries are not considered life-threatening and the victim is being treated on the platform, but Red Line trains are single-tracking for the time being.
UPDATE: 4:42PM: Now Metro is calling the pushing an “altercation.”
By Karl Johnson
‘Untitled/The Commuter’
courtesy of ‘Bogotron’
UPDATE 9:15PM
Metro is doing one thing right – they are giving a lot of details around the recent collision from this morning via press release updates. We now learn that every single car involved, all 12, were damaged. At least three of the cars are unrepairable, according to early reports. WMATA says each new car costs about $3 million a piece, but they haven’t provided official damage estimates yet when it is still not clear how much should they destinate to legally compensate those injured which according to Motor vehicle accident lawyers Brisbane should be over 1 thousand American dollars per injured.
I think it’s safe to assume the damages resulting from this will be well over $10 million for the replacement and repairing of cars.
The three employees that were injured in the crash have already been released from the hospital. Still no word whatsoever on suspected reasoning for the crash but an investigation is underway. These boston motor vehicle accident lawyers are already handling the case.
Full details from WMATA are here.
By Ben H. Rome
‘”You Are Too Stupid”‘
courtesy of ‘swilkes’
In case you were wondering, WMATA is officially delaying the January SmartBenefits program until 2011. Oh, wait, you already knew that? Really? When did you find out…wait, last week, you say? When GM John Catoe, Jr. announced it at a small budget forum? Or was it from GGW, us, WJLA, the Examiner, or WaPo?
Oh, right. How silly of me. In Metro’s world, it’s not “official” until they put it out as a press release. Well, wait no longer. You’ll note that despite what Catoe and others said last week, this release only says that Metro has delayed the change and the program “will remain as is until further notice.” Which, in Metro’s little world, could be as early as oh, say, tomorrow. So despite what some officials said last week, the program may well not be on hold for all that long – or it could be promised in February. Nice way to help non-federal businesses figure out what the hell to do, that.
You know, I was waiting for this release with great anticipation, ever since we found out in such a half-assed, roundabout manner last week but had no official press announcement on something so huge that affects many commuters in the area. I had high expectations this press release would be a masterpiece of media savvy, an epic piece of public relations literature that would be a shining example to companies worldwide on how to execute the perfect informational piece. With lots of detail, charts and quotes. Because they were taking a long time to craft such a simple message.
Clearly, I had the bar set too high. WMATA? Your communications policies continue to be EPIC FAIL.
By Ben H. Rome
‘I Hate You, Metro’
courtesy of ‘marciadc’
David Alpert over at GGW has the scoop – after much “discussion,” WMATA will be delaying the SmartBenefits changes until 2011. All that stuff about purses and changes? Yeah, not happening now for another 13 months.
GM John Catoe, Jr., “master communicator extraordinaire,” announced the decision last night at the Prince George’s budget forum. He mentioned that WMATA had made the decision on Tuesday…wait – what day is today?
Um, yeah. THANKS FOR TELLING US, METRO. As of right now, I’m still not seeing any official press release regarding the decision. With employers and employees needing to make some hard decisions this month regarding their Metro benefits, don’t you think it would make sense to let them know ASAP?
Update from GGW: “According to another attendee at that meeting, Catoe also said that Metro got permission from the IRS to keep unused SmartBenefits in the employee’s ‘purse’ instead of refunding it to employers.”
Good thing Metro has us bloggers to keep an eye out. We should be given seats on a Metro oversight board. Hey, Jim Graham – make it happen!
By Tom Bridge
How much do you love Metro? Sure, you have every commemorative farecard, you’ve got both the Nationals SmarTrip AND the Barack Obama SmarTrip card. You even dressed up like a Metro pylon for Halloween. But, do you have the shower curtain yet? No shower is complete without the Metro Shower Curtain. It’s an easy $30 gift for that friend of yours that you once caught looking a little too intently and longingly at the station manager at Chinatown/Gallery Pl.
We’ve worked out a giveaway with the manufacturer, Izola Shower Curtains. Enter a comment, and include your email address in the form, and we’ll pick a winner at noon tomorrow.
By Karl Johnson
‘Wednesday Morning on the Metro’
courtesy of ‘Photos by Chip Py’
The Washington Post wrote Sunday about the Obama administration’s intent to push Congress to implement a large change in how subway safety is regulated and enforced across the country by DOT. Currently, the feds really have no power to set regulations what so ever on subway systems due to a 1965 law passed by Congress that was intended to prevent the government from inhibiting transit growth. Subway safety is typically overseen by a state level agency or, in Metro’s case, an independent Tri-State committee (which the Post notes has exactly zero employees). DOT doesn’t even have the power to make Metro comply with NTSB recommendations today.
It comes as no surprise that this move was triggered by the awful Metro crash in June and the many, many safety incidents that have plagued Metro this year. Our subway system is the second largest in the country, but it is definitely the one that has the most direct effect on Capitol Hill – it moves the majority of Hill staffers to and from work everyday.
By Ben H. Rome
‘Service Advisory’
courtesy of ‘MattHurst’
WMATA quietly announced last night it has lifted a long-standing ban on allowing independent safety monitors access to Metro tracks. Metro board Chairman Jim Graham met with WMATA higher-ups yesterday and it had some result, supposedly. Late Tuesday, WMATA officials said that the Tri-State Oversight Committee (TSOC TOC) does have the authority to carry out safety inspections and ensuring employees are complying with safety rules and regulations.
But once again, Metro fails to communicate. Eric Madison, chairman of the oversight committee, told the Washington Post that as of last night, no one from Metro had contacted him about removing the ban; he considers the ban still in place. The Metro press release appears contradictory to what the TSOC TOC has heard previously and didn’t contain any new information, so until WMATA provides the committee with a formal written agreement, they consider the ban still in effect. Madison told WaPo “[w]e want to get something in writing that lays out the specifics of how we access the right of way and that sort of thing. This has gone on long enough.”
We feel your pain, Mr. Madison. Continue reading
By shannon
‘good morning.’
courtesy of ‘volcanojw’
DC has a great Metro system: it’s (generally) reliable, clean, fast, and connects many major destinations in the city. But we love to complain about our commutes– being crammed like sardines on the train, being stuck in Metro stations so full that you can’t even get down the escalator to the platform, and having buses pass right by your stop because they’re already packed to the brim with riders. Experiences like these make many people think that they’ve got it worse than anyone else in the area– that they’re stuck riding the busiest line, getting off at the busiest station, or riding the busiest bus. But there’s a lot of misinformation out there about Metro’s most crowded lines, stations, and buses, so I’m going to set things straight this week.
Most Crowded Metro Line: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve overheard Orange line riders complain that they’re stuck riding the busiest line. Most of these Metro riders are on the train between Ballston and L’Enfant Plaza, which definitely is the busiest section of the Orange line, with people packed into Metro trains that are sometimes too full to even board. But does the Orange line really have it the worst? Continue reading
By Ben H. Rome
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
So it’s looking like Metro GM Catoe is backing off the planned SmartBenefits changes that WMATA originally announced last month. Apparently WMATA’s had a lot of questions tossed at them about the changes and how highly screwed up it is. During his noontime chat today, the following question and answer popped up:
Arlington, VA: Good afternoon – I have a question regarding the upcoming changes to SmartBenefits. Do we know yet what will happen to the current balances on our SmarTrip cards? For instance, if I have a $100 balance on the card beginning Jan 1, what “purse” will that money go into? Thank you!
Reply: Hi Arlington. I see a few questions about SmartBenefits here in the queue. Over the past couple of weeks, we have heard a lot of comments from customers about this change in SmartBenefits. I’ve decided that we need to rethink the changes that we are making. At this point I do not have any new details to share. I hope to be able to provide more detail about the program in the coming weeks that will be able to clarify these sorts of questions. Rest assured, I have heard what people have to say and your comments will be taken into account as we develop the plan moving forward. (emphasis mine)
Last I knew, WMATA, employers need to have employee commitments for SmartBenefits by December 10 at the latest in order to apply the changes for January’s deductions. Some contacts I have in the Golden Triangle have indicated they’ll be dropping the program due to the inability of Metro to answer their questions regarding the “sendback” funds. So Mr. Catoe, WHEN are you going to make this decision?
In this instance, time really is money.
By shannon
Metro Delays
Metro is planning track work this weekend that will affect the Orange, Blue, and Yellow lines. If you’re traveling on the Orange line between Cheverly and Stadium-Armory, add half an hour to your trip because they’re single-tracking. On the Blue line, add half an hour of travel time to your trip because of single tracking and track maintenance between Braddock Road and Van Dorn Street on Saturday and Sunday. Similarly, on the Yellow line, add half an hour of travel time to your trip because of single tracking between Braddock Road and Huntington. All Yellow and Blue trains will go to Huntington, with a special Blue line shuttle train running between Franconia-Springfield and King Street. So if you usually take the train from Franconia-Springfield, I’d recommend just parking at Huntington instead to save yourself an additional transfer.
There are also a number of bus re-routings because of Sunday morning”s Gynecologic Cancer Foundation Half Marathon and 5K race along a part of Pennsylvania Avenue.
And yes, I’ve been waiting all week to post a picture of me looking impatient in my Halloween costume, so I’m glad it’s actually relevant here.
By Tom Bridge
‘wheat pennies bw’
courtesy of ‘christaki’
The root cause of yesterday’s Metro failure was the death of a 27-year old Power Distribution Unit (be sure to click through for the pictures of what was left… (read yesterday’s interview with Chuck Goolsbee to get more detail as to what these do), and while there’s an interim solution in place, full replacement is necessary. Metro is estimating that this will cost approximately $14M to do correctly, including upgrades and replacements of HVAC gear, and a new generator. This is the sort of capital improvement that happens maybe once a quarter-century, so it’s likely that they’ll get it, however, when I asked Chuck about the cost, this is what he said: “I could build an entire new datacenter facility for 14mil!”
Yikes. That’s a bunch of money…
By Tom Bridge
‘Newspapers Newspapers Newspapers’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’
With the change in SmartBenefits (ie, MetroChecks) looming large, and confusion running rampant concerning the potential changes, Greater Greater Washington reports that some employers are going to have the option to stay as it stands after January 1st. The difficulty appears to be in the concept of pretax deductions. If you’re taking money out pre-tax for Metro fare, and fail to use it by the end of the month, the money has to revert to the employer, and thus, the employee. Unfortunately, that paperwork is not straightforward, so there’s a delay here.
By Tom Bridge
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
This morning’s power failure at Metro’s data center that took their PA system, payment processors, NextBus and other non-critical services offline this morning. Specifically, a power distribution unit (PDU) at their datacenter failed, which took offline a bunch of Metro’s servers. So, what’s that mean? Shouldn’t they have protection against that sort of thing? I asked these questions of Chuck Goolsbee, VP of Technical Operations at Digital Forest in Seattle. Here’s what he said:
By brownpau
Update: WMATA is slowly bringing back services. Metrobus fareboxes and bus radios are back in operation, MetroAccess dispatch and online reservations are working, and this morning I heard a public address system test. More info from this WMATA release.