Tag Archives: Metro

Adventures, Downtown, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Was the City Ready?

Photo courtesy of
‘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?

News, The Daily Feed
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Train Evacuated at Smithsonian

Photo courtesy of
‘Smithsonian Metro’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

DC Fire and EMS is reporting on their twitter feed that a train had to be evacuated at the Smithsonian Metro station because of a possible fire. They later clarified that there was no fire.

Local news stations are reporting that a communication cable which dropped from the ceiling wrapped around a train’s wheels. WTOP reports that train behind the stopped one is being used to evacuate the people on the stuck train.

The Features
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How To Get Around in The Storm

Public Transportation in the Snow

Public Transportation in the Snow

Even though we’re all being told to stay home, we’ve got restaurants to visit, snowball fights to participate in, and hills to sled down.  So what’s the best way to get around in the city?

Skiing seems to be very popular, as seen in this picture taken this morning in Adams Morgan.  Most pedestrians are walking in the streets, since they tend to be plowed better than sidewalks (many of which are covered in 2 feet of snow).  There’s no Metrobus or Circulator service today, and the Metro system is operating only underground with trains every half-hour.

Check out some other creative transportation options after the jump. Continue reading →

Crime & Punishment, Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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The Most Annoying Metro Person

Photo courtesy of
‘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.

Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit

Photo courtesy of
‘Horton #23’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Some of you might know me from my photo posts here, and I hope you’ll humor me as I branch out to talk about a subject I love. Or, well, more accurately, a subject I love to hate. As anyone who follows my Twitter stream can attest, I’m not exactly happy with the state of Metro Rail at the moment. But I thought I’d start my new contribution to Talkin’ Transit on a more positive note.

Many times, you’re on the platform waiting for a train and it breaks down. You’re headed home, tired, impatient. The big board was saying ten minutes until your train; now it says “No Passengers,” instead. The announcer makes some vague pronouncement of a problem that is now cleared, “and all trains are moving normally.” When the next train arrives, though, you see it is jam packed — a Caps or Nationals game was just wrapping up, or worse, it’s still rush hour.

A few years ago, Metro installed big expensive signs in every station. They were there to tell you a few bits of information: which elevators were out, when the next train was coming, and so on. On the screen that displays the trains, it also told you what color line the train was servicing and how many cars made up that train.
Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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If You Biked To Work, You’d Be Home By Now

Photo courtesy of
‘Commute’
courtesy of ‘DaveFayram’

We all love to complain about our commutes– by Metro, by car, and by bus— and we all think that we have it worse than most people.   Well, the folks at Bike Arlington think that biking is usually the most efficient way to get around in the city, and they’re willing to put it to the test.

If you start or end your commute in Arlington, tell Bike Arlington about it– where you commute, what mode of transportation you use, and how long it typically takes– and they’ll tell you if it’d be faster to bike to work.  They’ll ride your route on bike, time it, and tell you if it beats your current commute.  How great is that?

I’ve always wondered if biking would be faster than a typical Metro commute, and this is the perfect opportunity to try it out without having to figure out a route for yourself.  Stay tuned for updates on Bike Arlington’s twitter page, and keep an eye out as a WeLoveDC author puts her hellish commute to the test!

Featured Photo, WMATA
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Featured Photo


‘B&W Train Tunnel’
courtesy of ‘MikaAltskan’

What a year it has been for Metro, and the first month isn’t over yet. Service on the rails has been particularly messy this January, and just when it looked like Metro had decided to take the fight to the people, its general manager calls it quits. Despite last year’s tragedies and this year’s very rocky start, there’s still a magic about the system. Architect Harry Weese‘s vision for the Metrorail stations is iconic, modern, and yet still brutalist in nature.

For me, the best part of the system is the interface between the public parts of the station — the platforms, mezzanines, and escalators — and the inaccessible areas, especially the tunnels and the rail bed. Teenage photographer MikaAltskan managed to snap this shot looking into the tunnel from one of the stations. It shows off the curves of the concrete and rails, and the lights punctuating the distance before veering into an unknown, yet familiar place.

The next time you are waiting for the train that seems to never want to arrive, take a look around you and notice the cathedral-like look of the station where you happen to be waiting.

Downtown, Fun & Games, People, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Damn, Crowded Metro Station! You Scary!

Photo courtesy of
‘not goin’ anywhere?’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Was anyone else at the Chinatown Metro station yesterday evening at around 6:15? I was, and I was pressed into the mass of humanity unsuccessfully attempting to move around the station. It all started because a red line train, which I was on, had to offload at Judiciary Square, thereby causing a delay that resulted in platforms down the line filling up. I got to Chinatown, got off the train and proceeded to work my way through a human traffic jam for 20 minutes. New trains would come in, but the platform was so crowded that passengers could barely get off and the doors would close before anyone waiting could board. This exacerbated the crowding problem and the platform just got more and more full. I’m pretty sure that no one died or anything, but I was witness to a few fights. The best part: this was just a Monday evening. Nothing special was happening.  I really do love mass transit.

(Yes, I know the picture’s not of Chinatown.)

The Daily Feed
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Metro Doesn’t Open Doors

Photo courtesy of
‘no-one’
courtesy of ‘cacophony76’

Another scary Metro-related story in the Washington Post today!  On Friday, a train malfunctioned and was taken out of service and all passengers were ordered off the train.  A few passengers couldn’t get out in time though, and they were trapped inside the train for several stations with the lights turned out and no way to escape.

The three women who were trapped tried the red emergency button to contact Metro (to no avail), and they pounded on the windows while screaming for help at every station that the train passed through. They eventually caught the eye of a Metro employee at Metro Center, who helped get them out.  It’s hard to imagine that this could happen, and I hope Metro is taking steps to make sure that other passengers don’t get trapped on ‘No Passenger’ trains in the future.

All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed, The District, WMATA
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Another Near Metro Disaster & Potential Price Hike

Photo courtesy of
‘It has been a long day’
courtesy of ‘spiggycat’

As if WMATA hasn’t been in the news enough, today comes word that on December 10, 2009, a team of independent safety inspectors were nearly struck by a metro train at the Braddock Road Station. According to the Tri-State Oversight Committee, the inspectors “were forced to quickly scramble out of the way to avoid being struck.” Fortunately, no one was hurt.

The incident occurred shortly after Metro lifted a six-month ban on monitors accessing live subway tracks, and was only one of a long list of safety violations reported by the committee.  A summary of the report by The Washington Post stated that “Metro’s safety training was inadequate and that the transit agency needed to take “immediate, short-term corrective action” to ensure worker safety.” The Post also reported that WMATA is taking action to correct the situation and will hold a safety session with multiple transit agencies.

Additionally, we hear that the Metro Board will hold public hearings (to take place before a Jan. 28 vote) on adding a 10 cent surcharge to Metro fares. The increase in fares (from March to June 2009) would be an attempt to cover a $40 million dollar shortfall and to prevent significant cuts to both metro and metrobus service. Continue reading →

Special Events, The Daily Feed
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No Pants Party On The Metro Scheduled For Sunday

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_0182’
courtesy of

I never saw much of a purpose to those darn plastic card holders you can hang around your neck in order to NOT lose your SmarTrip on the Metro. But now — I see the real reason behind their being invented — No Pants Metro Ride 2010!

That’s right — NO pants METRO ride! The yearly ride is scheduled for this Sunday, so start wrapping your heads around the concept now before you board Sunday morning without any forewarning.

What’s the hitch? There isn’t one. Just get on the Metro, ride around as if nothing is out of the ordinary. I mean hell, what’s better than an excuse to wear no pants and get away with it? Sure — it could be warmer — but that’d make this whole thing way less funny.

For all you locals interested in joining in on this excuse for a “No Pants” party of sorts, NBC Washington reports that people are planning to meet at the C Street park near L’Enfant Plaza at 3 p.m.

Forget that it’s winter … take off your pants and ride the Metro! You’ll thank yourself for it later.

News, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Live Metro Chat on Friday

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

WMATA is hosting a live chat with John Catoe this Friday from noon-1pm. This chat will be in the wake of the Thursday board meeting, during which general cuts to service are expected to be announced.  Metro is dealing with a $40 Million deficit, which the blame largely on decreased ridership due to the economic downturn, and in the wake to the train crash in June of last year.  Expect questions on how individual routes, particularly bus routes, will be effected by service downgrade.  You can join the chat here.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA
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WMATA Back to Strength

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

Not Full strength, mind you, as Metro Access is closed today except for medical trips for dialysis, etc, but buses and trains are all running today, to all stations. They dug out 106 miles of track below the 8″ mark to let trains pass safely, and thanks to the works of the DDOT Plows, the bus routes are clear enough for passage. Be safe out there.

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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WMATA to Stay Underground-Only In the Morning

Photo courtesy of
‘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.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro: People Are Actually Using Their Farecards!

Photo courtesy of
‘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.

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro’s Budget Disaster, Fare Hikes Possible

Photo courtesy of
‘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.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Another Metro Collision Today, 3 Cars Destroyed

Photo courtesy of
‘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.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro Delays SmartBenefits Changes

Photo courtesy of
‘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!

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Fed’s Takeover Move Triggered by Metro Crash

Photo courtesy of
‘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.

Continue reading →