Tag Archives: Metro

Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA, WTF?!
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Talkin’ Transit: Same Old, Same Old

Photo courtesy of
‘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 →

Mythbusting DC, The Features, WMATA
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DC Mythbusting: Metro’s Most Crowded

Photo courtesy of
‘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 →

The Daily Feed
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Columbus Day Metro Closures Announced

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

Metro has announced station closures and train detours for Columbus Day weekend (which extends through Monday, a federal holiday that not everyone gets to take off) while they replace large pieces of track and inspect and maintain others. They provide a tiny and poorly-compressed map of the closures that might be helpful if you’re willing to squint and compare it to the regular map. (Metro! I do this for a living! Help me help you!)

The short version is, the Yellow and Green lines will be a nightmare, and you should avoid them if you need to take them through the eastern part of the city.

The two ends of the Green line will be operating, but the segment in the middle, between Navy Yard and Gallery Place/Chinatown, will not operate AT ALL. So if you’re someone dependent on the Green Line to get into the city from the Branch Avenue end… you’re screwed, because there are no transfer stations along any part of that segment. If you’re using the other end of the Green Line, you’ll still be able to switch lines at Gallery Place to get around.

Since the Yellow Line’s bridge over the Potomac is part of theInstead of heading toward Fort Totten from L’Enfant, the Yellow Line will basically be doubling a portion of the Blue Line route until Stadium/Armory instead of coming over the river from the Pentagon, and will come into L’Enfant on the lower platform with the Blue/Orange lines. So you’ll still be able to get around if you’re dependent on the Yellow Line, but with some hopping around and transferring multiple times if you want to get to Fort Totten.

The Daily Feed
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The post-suicide pain & suffering

Photo courtesy of
‘MEDFLAG 2009 – Mass Casualty Scenario – United States Army Africa – 090806-F-8133W155’
courtesy of ‘US Army Africa’

A few weeks ago I wrote about a recent suicide on the Metro tracks. A few commenters took me to task for being pretty harsh in my suggestion that if someone does not get help and is determined to kill themselves that they take another approach. As I said then, I think the harm they do to witnesses and the train driver – who are unwilling participants in their demise – is near unforgivable. While they’re clearly not thinking clearly I wish they’d think of others if they cannot think of themselves.

WaPo has an article today about the trauma these drivers deal with after someone uses them as a weapon against themselves and it’s heart-wrenching. Both in the descriptions from the drivers of the moments they’ll never forget and the descriptions of how they went back to work – or tried to – after long periods of adjustment.

After several weeks of office duty, she made her first attempt to operate a train, a daytime run on the Red Line. A training instructor drove through the Rockville Station. Then Lee took over. She was fine until they went underground. “As soon as I hit the tunnel, I screamed,” Lee said. “I was seeing that vision of someone walking toward me.”

Lee was out on workmen’s comp for five years, seeing a string of psychologists.

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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What’s Your Favorite Suburban Metro Station?

Photo courtesy of
‘Bethesda at night’
courtesy of ‘InspirationDC’

BeyondDC has a great post up today about the best suburban transit-oriented development (TOD) in the area.  The Washington region has some of the best examples of TOD, and places like Arlington and Bethesda have become national examples of how to create walkable, mixed-use districts in the suburbs.  BeyondDC thinks that Bethesda deserves the number one spot, with its great mix of uses and walkability.  King Street takes the number two spot, and Clarendon is third.

I’d argue that Clarendon deserves the title of the best TOD in the region– not only does it have a great variety of restaurants, offices, retail, and housing, but since it’s in the middle of the Rosslyn-Ballston Metro corridor the whole area is transit-oriented.  From Clarendon, you could easily continue walking to Courthouse or Virginia Square, but you can’t walk to any other Metro station from Bethesda, which makes it seem more isolated and car-dependent than Arlington.

What do you think?  What’s your favorite suburban Metro stop?  Leave your thoughts in the comments.

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Franconia-Springfield Loses Parking

DSC_1665

If you’re a Blue Liner and take Metro from the Franconia station, get ready to fight for parking at the garage. As many commuters who use the station are aware, the Metro garage is about to undergo a major rehabilitation project. WMATA issued a press release announcing that the first phase of construction will begin on Thursday, October 1. Up to 220 spaces will be “lost” over the next twenty months of repair as concrete deterioration is replaced, treated with sealant, and parking spaces restriped.

Check the press release for a whole list of options to park; most of them are free alternatives but do require some walking.

News, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Tea Bag Metro?

Photo courtesy of
‘they’ve had enough’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Tax hating, tea-party protesters are angry at Metro. You’d think it would be for being a publicly funded transit system that wastes tax-payer dollars as it ferries the excessively large federal workforce in and out of the city.  It turns out, however, that the tea baggers are upset because WMATA’s service wasn’t up to snuff during their Saturday protest. Texas Representative Kevin Brady is calling for an investigation into whether or not Metro adequately prepared for the number of protesters that were in the city on 9/12. The irony, of course, is that these people were in DC to protest government spending on services, in general. 

See the WSJ article on the subject, here.

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Metro Employee Dies from Injuries

Photo courtesy of
‘metro’
courtesy of ‘spiggycat’

The Metro employee who was struck by a train between the Braddock Road and National Airport stations last week has died, according to this WMATA press release.  The employee, John Moore of Arlington, had opened a door that led to the track right-of-way and was struck by a train on Thursday.  Metro and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating this incident. The family of the victim already hired a lawyer from Evansville, IN to help them seek monetary damages to pay for losses and expenses.

It’s been a terrible year for Metro, as this is the third Metro employee who has died while working this year.  The first was the driver of the train involved in the June 22 Metro crash, Jeanice McMillan, and the second was a track repairman, Michael Nash, who was  struck by equipment on August 9th.  A Metro subcontractor also died earlier this summer when he was electrocuted at a Metro bus garage.

The Washington Post calls this death “the most recent fatality in a series of tragic events afflicting the system’s operations in recent months.”  Do you think this is just a tragic coincidence, or is there something seriously wrong with Metro’s safety regulations?Evansville, IN

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Another Metro Employee Injured, Delays on Blue and Yellow Lines

Photo courtesy of
‘joy.’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’

It’s just not been a good summer for Metro. Exactly a month ago, a Metro employee was killed while performing maintenance on the Orange line, and today, word comes that another Metro employee was struck by a train between Braddock Road and National Airport stations this morning.

If you’re travelling on the yellow or blue lines, prepare for major delays for the rest of the day: service has been suspended between Braddock Road and National Airport.  The blue and yellow lines are both split into two segments, with free shuttle bus service between King Street, Braddock Road, and National Airport stations.

Update: As of 12:43 PM, normal service has resumed on the yellow and blue lines.  No updates on the injured Metro employee except that he was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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Metro to Pull In $25m for Ballston Property

Photo courtesy of
‘The 10B’
courtesy of ‘Aaron Webb’

The Metro board is expected to approve the sale of the Ballston bus garage property for $25 million at their 9/24 meeting. At just over 4 acres, it will become part of the property that will be home to the new DARPA building. Check out the past WLDC article about the building here. Talk about a way to make some quick cash! Does this mean no fare increases for a few years? Hah. Right.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA
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More Metro Holiday Madness

Photo courtesy of
‘Shuttle Bus ->’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’

Get ready, more major Metrorail track work and station closures ahead.

Metro will be closing Archives/Navy Memorial and Waterfront-SEU stations over the Columbus Day weekend. Additionally, the Yellow and Green lines won’t be operating at L’Enfant Plaza, as Metro will be replacing four track switches.

This despite the fact that Columbus Day isn’t exactly a holiday for many in the area, unlike Labor Day. Last year saw over 410,000 rail trips on the quasi-holiday. Yesterday only saw 116,000.

At least Metro learned a lesson from this past week; they’re announcing the closures a full month in advance this time. Wonder if they notified the board yet?

Essential DC, News, Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA
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Talkin’ Transit: Mish-Mash Morning

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_0115’
courtesy of ‘bankbryan’

Mish-mash of transit for your morning perusal.

HOT Lanes Delayed: While the Beltway HOT Lane construction continues forward, Virigina has decided to delay building additional HOT lanes on I-395 and I-95. The economy is the answer that’s been trotted out; state leaders fear that they won’t be able to get money from the bond market and the state has no more money to spend. The Beltway project is expected to be completed by 2012, with the outer lanes opening as early as next year.

Officials were pretty specific in stating the project has been delayed, not abandoned, though there is still a lot of concern with local officials, who feel the proposed project will adversely affect their communities and neighborhood traffic patterns.

Construction was supposed to begin next summer.

ICC & I-95: This week began a traffic pattern shift along I-95 as construction continues on the Intercounty Connector in Prince George’s County. Several lanes are being closed or shifted in both northbound and southbound directions from Route 198 to Route 212. Closures begin as early as 8 p.m. and re-open before morning rush. The closures will be in effect until Sept. 29.

VRE Gets Stimulated: The federal government has awarded $9.8 million to the Virginia Railway Express, money needed to purchase 12 more locomotives. The funds fall under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will be administered by the Federal Transit Administration.

The current locomotive fleet consists of 20 engines that can pull an average of six cars; the new engines the VRE is purchasing are more powerful and efficient, capable of pulling 10 cars each (at 144 passengers a car) and will help the service expand its current capacity.

Continue reading →

Talkin' Transit, The Features, WMATA
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Talkin’ Transit: Common Commuting

Photo courtesy of
‘New Carrolltn’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

I give you the average day in the life of a Washington commuter (who happens to be a blogger and works downtown).*

7:06 a.m. Pulling into the parking garage at Franconia-Springfield a little early; traffic for once was cooperative so I am optimistic it’s a good sign for today. Until I nearly collide head-on with a driver coming up the ramp in the opposite direction who happens to be driving in the center of the lane, rather than sticking to one side or the other. Awkwardness ensues as I back into my selected space…and he parks next to me.

In situations like this, I put on my “Metro mask” and just avoid eye contact.

7:13 a.m. The electronic sign says the Blue Line train awaiting me on the platform below is departing in 3 minutes. I am amused as suddenly everyone’s pace picks up as we surge towards the turnstyles, only to be derailed by a gaggle of tourists attempting to figure out how they’re used. Two teenagers can’t seem to shove their paper farecard into the one clearly marked with the “do not enter” light; a mother wrestles with her stroller at the handicapped gate and suddenly, there’s only one lane for the rest of us regulars to use. And its not reading all the SmarTrip cards on first pass. I glance back at the electronic sign, noting that we’ve got two minutes…and hear the door chimes ring down below.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro Train Door Opens. Halfway. On Wrong Side. On Moving Train. In Tunnel.

Orange Line train door only half-open

The photo above is not of the door in question, but the Washington Post and NBC Washington tell us “the left panel in the middle door of a middle car came open and that the door closed as soon as the operator hit the brakes” on the Orange Line at rush hour yesterday, while the train was moving between stations. Fortunately no one fell out, and Metro is “investigating.” (Hat tip to UnsuckDCMetro Twitter.)

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo


Where To Set One’s Eyes by Bogotron

Ah, the games we play in life.  I met this girl and I thinks she likes me.  I mean she touched my shoulder as she laughed at my joke and I’ve always heard that if they touch you then you’re in, right?  That Greenpeace volunteer up ahead has a clipboard and is stopping people on the street.  If I put on my sunglasses and ignore them, maybe they won’t ask me for a minute of my time.  These games we play are all about body language, about how we interact with each other, about how we communicate with each other without talking, about how we maneuver through our daily lives.  After all, life is the biggest game of them all.

Bogotron has captured a moment we’ve all experienced before, if not on a daily basis.  You’re crammed on a Metro car full of complete strangers.  The last thing you want to do is talk to them or make them think that it’s OK to talk to you.  Maybe you put on your headphones or maybe you burry your face in your Sudoko book.  Maybe you wear your sunglasses, one of my biggest pet peeves.  You might glance at someone but not for long — wouldn’t want to be caught staring.  You’ve had a hard day at the office and all you can think about is getting home, petting your dog, cracking open a beer, and doing it all again tomorrow.  This is your life, and mine too.

The Daily Feed
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Metro iPhone app, with bus times

Photo courtesy of Me

Find a Metro DC

When I wrote about WaPo’s questionable iPhone app choice earlier, reader JW said he’d like to see Nextbus functionality incorporated into an app. Ask and ye shall receive – John popped up to say that he’d added exactly that into his app, Find a Metro DC, and it was just waiting on Apple’s approval.

Well, Apple has now approved it so you can go grab it now. I haven’t had the opportunity to try it yet but the bus times is a nice feature that my current metro app doesn’t offer. John also said that he’s got support for you to pick your 3 favorite spots for quick access, a feature I wouldn’t want to give up from my current app.

Foggy Bottom, The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Foggy Bottom Platform Escalator Fail


Foggy Bottom Platform Escalator Fail
Originally uploaded by brownpau

So you know how the Foggy Bottom Station escalators are actually a two-layered system of bottlenecks? Today the platform-to-mezzanine bottleneck was made worse by one of the two up escalators being blocked off (at rush hour with no work being done on it at the time, natch) so that hordes of work-bound Metro riders had to cram on to one single escalator. Good thing there wasn’t a fire. Thanks, Metro!

The Daily Feed
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A better iPhone Metro app

Photo courtesy of Me

IMG_0451
courtesy of Me

Sunday’s WaPo had an article about online transit tools, including mention of an iPhone app for Metro times. I already had one but I thought I’d drop the $1 to see if the one they mention, iTrans DC Metro, was better. It was not.

If you’re of a mind to spend a buck on a tool for metro times – and I have found it worthwhile – grab iMetroMap DC instead. [Confusingly, it shows the above-pictured name once installed] While it currently lack one feature that iTrans DC Metro has – location awareness to tell you where the closest stop is – it has several others that are far more useful. In particular the ‘favorites’ option where you can have the stations you need information on most often.

There seem to be plenty of others out there – any of you have one you prefer over either the Post’s suggestion or mine?