Metro's Latest Problems
Some greeting for Metro's new GM. At the controls only a week and the new toy keeps breaking down.
Some ride for Red Line passengers. You see the new T-shirt on the cover of The Post's Style section this morning? "I Rode the Red Line in January and it was Smokin' "
Could be a big seller, even in February, if someone decides to produce it.
Lena Sun wrote a story for today's Post about Metro's troubled Wednesday, which involved a bomb scare a small fire at Farragut North for the second day in a row and a fire aboard a bus for the second day in a row.
With an excellent sense of timing, Metro also announced a new feature on its customer service phone line that allows callers to get more information about incidents likely to cause significant delays.
The transit authority put out a lengthy statement about the problems it's having with the Orion VI buses that Metro started using in 2000. Because of earlier problems with these 100 buses, Metro had ordered that they be overhauled during 2005 and 2006. Then a new problem was discovered: During December, drivers noted that the brakes were not releasing properly.
Metro mechanics and the manufacturer were in the midst of new repairs when the two bus fires occurred this week. Now, all those 100 buses are back in the shop for inspection. The mechanics also are installing monitoring devices that are supposed to give early warning of any problems.
Metro also has been having trouble with delays in its rail car program. The effort to overhaul many of the older cars is two years behind schedule delivery of the newest rail cars -- the ones without the poles in the front and back -- is already a few months behind schedule.
On the personnel front: Metro can't train new bus drivers fast enough. There are about 100 vacancies for drivers. And some of the drivers are working huge amounts of overtime. That alarmed some members of the Metro board, who were concerned not just about the cost but also about the safety factor of potentially drowsy drivers.
One of the first things the new general manager, John B. Catoe Jr., said after taking over last week was that the system is safe, but he also said he will make safety his prime focus. That sounds like good timing, too.
Catoe will be hosting his first online chat on Metro's Web site at noon Friday.
By |
February 1, 2007; 8:05 AM ET
Metro
Previous: Driving With GPS |
Next: Driving in Winter Weather
Posted by: Ben Ross | February 1, 2007 10:04 AM
It would be useful if WMATA had a 'next metro (rail)' feature, like the "Next Bus". I heard a rumor that it existed, but if they do have one, I can't find it on thier website.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 1, 2007 10:07 AM
Why, oh why, was there so much traffic on Florida Ave NW between U and Connecticut? Who was at the hotel? I need closure.
Posted by: Rebecca | February 1, 2007 10:13 AM
The next train is available if you go to a particular station (e.g., from the interactive system map), then click on "next train arrival." I don't believe you can access it from cell phones yet, but it's something at least.
Posted by: Brian | February 1, 2007 10:20 AM
The next train is available if you go to a particular station (e.g., from the interactive system map), then click on "next train arrival." I don't believe you can access it from cell phones yet, but it's something at least.
Posted by: Brian | February 1, 2007 10:21 AM
The Prez was at the Hinckley Hilton for the annual prayer breakfast this morning, thereby causing T street closure and lots of police cars parked on Florida.
Posted by: charlotte | February 1, 2007 10:25 AM
re train times on cellphone: DCist has a system that will text message you the next trains from any station - I've never tried it, but it seems like a great system if it works.
http://www.dcist.com/archives/2006/05/09/introducing_las.php
(The short version: text "metro dupont circle" to 202-299-7949 and it texts back the next train times in each direction.)
Posted by: h3 | February 1, 2007 10:46 AM
Driver on our Red Line train this morning made it seem like her first time working a clutch- brake/lurch... brake/lurch, and managed to "miss" two consecutive platforms.
Posted by: Whiplash | February 1, 2007 10:52 AM
I am a regular Orange Line rider and the reliability issues are becoming intolerable. It is astonishing to me that Metro is about to embark on a $5 billion extension in the Dulles Corridor when it can't even get the existing system to work properly. What's even more astonishing is that, according to their own studies, the Dulles line is likely to make conditions on the existing Metro system even worse than they are today.
I which the Post would take a serious, in depth look at the Dulles project. The no-bid contracting, ugly elevated train through Tyson's, questionable linkages with major real estate developers, possibly illegal transfer of the entire project and the toll road to MWAA (which is not accountable to anyone), and the projected impacts on the existing system cry out for reconsideration and good investigative reporting.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 1, 2007 10:58 AM
Hi,
I was on the Red Line this morning and apparently, there were problems with the switch at FarrNorth which caused about ten minutes in delays. Luckily, my stop was DupCirc, so I didn't have far to go. Unluckily, I was crowded between the mean, the tired and the rude at Gallery Pl. My back was hurting, as were my feet.
By the time I got off the train, I had decided that it was time for me to either get a car, or move out of D.C.
Posted by: About to convert to driving | February 1, 2007 11:30 AM
It is a VA plan to get all yall to move back to where youre from. Eventually we will stabilize the housing and transportaion networks.
Posted by: Stick | February 1, 2007 11:35 AM
You can get next train information on your smartphone or pda. See
http://www.wmata.com/mobileblurb/default.cfm
There's also a mobile web version of the trip lanner.
I've used both with my Verizon Treo, both work fine and are useful to have.
Posted by: Longtime Metro Rider | February 1, 2007 11:44 AM
Thank you, Brian! I was looking in all the wrong places and was looking for a fancy link.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 1, 2007 11:59 AM
I agree about where Metro's resources are going. Shouldn't they be looking at adding express tracks, reconfiguring bus patterns to match housing/traffic/workplace patterns, and the like instead of extending an already crowded line out to even more commuters? One way to look at it, if Metro does complete the Dulles rail, commuters farther out will take it leaving some breathing room for folks closer in to actualy return to the highway. Yeah right...
Posted by: CyanSquirrel | February 1, 2007 12:42 PM
You know, I think the Orange line has, aside from yesterday, been pretty reliable lately. I've noticed far less crowding during my short commute between Courthouse and Foggy Bottom, and also less delays approaching Rosslyn.
It sure beats driving.
Posted by: Dave | February 1, 2007 12:54 PM
I think Metro riders need to keep all complaints in perspective and be thankful you don't have to ride the New York City subway. It's pretty pathetic, but I'm told it can get, and was at one time, a lot worse. Yes, we have all kinds of express buses and trains. The express trains save riders all of 4-5 minutes, if they are running properly which they usually are not, while express buses may not have so many stops, but take just as long thanks to traffic from commuters from Long Island, Jersey, Connecticut and Westchester.
Posted by: Maria | February 5, 2007 5:15 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
I was delayed half an hour on the Red Line yesterday, and had to get out at Dupont Circle and walk to Farragut Square.
That's an unusual event, although certainly not the first time it's happened. People who drive to work on the Beltway tell me that half-hour delays happen all the time.
Metro needs to work on reliability. (And it also needs to work on safety and on crowding.) But let's keep some perspective.