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The DC Metro is an abomination. I regularly spend about 40 minutes waiting for my girlfriend at the end of one of the lines as she gets on a trip that should ta

The DC Metro is an abomination. I regularly spend about 40 minutes waiting for my girlfriend at the end of one of the lines as she gets on a trip that should take 20. Everything from "Single tracking on line between EVERYWHERE due to construction" to train inexplicably stopping on tracks for 10 minutes, to trains simply deciding not to run in that direction with absolutely no warning, no explanation why, and no ETL on the next train. It boggles the mind to think how any work gets done in DC when the public transit system is so terrible. Oh, wait...

smacktoward 11y ago
The saddest part is that Metro used to be incredible. I first moved to DC in 1993, and back then the trains were on time, the cars were clean, and the fares were low. It was excellent. People routinely pointed to it as the best thing about living in the District. It's taken two decades of neglect and mismanagement to turn it into the horror show it is today.
- epoxyhockey 11y ago
  IMHO, the turning point several years ago was when Metro went from automated mode to manual mode after having to go from 6 car trains to 8 car trains. Apparently, the automated mode, where the train driver just looks out for anomalies, doesn't have enough precision to handle 8 car trains that consume the entire platform at stations. Under automated mode, you had consistent threshold breaking and acceleration, door opening times, etc. It was a very smooth ride.
  - JPKab 11y ago
    The switch to manual mode was much more due to the fatal Red Line accident than it was due to 8 cars. Either way, it's a symptom of the fact that the WMTA Union has suppressed the number of full-time positions for mechanics to ensure that existing mechanics get plenty of overtime pay. The result is a system where a single mechanic working a 12 hours shift is preferable to two mechanics working 6 hours each and getting something fixed. From the perspective of ANYONE other than the unionized workers, this is not ideal. Any riders can see the results of this on a daily basis. The escalators remain broken for months on end, and disabled riders end up having to go to entirely different stations because the elevators will remain out for months as well. I'll paste a link to a publication that I really don't like, but this particular article is actually very accurate. Sadly, the non-fringe media in DC are afraid to cover this story, despite the fact that anyone who has ever applied to work at the DC Metro can tell you this first-hand, and the data backs it up: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/03/29/exposed-dc-metro-subways-racist-willfully-incompetent-policies/ http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/03/29/exposed-dc-metro-...
fintler 11y ago
As someone who lives in the bay area, I think the DC Metro is absolutely amazing. The idea that your public transportation is always under heavy construction is kinda nice -- at least they're actively working on it. And you know, it actually exists at all.

smacktoward 11y ago

The saddest part is that Metro used to be incredible. I first moved to DC in 1993, and back then the trains were on time, the cars were clean, and the fares were low. It was excellent. People routinely pointed to it as the best thing about living in the District. It's taken two decades of neglect and mismanagement to turn it into the horror show it is today.

epoxyhockey 11y ago
IMHO, the turning point several years ago was when Metro went from automated mode to manual mode after having to go from 6 car trains to 8 car trains. Apparently, the automated mode, where the train driver just looks out for anomalies, doesn't have enough precision to handle 8 car trains that consume the entire platform at stations. Under automated mode, you had consistent threshold breaking and acceleration, door opening times, etc. It was a very smooth ride.
- JPKab 11y ago
  The switch to manual mode was much more due to the fatal Red Line accident than it was due to 8 cars. Either way, it's a symptom of the fact that the WMTA Union has suppressed the number of full-time positions for mechanics to ensure that existing mechanics get plenty of overtime pay. The result is a system where a single mechanic working a 12 hours shift is preferable to two mechanics working 6 hours each and getting something fixed. From the perspective of ANYONE other than the unionized workers, this is not ideal. Any riders can see the results of this on a daily basis. The escalators remain broken for months on end, and disabled riders end up having to go to entirely different stations because the elevators will remain out for months as well. I'll paste a link to a publication that I really don't like, but this particular article is actually very accurate. Sadly, the non-fringe media in DC are afraid to cover this story, despite the fact that anyone who has ever applied to work at the DC Metro can tell you this first-hand, and the data backs it up: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/03/29/exposed-dc-metro-subways-racist-willfully-incompetent-policies/ http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/03/29/exposed-dc-metro-...

fintler 11y ago

As someone who lives in the bay area, I think the DC Metro is absolutely amazing. The idea that your public transportation is always under heavy construction is kinda nice -- at least they're actively working on it. And you know, it actually exists at all.