WMATA Forum

Home

WMATA Forum

» Question & Answer with WMATA guests

» Customer Service, Reliability and Other Topics (3/4/05) from noon to 1 p.m.

Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )

Active Topics |

Popular Topics

Welcome To Today's LunchTalk Online

Author

Message

Richard White

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to March! Like myself, I’m sure most of you are ready for spring, the start of baseball, Cherry Blossoms and warmer weather!!

I’m sure many of you saw news accounts last night and this morning on the preliminary approval of phase one of a pilot program to increase the number of customers that can fit comfortably in a rail car. Our Board of Directors gave a conditional approval for two concepts for seating as we look to strike a balance between improving the number of passengers we can carry on a railcar, improving the flow of passengers into and out of the railcars, and ensuring that our customers can travel in comfort. This pilot program is just one of several low-cost/high impact ideas that will be studying throughout the year. Additional components of the rail car capacity pilot program include marking spots on the platforms to indicate where to line up to board a train, establishing customer loading and unloading protocols, launching a public education/awareness campaign, running eight car trains and reconfiguring Blue and Orange line trains service through the Rosslyn portal. During this process, we will reach out to you, our customers and seek your input. And if everything goes according to plan, phase one of the pilot program will begin this summer.

Another topic discussed yesterday was the future of Metrobus. While most of the talk normally centers around Metrorail, the future of Metrobus is critical to the success of Metro. Later this summer, we will begin taking initial delivery of 250 new Compressed Natural Gas buses. Over the next few years, our bus customers will see an all new Metrobus system with the continued delivery of new buses, cleaner buses, more reliable service, enhanced maps and schedules, better passenger amenities, real-time bus information, and signal priority for Metrobuses.

Last week the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) peer review panel released a series of recommendations to improve Metrorail operations. The panel, comprised of representatives from six major transit systems, presented several suggestions, some of which Metro is in the process of initiating. The recommendations included:
• running fewer but longer (eight-car) trains, which could speed up train movements throughout the system;
• redesigning rail car interiors, and/or adding decals to encourage smoother and faster boarding of customers;
• removing trains with mechanical problems from service immediately as opposed to trying to repair them at the site.
• creating line supervisors to encourage a feeling of ownership and responsibility of each line;
• improving training for track inspectors and line supervisors and strengthening the hiring requirements for train operators and station managers.

Now, let’s get to your questions!

Cold train

Author	Message
Betsy B.	I am usually able to catch an empty train at West Falls Church in the morning. My only complaint is that it is often quite cold. Is there anyway to get the heat going before the trains are put into service?
Richard White	To cold train: You could be boarding a gap (spare) train that’s brought into service from the West Falls Church rail yard. It likely doesn’t have time to warm up and the doors may be open for a period at the station letting heat escape. However, if it’s is a daily occurrence, it is not likely to be a gap train, which means a heater may need repair. Please call us at 202-637-1328 and report the train number, which is visible on the outside of the car or inside by the bulkhead doors.

METROBUS

Author	Message
VIPERZ6	Hi, I live in the Tanglewood subdivision of Silver Spring. Recently, you guys decided to suspend midday service on the Route Z6 for our vicinity. I just wanted to know why the service was completely removed during the middle of the day forcing patrons to walk extensively, or cross Route 29. I also would like to know if the Musgrove Road to Route 29 back to Fairland Road route can be implemented during the midday or cut down the number busses to one every hour going in one direction, etc. Is this permanent? We really need convenient bus service in this area, because the temporary solution now in place could be improved. Thank you for your time Mr.White.
Richard White	The bus service in Tanglewood was removed from service in response to complaints from local residents. We worked with the Montgomery County staff and the hometown associations on the final plan. We have committed to jointly review the results next year.

broken doors

Author	Message
annabanana	What are Metro's plans to try and keep people from sticking bags, briefcases, and other articles (sometimes body parts) in between closing doors so that they can get on the train? I've been on a number of trains with broken doors due to this, causing the entire train to have to unload, causing inconvenience to all riders and those already waiting on the platform, not to mention the train operator. I've noticed that at Metro Center, Metro personnel have been attempting to curb this inconsiderate behavior and I appreciate that. Doors, however, don't always close immediately after they ding, often allowing more people to jump aboard. It is thus difficult sometimes to gauge exactly when the doors will close, and sometimes people are inadvertantly caught. I'm more concerned by the people who purposely get something stuck in the doors, forcing them back open.
Richard White	Currently, rail operators have been making announcements to remind customers not to block the doors while other riders are getting on and off the trains. Rail supervisors also are stationed along the platforms at the busier stations to help with the flow of passengers. The passenger information displays on the platforms now list arrival times for three trains. We believe this also curtails customers from running to catch a train if they know the next one is three minutes away. We are considering installing decals and signs that would remind passengers not to bunch near the doors and jam articles in the doorway. We also hope to win approval from the Board of Directors to move ahead with plans to study the flow of passengers and seating and handrail arrangements. Thank you for your question and concern.

Passenger Boarding/Alighting

Author	Message
Palal	Somewhat related to: (http://www.wmata.com/about/met_news/story.cfm?ID=178) Do trains stop at the same location when operated in automatic mode? If so, has WMATA considered adding platform decals for the locations of train doors? I've noticed mad dashes to train doors once the train stops on all lines. When there is a crowd, would it be wiser to implement a crowd-control measure by providing a visual queue (marks on the pavement) as to where to stand and where to wait for train doors. This serves two purposes: provides order for those trying to board, and provides room for those exiting the train. This may speed up passenger circulation. San Francisco BART has marks for each train door. It is an unwritten rule that you must start a queue at the side of the mark. When a train pulls up, those exiting can exit by walking straight out of the door. Those wishing to enter, can then enter the train car.
Richard White	Trains are supposed to stop at designated locations in the stations. Sometimes, that doesn't happen because of technical glitches with our automatic train control system. In these cases, the operator then manually moves the train to the precise designated location. We agree with you that we could speed up passenger circulation by doing things such as creating a "queueing" area on the platform where they would not bunch up in one or two places. We are in the process of creating a demonstration program, and a variety of options will be presented to our board of directors later this year, after which we will use a variety of methods to collect passenger input and feedback.

Signage

Author	Message
phanie	Hello! Thank you for taking this time. My concern is with the new signs announcing the times until trains. It's great to know how long the wait is, but we no longer know how long the train is. This is an issue for me, especially in the mornings, as I board at a very busy stop and often the end cars are the only ones with any room. However, if the train arriving is a 4-car and I don't know that, I need to move up and may miss that train. This is also a concern for persons with disabilities, as the end cars are often less crowded and more accessible for them to board. At night and on weekends that can also mean having to wait far longer for a train because of the number (or lack thereof) of cars. Is it possible to add the number of cars to the signs?
Richard White	This has been a hot topic as of late. So far, most of the feedback we’ve received from customers on the passenger information display upgrades has been positive. However, some customers also want to see the length of the train. We’re still collecting customer feedback and plan to conduct surveys at some stations next week. Thank you for your interest in the passenger information display signs!

escalator safety

Author	Message
ellen battistell...	The escalator steps at farragut north have a yellow stripe on the edge which make them easier and safer to use. The escalator steps at Wheaton do not have yellow stripes. Because this is one of the steepest, longest, darkest escalators in the system, could these steps also be painted? It seems like an inexpensive and very cost-effective solution.
Richard White	The yellow strips on the edge of each stair is a safety upgrade that we are installing when we upgrade the individual escalators. It is not as simple as painting a strip on the steps. The yellow strip is embedded in the metal so that it will last for the life of the step. As we upgrade our escalators, we include this feature so that eventually all of our escalators will include this safety feature. Thanks for the question on escalator safety.

Update after delay

Author	Message
Betsy B.	I was on the train that was delayed at Foggy Bottom this morning due to a sick passenger. I saw them doing CPR and I was wondering if you would be providing an update as to the outcome of the passenger's health. It was sort of traumatic and it would be nice to know if he was all right.
Richard White	Thank you for your concern. Unfortunately, the gentleman suffered a heart attack and passed away.
dpete47	How sad. Can't you just remove a sick passenger from a train to the platform and let the train move on, to minimize delays?
Richard White	Metro has clear policies and operating procedures which we follow with regard to sick customers. First and foremostt when we experience a sick customer situation, our goal is to try and avoid a delay, while we are also dealing with the sick customer. It is a rare occasion when we cannot do both. This morning we experienced a clear emergency which resulted in a delay.

one of the reasons the new york city subway system is so gre...

Author	Message
michael in maryl...	... there is a flat fee system in place. you can go all the way from north bronx to east queens and not have to pay and arm and a leg for it. the d.c. metro, on the other hand, is based on distance. this isn't that bad if you're just going one or two stops, but by the time you go from union station to vienna -- especially at rush hour -- you can end up paying quite a bit for the ride. has wmata ever considered going to a flat fee approach ?
Richard White	We could go to flat fares, but we would have to collect the same total revenues. People who take short trips would have to pay more, eventhough those who take longer trips could pay less. Most people believe that this would be unfair to those who ride short distances. Thank you for the question on flat fares.

Snow Delays

Author	Message
Palal	The only real solutions to snow delays are: - redesigning the cars - building shed-like structures over tracks out in the open - installing retractable snow-plow devices on fronts of trains to sweep out snow from in-between the rails - providing shuttle trains with weather-proofed cars on the open sections. Since the first two are unlikely in the near future (if at all), are there any plans to do have third and fourth options avaliable in the next year or two?
Richard White	Thank you for your comments. We have on-board de-icers installed on several of our trains deployed throughout the system to keep snow and ice from building up on the tracks. We also equipped more than 60 percent of our fleet of rail cars with snow-hardened motors. Our snow-fighting efforts have proved to be successful this winter.

Bus driver training

Author	Message
mmss	I recently had yet another experience with a Metrobus driver that made me wonder how much training they get. In this case, the driver claimed I couldn't use a transfer because of some rule he apparently made up -- I couldn't find any such rule printed on the transfer, on the bus schedules, or on the WMATA web site. In the past, I've experienced drivers carrying on loud, profanity-filled conversations with their buddies riding in the back of the bus; drivers who didn't know their bus schedule and had to ask passengers what time it was and what time the bus was supposed to be leaving; drivers who went barreling past me as I stood at a bus stop, clearly visible and waving my hand; drivers who made me pay on Code Red free-ride days; and, of course, drivers talking on cell phones. Because of this and the many, many times that a scheduled bus simply never shows up, I ride the bus only as an absolute last resort. Whatever training the drivers are getting, it clearly isn't enough. Do they get refresher training on the basic rules, as well as behavior toward customers, periodically? If not, I hope you'll consider it.
Richard White	All of our bus operators receive an eight week training course which reviews all of our policies and procedures, in addition to technical training for operating a bus. In addition, operators receive regular refresher classes concerning customer service, and accident prevention. We are sorry you had a negative experience while riding Metrobus. We welcome your comments. It would be helpful to us if you could record the specific date, time, bus number and forward to our customer information department at 202-637-1328. Thank you for the question.

Funding

Author	Message
Mark	What funding do you expect from Homeland Security, and how do you plan to make use of these funds? Also, do you expect to receive any funds from the new reauthorization bill? Thank You.
Richard White	Thus far, not much homeland security funding has come from the federal government for mass transit security. WMATA has received approximately $7 million during the past two years. All of our security funding has been applied to our number one security priority based on a couple of separate vulnerability studies that have been done for us. However, what we have received represents only a fraction of what our total needs are. We need at least $150 million for security improvements that have been identified thus far. With that said, we still believe we are among the safest transit systems in the nation.

NY Style cars

Author	Message
shiba5k	I've heard that Metro is thinking about doing away with its current seating and using more hand rails similar to the subway system in NY. On any given day, you can find delays (a.m. or p.m.) that require passengers to stand for up to 20 minutes on delayed trips due to breakdowns, accidents etc. Don't you feel this is an inconsiderate way to treat your passengers especially since this seems to be an "every man for him/herself city which means those who are vulnerable to standing for long periods of time are at risk healthwise? because they can't get a simple seat on the train?
Richard White	Right now, we are considering a pilot program to improve passenger flow and throughput. The purpose is to measure passenger acceptance and improvements in passenger ingress and egress. The pilot program will only remove a limited number of seats. Concept one removes 8 seats and concept two removes 24 seats. Only 2 six-car trains will be modified, along with 2 married pairs to be used as spares. Thank you for the question.

Changes to Metro cars and short people

Author	Message
IDW	I read that part of the plan for redesigning metro cars calls for the elimination of the vertical bars in the train. Please explain to me what you expect shorter people to hold on to. Anyone about 5'5" and under has a very hard time using the bars mounted on the ceiling. This seems like a very serious safety concern.
Richard White	From an earlier question, Metro is considering a pilot program to increase passenger throughput by removing some seats in 16 rail cars. Let me emphasize, no hand holds will be removed. In fact, additional hand rails will be installed along the interior wall. Also, floor-to-ceiling stanchions will be modified to accommodate shorter customers. Thank you for the question!

When (and how often) will you update the Metrobus System Rou...

Author	Message
W McGee	With the changes made to a number of bus lines in southern Fairfax County, Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland and with planned upcoming changes to the 12 line in western Fairfax County, the systemwide bus maps are increasingly becoming inaccurate. How often do you plan on refreshing these maps with new information on updated routes.

Question about Metro's Administrative Positions

Author	Message
skcomm	A recent Washington Post letter cited an Ernst & Young study that says Metro has “eliminated 242 middle-management positions” in the last four years. However, if I look at your 1998 budget (your first) with your most recent (2006 proposed), I calculate that you have increased the number of “administrative” positions by 235. (I define administrative by removing three departments from your total staffing: Operations, Construction, and Police.) That is a 25% increase in administrative jobs in eight years. Based on these two pieces of data, it seems to me that the Ernst & Young study doesn’t really show the whole picture of how successful your cost control efforts have been with regard to the number of jobs at Metro. How do you reconcile these two pieces of information? Will you make the details of the Ernst & Young study available to the general public, the way the staffing of the budget is?
Richard White	This will be an extended answer, which we can’t put together simply here. We would greatly appreciate it if you could send us a separate posting with your e-mail address, and we will get back to you. Again, thank you for the question.

Rail Car Capacity Pilot Program

Author	Message
dv	Despite minor flaws, WMATA offers a far more comfortable ride than either the NY or Boston system by virtue of quiet aesthetically pleasing car interiors with comfortable seating. Seating is of great the importance and their removal should be approached very cautiously. After reviewing the two concepts for the pilot program, I would like to stress that no one knows what proportion of the access and egress problems are due to the poles and how much is due to the seating layout. As a regular Metrorail rider, (and former MBTA and NYCTA rider for over 25 years of subway commuting) the center poles have been the most obvious functional passenger problem in WMATA’s cars from inception as they block the aisles and force standees to compound the obstruction. The other obvious access and egress problem is human, when oblivious passengers stand in the doors and restrict the flow through the doors to a single column. I have the following suggestions for your upcoming test: 1. To accurately diagnose the passenger flow problem you need to test changes to the poles (removing all center poles) without changing the seats. Also, the diagram detail of the poles for Concept I does not make sense and looks to worsen the situation. 2. Alter one of you test concepts to only remove side bench seating on alternate sides of the car near each pair of doors, as this may bring significant circulation benefits while reducing the removal by one half. 3. As for persons standing in the doors, NYTA addressed this by eliminating one seat near each door and moving handholds and partitions away from the doors. You might also try education and enforcement with visual clues in the carpeting and small messages telling people where not to stand.
Richard White	I agree with your assessment on the comfort our rail cars provide, especially compared to other transit agencies. Metro is faced with a capacity issue. We have considered removing the windscreens and some of the the floor to ceiling stanchions. In fact, some of the your ideas will be incorporated in our new series 6000 rail cars. The proposed pilot program will be limited to 2-six car trains and will measure acceptance and capacity improvements. Thank you for the question.

Metro platform

Author

Message

miznyc

I was wondering if there are different tiles at different stations? In my morning and afternoon commute I find the tiles at the Bethesda Metro station (on the platform and on the upper level where one enters) to be very slippery and there is perpetually a "Caution Wet Floor" cone out. This situation is really quite hazardous-I slipped twice the other day! I was more likely to fall inside that station than outside where there was still snow on the ground.

I don't find this to be the case on other platforms I use. Are there different tiles at Bethesda? Is there a leak at the station that makes it consistently damp? Do they mop the floors right before morning and evening rush hours?

Metro Funding structure

Author	Message
Serge	Given all the funding issues with DC Metro, why doesn't the Metro get more dedicated funding?
Richard White	A Blue Ribbon panel put together by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Board of Trade and the Federal City Council just recommended exactly that! Now, it is up to Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Government to identify the form and source of that dedicated funding. Thank you for the question on this important topic.

Atlanta Subway adds TV

Author	Message
dpete47	Check this out - The Atlanta Subway adds TV to their trains at no cost, and is added revenue. See http://www.wsbtv.com/irresistible/4250155/detail.html.
Richard White	We're looking at the same thing here. In fact, we're currently in the middle of a procurement for a pilot program to add TV monitors on some of our rail cars and buses. We're also planning to advertise in subway tunnels as a way raise revenue. Also, this spring we'll be advertising on the outside of our trains to grow revenue and introducing ATMs in our stations for customer convenience and addtional revenue.

L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station C'est Terrible

Author	Message
PublicTransUser1...	I am a long time rider of the on the Green Line and I have been very disappointed with the upkeep of the L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station. It is dimly lighted, the platforms always have some poorly mopped spill on them and there is a faint odor urine permeating the platform. I was wondering if Metro is aware of these conditions and is not concerned because of nature of the clients that use the system, or if they are unaware or perhaps under staffed and I may be the only one who notices this. PTU1980
Richard White	Thank you for the question on L'Enfant Plaza. I greatly appreciate the feedback. We are working on keeping the L'Enfant Plaza Metrorail station cleaner and up to our standards. As you know, this station is one of our busiest and over 100,000 riders go through there every day. As for the lighting, we continue to replace the burnt out bulbs and programmed additional funding for lighting in next year's budget. Again, thank you for the question on L'Enfant Plaza.

The Metro system in Toronto

Author	Message
Monica	While I was visiting Toronto some time ago, I was impressed with how efficient their metro and bus transit system was. I can get a ticket at any bus or metro station, and it'll take me anywhere, no matter how many stops I take, and I don't have to pay for transfers. Their bus and metro tickets cost the same, and can be used interchangeably. I didn't buy a weekly pass or a day pass but do think that their passes work on both buses and trains too. Is there a way for the DC metro system to study how their system works, and learn from them? Two things I would recommend: A day pass that would allow me to travel anytime, anywhere using bus and metro A weekly pass that would allow me unlimited trips on both the bus and metro (currently, my metro weekly pass can only be used on the Metro; the day pass only works for short trips, or after 9:30--I need a pass that would work all day, anytime) Thanks for looking into these possibilities!
Richard White	You can do the same thing here... with a SmarTrip card, which works on bus, rail, parking, and gives you transfers and reduces your fare when you transfer from rail to bus. As for the pass, we could create one for the whole day, but it would have to be much more expansive than the one that starts after teh morning peak period.

Rhode Island Ave to NY Avenue

Author	Message
Silver Spring- R...	Why is it that Metro trains go so excruciatingly slow between Rhode Island Avenue and NY Avenue. It takes them forever to move a few feet. Also it seems like they sometimes randomly stop between the two stations. Is there any way to make those trains go faster? J.J Silver Spring Red Line / J Bus rider for 3
Richard White	J.J.: As you know, we just opened a new station at New York Avenue last November. Most of our seasoned customers were used to trains operating at a certain speed between between Union Station and Rhode Island Avenue. But now, we have a new station in place, and trains have to reduce upon arrival into Union Station. Thank you for the question.

Gallery Place signage is GREAT!

Author	Message
Rick Pike	The signage installed last year at Gallery Place is great. It should be a model for all the transfer stations. You should take some credit for it, but, also, consider installing it at the other major transfer stations.Rick Pike Charles County, MD

Busways and Bus Rapid Transit

Author	Message
Tom Fuchs	Both the Montgomery County Council and the Montgomery County Executive have included special provisions for upgrading bus service here. Busways have been proposed for Georgia Avenue (MD 97) and Colesville Road (US 29). Bus Rapid Transit has been proposed for Veirs Mill Road (MD 586), University Boulevard (MD 193) and as an option for the Purple Line. Firstly, it seems that each of these corridors has been addressed individually. What is the possibility of approaching them as a network? There might be some economies of scale if they use the same vehicles and design elements. Secondly, what role might WMATA play in the planning, construction and/or operation of these lines?
Richard White	WMATA conducted a Regional Bus Study in 2002 that recommended a number of corridors in Montgomery County as strong candidates for bus rapid transit. WMATA is working closely with Montgomery County and our regional partners to advance these projects. To see the complete bus plan, go to MetroOpensDoors.com Web site and look under the About Us/Expansion section.

Next Train Signs

Author	Message
Rick Pike	As a daily Metro rider, I like the new "Next Train" displays which Metro has finally made available. However, now that the "Next Train" display has been tested and implemented, it would be nice to flash the current time for perhaps 1-2 seconds each minute or so. Also, will other important messages be displayed as needed? Rick Pike Charles County, MD
Richard White	Thank you for your feedback. It’s good to hear something good. The general feeling about the usage of the signs is to dedicate them for train messages only. “Special” train messages, such as delays, are used as needed. Other information is available on the PIDS (passenger information displays) in the mezzanines. Again, thanks for the kind words.