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

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Richard White

Welcome to this afternoon’s chat. We’ve got lots to talk about.

Yesterday we announced that we’re working with our contractor, Alstom, Inc., to upgrade the automatic train control system on our rail cars to cut down on the number of problems that we have with our automatic train control system because when there is an ATC problem, it delays customers. This contractor is redesigning a relay board to help solve the problems.

We’re also working with the company to cut down on the number of station overruns. We average 35,000 station stops per day, and average 1.5 overruns per day (five overruns every three days). Again, the reason is basic: to cut down on delays to customers. This will reduce the overruns to one per three days. You’ll see improvements later this year.

Sunday’s a big day for the area and we’ll be a big part of it. We are opening an hour early on Sunday for the Cherry Blossom Race and we will be providing some additional rail car service during the day to handle the Cherry Blossom festival crowds combined with the crowds attending the Wizards home game and the Nationals home exhibition game. We’re also gearing up for the Nationals home opener on April 14. Play Ball!

Springfield/Burke Bus Service

Author	Message
Steve B	My complaint is that the bus routes in my area (Burke/Springfield between Old Keene Mill and Braddock) are exclusively "express" (not really -- they stop every block just like a local, but they charge $3) and avoid serving Franconia/Springfield station (thus forcing a lengthy back-track commute). When is Metrobus going to do it right, as the Fairfax Connector does in the areas it covers (i.e. run _local_ buses through the local streets, and provide an express bus from Franconia to the Pentagon for the subset of commuters who actually want it)?
Richard White	Hi. As noted in your question, the Fairfax Connector, a separate service from Metro, operates express bus service between Franconia-Springfield and the Pentagon Metrorail station. As it pertains to Metrobus service, the reason why a $3 express fare is implemented has to do with the fact that our buses utilize the HOV lanes on the Shirley Highway south of Seminary Road.

Buses going off-route...

Author	Message
W McGee	This is an problem that has been vexing me and many who live in or travel through Bailey's Crossroads. On weekends, along the 16 line bus to Annandale, there are several drivers who do not follow the weekend route as published. Rather than following the 'B' route that diverts through the Culmore neighborhoods as it is scheduled, the buses remain on Columbia Pike going straight down to Annandale or the Pentagon. This causes many people to miss the bus, as to them, the bus never shows. This is particularly a sore point on Sundays, as the 16 bus continuing to Annandale only runs once an hour. It is a very big inconvience to miss a bus on Sunday because of a driver making up his own route for no reason. One time, when I was riding the bus as it occurred, I confronted the bus driver about this. He said to me that "the route had changed". However, when I contacted Metro, my suspicion was confirmed when customer service said that no such routing change had occurred. I have complained many times to Metro through email, and while I get a response that action has been taken, some buses continue to either be unaware, or deliberately ignore the prescribed route. Could I ask of Metro to do something about this? Like reassigning the driver, or assigning a monitor to ride the buses to make sure the routing is being followed.
Richard White	Hi. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Bus operators are not supposed to divert off their normal route unless a special circumstance dictates that. As it pertains to the 16 Line on Sundays, we will follow up with the appropriate division and investigate was to why this is happening. We will remind the operators to stay on their route as assigned.

Metro service from baseball games

Author	Message
Metrotrek	If a Nationals baseball night game is still being played at midnight on a weeknight will you keep metrorail open later so that fans that came by the subway can still get home on the subway?
Richard White	It's finally starting to feel like baseball in D.C. again. Thanks for the question. We can assure you, if any home Nationals' games go into extra innings on a weeknight, and it's getting close to midnight when we normally stop running service, we will make sure we run trains late enough so that no one is stranded.

Four car trains on Red Line

Author	Message
massysett	Hi Mr. White, I understand that sometimes equipment shortages force Metro to run four car trains on the Red Line. But it does not make any sense that these four car trains operate between Glenmont and Shady Grove. If a four car train leaves Glenmont during the morning rush hour it will usually be packed after it leaves Wheaton. Meanwhile there will be six car trains running between Silver Spring and Grosvenor. Could you please ensure that future four-car Red trains operate only between Silver Spring and Grosvenor? Otherwise these four-car trains get unbearably packed and people get left on platforms. Thank you.
Richard White	Hi. Our schedule on the Red Line operates six-car trains in the morning and afternoon peak periods between Shady Grove and Glenmont and between Silver Spring and Grosvenor. If a train suffers a mechanical breakdown, we could place a four-car gap train into service on the Red Line. Otherwise, we always operate six-car trains on the Red Line during these time periods.

getting to Nationals baseball games

Author	Message
Gary	I want to take Metro to the baseball games, but what happens if a game gets into a rain delay or extra innings on a Tuesday? Will you stay open late or will you strand me at the Stadium? (Go Nationals!)
Richard White	I just answered a very similar question. If there is a rain delay or a game goes into extra innings on a weeknight, therefore pushing the time close to when we normally stop running service, we'll stick around to make sure you don't get stranded. We always try to adhere to the old adage that if we bring you there, we'll get you home.

Lights at the Dunn Loring station

Author	Message
archers44	Most nights about half of the lights at the exit of the station aren't working. It appears that the majority of the lights in the parking lots are on, so its just the people waiting for the buses or walking home that don't have much light. The path off to the left as you exit the station has NO light whatsoever. Its a rough patch of sidewalk and surrounded by shoulder high shrubs - this is a safety hazard on multiple levels (people could and do fall and it would be quite easy for someone to hide behind the bushes and jump out). There are two lights there they just are never on. I've called and I've emailed about this problem at least 5 times. Everytime I'm told that they'll look into the situation. And usually that night the lights are all working. But the next night we're back to square 1. This problem has been going on for over a months and I'm not sure what more I can do at this point! Please please please get the lights on at Dunn Loring. Normally I exit the station between 7-8 pm so I don't know if they come on later. But if its dark enough that the parking lot has its lights on, then the walkers and bus riders need light as well. Thanks!
Richard White	Hi. Thanks for letting me know. I will advise our Plant and Systems Maintenance personnel to visit the Dunn Loring station to check on the lights and see what can be done to make sure they are working on a regular basis.

Midday Parking @ New Carrollton (For Nationals Game on 4/27)...

Author	Message
Michael B From P...	Hello Mr. White, I'm from suburban Philadelphia & usually go to Metro DC about once or twice a year. I'm planning to attend the Nationals game on 4/27 vs. the Phillies, & take the Orange Line from New Carrollton (since that stop is easy to reach from the Beltway.) I know that I would now need to use a SmartTrip card to park at a Metro station, & that card would also take care of my rail fare too. (I'm going to order one from the website.) But, this will be the first time I've ever parked at a Metro lot during the week, & I'm concerned about whether I could even FIND a parking space at the station in the middle of the day. (In my mind I picture driving around & around, finding no spaces, & still being charged on my way out anyway!) Does the garage at New Carrollton usually fill up completely on weekdays? And if so, is there any notice of this at the entrance so I don't drive in & get charged for parking when there aren't any spaces? Can you or any other regular Metro rider suggest another station that would be easier to find parking at nearby? Thanks for your help-Metro has a great idea with this online forum. (Maybe one day SEPTA here in Philly will have one too.) Michael Buglak Collegeville, PA 19426
Richard White	The New Carrollton lot ususally fills by 7:30 a.m. weekdays. However, the next station, Landover, does not typically fill on weekdays. Or, by about 4 p.m. spaces start to open up again when the morning comuters start to head home. See you at the games!
Michael B From P...	Hi Mr. White, Thanks for the reply-I do appreciate it! After I posted the message last night, I remembered that Largo Town Center on the Blue Line was now open. Would that stop also usually have parking available? If so, can I find it from the Beltway fairly easily? (I checked the driving directions on the "Getting To Metro" page, but I couldn't find that stop listed, just New Carrollton & Branch Avenue. Thanks again for your help! Michael Buglak Collegeville, PA 19426
Richard White	Hi. Yes, there should be plenty of parking at Largo. Look for signs off of the Beltway that point you to FedEx Field, our station is near FedEx Field.

Professionals Who Can Anticipate Problems

Author	Message
Chuck Coleman	It seems like Metro is always (with very recent exceptions) in a reactive mode regarding problems that arise. Does Metro have any statisticians, operations research analysts or quality specialists on staff who can anticipate problems and prepare contingency plans for them? Also, does Metro have any plans for a Six Sigma quality initiative? Why or why not?
Richard White	Hi. Yes, we do have people who analyze situations and anticipate situations. Reporters don't usually write about it when things run smoothly and problems are averted. They only write about problems that are challenging to correct.

Using Credit/Debit cards at kiosks...

Author	Message
Curtis	I have a serious bone to pick with your policy regarding Debit/Credit card use at your kiosks. I found out just recently, that you supposedly have a policy where one can only use a given card once per day in your kiosks. I do not see any valid reason for this to be so. In addition it created an issue for my family and I while on a site seeing visit to DC. There also seems to be some discrepancy in this policy as well. Let me explain: We arrived at the Vienna/Fairfax station, parked there and took the metro downtown. Before doing so, I purchaced three single trip (??) tickets in one transaction, totalling $15.00, thus $5.00 on each card. I could have put more on each card, but didn't wish to end up with a handful of tickets with unusable amounts left remaining. In addition, I went to another kiosk to purchase a SmartTrip Card, value $10.00. So, that is TWO purchases with the same card w/in 5 minutes. At the end of the day, it was last Thursday, March 24th, I arrived at the Smithsonian stop with wife and two children (8 & 10) in tow, all of them tired, hungry and quite cold. I looked at their tickets noting they each had only $1.30 remaining. To get back to Vienna/Fairfax, would require an additional $1.35. I was not able to increase any of the tickets! I had to use my wife's ATM and was able to get one of them increased, used what cash we had left to increase a second, leaving a final ticket yet to be increase. When I asked the station manager, his reply was to tell me of your single transaction per day policy. His only response was to tell me I'd have to find an ATM, get cash. So I had to walk to Federal Triangle, use an out of system ATM which cost me over $3.00 ($2.00 from that bank and $1.25 from mine), get twenty dollars, charge my SmartTrip card, ride back to Smithsonian, charge the ticket remaining, all while my wife and children stood shivering, tired and hungry on the upper platform! Add to that the fact that I had to leave my wife and children in a Metro station in a city with which my wife is totally unfamiliar. No, I say to you, a policy which has the potential to put families, teachers with groups of students, etc into such a blatantly unfriendly situation is no policy at all! You need to revisit this error in judgement and make a change! There is such a thing as over regulating and this policy CLEARLY crosses over that line! At a minimum, setting up the kiosks so one could recharge trip tickets & SmartCards with a single transaction would at least allowed us to get home without such an unwarranted inconvenience upon my wife and children, or give the station managers a method of doing so. Also, my own SmartTrip card, which supposedly would have had $10.00 on it was down to $1.00 after taking the exact same number of trips as the three other tickets which started with only $5.00. How can a $10.00 card end up with LESS than a $5.00 ticket when taking the same trips? Curtis Rowell Arlington, VA
Richard White	Hi. Credit/debit cards many only be used once a day to protect our customers and Metro from fraud. However, the same card can be used once at the small dispensing machines to buy a SmarTrip card with $5 of value on it, after which the card can be used once at the larger passes/farecard vending machines to add additional value.

Longitude/Latitude text file for GPS users

Author	Message
Curtis	Do you have or could you make available a text file containing the longitude and lattitude locations and names for each of your metro locations? I use Delorme and GPS to get around to and from appointments, erands, etc. As I am new to the DC Metro area, I typically have no idea how close or far any of your stops are from a given location. I think this would be a very nice Customer Service touch. Keep in mind this could also be very handy for those with hand held gps units, pdas with gps, etc. I've attached a similar text file containing the format for the VRE locations. This text file uses addresses. Thank you, Curtis Rowell Arlington, VA
Richard White	Hi. Security concerns have us keeping some information close to the vest. Thanks for the suggestion. We'll refer it to our Transit Police and IT folks for evaluation.

Metro station electronic signs...

Author	Message
samlitz	Dear Mr. White: What's the latest on the signs in the Metro stations? Is everyone happy with the information displayed? Any plans for changes? Thank you.
Richard White	Hi. We're currently finishing our customer surveys. In general, everyone is very positive about what they see. Based upon current feedback, we may make some minor revisions in the near future, such as including train length.

No. Of Cars

Author	Message
George Newbury	Hi, I read in the Express today that Metro is developing new software to allow for the precise stopping of eight car trains, but that eight car trains still won't be a reality for another of couple years. Has metro considered trying seven car trains? Does the number of cars have to be an even number?. Thanks George
Richard White	Hi. We are only able to operate cars in even numbers. The trains are called "married pairs" and so we are only able to run two-, four-, six-, or eight-car trains. We'll start running the 8-car trains when all of the precision stopping testing is completed.

5A Dulles Express Bus Overcrowding...

Author	Message
W McGee	The Dulles express buses are very, very popular. So popular that they're frequently overcrowded, particularly during the late mornings and early afternoons going to the Airport. On Wednesday of this week, I rode the bus, and I was among one of the 26 passengers who had to stand. Standing room only conditions typically run from Rosslyn station all the way into the Airport. Will there be any plans to add more buses and more departures to this route?
Richard White	Hi. Yes, we are aware of the overcrowding issue on the 5A Metrobus line to Dulles. What has happened is that airline travelers have now discovered this bus service, and on an average weekday, we are carrying 900 to 1,000 customers. At this time, the 5A operates once an hour in each direction. We are working on a plan with the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia to increase the service to every 40 minutes. In the meantime,please be patient as we work to increase service on this route.

Two Metrobus Questions

Author	Message
dcrider	Hi Mr. White, I'm a frequent MetroBus rider in DC with a couple of questions: 1. Can Metro and MWAA work together to make it easier to find/ride the 5A Dulles Express bus? It's not clearly marked at the airport, and neither the Metro nor the airport website has any information about where, specifically, the bus stops at L'Enfant Plaza or the airport. This is very frustrating for an inexperienced traveler or for someone who lives in the area who is trying to direct visitors to DC from the airport. 2. There was a Metro master plan awhile back that recommended a bus line from Georgia Avenue/Petworth station to Rosslyn, via Adams Morgan, Dupont and Georgetown, at a cost of $1.2 million or so. Will this bus line ever happen? Thanks!
Richard White	The 5A was created to provide transportation for workers from the District to employment areas along the Dulles corridor including the airport. This service was not intended as a commuter service. There are plans for an expansion of service, which are currently being discussed with jurisdictional staff who would be required to fund the added service. The regional bus study does include a route from Georgia Ave to Rosslyn. There is no current plan to start this service. However, the 38B Metrobus route does serve Ballston to Rosslyn to Farragut Square and the Goergetown Blue Bus does service Rosslyn through Georgetown to Dupont Circle.

Smoking within the Metro system

Author	Message
KSilver	I have seen people smoking on the escalators, on Metro stations, and even saw a Metro employee smoking within an open area of a Metro station. I forwarded my concern about this to Metro's Customer Service. A very helpful Metro Customer Service agent informed me that in fact Metro does allow smoking in "non-covered" areas, including escalators leading to or from the street. I find this actually shocking, especially considering the rather severe treatment which has been given to some Metro riders for eating within the system. As an asthmatic, I am extremely sensitive to smoke and can suffer an attack within seconds of exposure. I had thought that Metro prohibited smoking within the entire system, including elevators, escalators, platforms, etc. etc. The agent who had responded to me told me that smokers had "complained" to Metro and Metro had backed down and does allow them to smoke in certain areas. If people are not allowed to eat a candy bar on the escalator (which hurts no one), why are they allowed to smoke and potentially make other people sick and perhaps cause a fire hazard? Thank you.
Richard White	Hi. "Uncovered" refers to the official definition of what a Metro station is in some of our jurisdictions and where the public ordinance violations (eating, drinking, smoking) can be enforced. We enforce public ordinance violations once someone enters the faregate.

WMATA's Reorganization

Author	Message
skcomm	The media recently reported about a major reorganization at WMATA. One specific change identified was that each Metrorail line will be a assigned a manager, to whom the public can go to if they encounter problems. Can you identify for us some other specific changes in this major reorganization that will improve customer service, and also how the riders can evaluate its performance?
Richard White	Customers will have the opportunity to directly interact with the line managers. Customers also will be able to evaluate and provide us with feedback to our customer service management as it relates to the level of service on their respective lines. Line managers will use the information and make necessary adjustments.

Allevation of Overcrowding

Author	Message
George Newbury	Does Metro keep statistics on how many people make long trips on the metro. E.G. Vienna/DunnLoring/W.FallChurch to Rosslyn/Pentagon/Downtown DC. ? It might help alleviate overcrowding if you could have an express train that runs from the outer stations to Downtown and does not stop at E.Falls Church/Ballston/etc. That way the trains wouldn't be full by the time they reached those inner stations. Alternatively if you had an express bus that went from Vienna to Rosslyn it might be a big help. Thanks
Richard White	Hi. Yes, there is information on long trips and how many people make long trips. We are looking at these statistics carefully. We also have APTA peer review information which also points out that we should consider express service. All information is being evaluated and is being considererd in conjunction with plans for 8-car train operations.

Metrobus Route 62

Author	Message
PetworthRider	I ride Route 62 daily to/from GA Ave/Petworth Station. The morning comute is regular and predictable. However, the evening commute is unpredctible, late, and as a result frequently over-crowded. I never know how it will take for the evening commute (sometimes waiting over 20 minutes for the next bus) - especially given the 6:00 PM shift change. Please help!
Richard White	Hi. Late afternoon congestion makes keeping on the 12-minute headway challenging. However, service should be better than every 20 minutes. This service will be checked by our supervisory staff.

unfair treatment

Author	Message
Eugene	I WAS an employee but was treated very unfair can I set up a meeting with you or will you ignore me like everyone else
Richard White	I am sorry that you believe you were treated unfairly. Please contact the Deputy General Manager for Workforce Development and Administration, William Scott, at 202-962-2600 for help with your concerns.

aggressive passengers

Author	Message
Eugene	I have seen Bus drivers spit on hit with bottles of urine and guns pulled out on them.What are they going to do when someone if killed.This is a very seris problem all over the system we need some answers
Richard White	Metro has initiated a number of enforcement activities. We are purchaing 250 additional buses and equip them with camearas. Transit and local police have stepped up efforts to increase visibility on buses. Bus operators have been provided with talking points when confronted by angry customers. We also will be initiating a media campaign to encourage riders to respect bus operators for the valuable service they provide to the community.

Bus schedules with small print

Author	Message
KSilver	Mr. White, I have another question/request for you. I ride the Metrobuses quite frequently. The new schedules posted at the bus stops have tiny print, because the entire printed schedule from first to last stop is included. If riders can't read the print, it really defeats the purpose of having a schedule. I also honestly think most bus riders would prefer the old style schedule, which was in larger print, and showed the time the bus was due to arrive at the specific stop. If a person is waiting at a stop that is not listed on the printed schedule,he/she will want to know when the bus is due at that particular stop. But the main issue is the size of the print. It really needs to be big enough for us to read. Thank you again.
Richard White	We are looking at ways to make bus timetables more readable, including recently adding a second ink color.

Escalators at Shady Grove

Author	Message
Sbeckert	I just moved to Gaithersburg from Silver Spring. I thought the perennially broken escalators at Silver Spring were bad--but they don't compare to the complete mess I'm experiencing each day at the Shady Grove stop. There's one functioning escalator and one stairway for one of the busiest stops I've ever seen. Not that two escalators is sufficent for the stop--but only one is madness.
Richard White	Hi. I will have the Elevator/Escalator Office check into the Shady Grove escalators.

Real-Time

Author	Message
George Newbury	Hi, Where is Metro in providing Real-Time information about buses? I know that at Rosslyn there are displays saying when the next 3/4/5/38 buses will be departing , but it would be nice if you had an online tool that showed where the buses are and an estimate of when they would be at a particular location. I thinking that it would be a useful tool for morning commuters who need to walk a short distance to be at the bus stop. It would be useful to know if a bus is running late, so that they wouldn't have to stand outside and wait. Thanks
Richard White	We are in the process of installing technology that will make it capable of providing real-time info some time in the future. A small demonstration project is planned to provide real time info on a few routes next year. With a successful demonstration and additional funding, the project can be extended systemwide.