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» Focus on Metro (12/16/05) from noon to 1 p.m.

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Welcome to the Last Chat of 2005

Author

Message

Richard White

Hi. Well, we didn’t get as much ice and snow impacting yesterday afternoon’s trip home as the weather forecasters predicted yesterday, but it sure beats the alternative!

I’ve got some good news I want to share with you all. Apparently it’s something you are already aware of, based on results of our customer satisfaction survey, but please allow me to share. Our rail riders are experiencing fewer delays as rail service reliability improved by 23 percent from the first quarter of fiscal year 2005 compared to the same time this year. And during the same timeframe, customer satisfaction is at 90 percent compared to 87 percent last year.

The number of customer complaints has declined, and more of our customers are satisfied with our service. And all of this is happening at a time when we are moving 32,000 more passenger trips during an average week than the same time a year ago (ridership on an average weekday is just shy of 700,000.)

Why fewer delays? What’s made the difference? One thing is that we made improvements to our different railcars. The 5000 Series cars needed an adjustment. The 2000 and 3000 series railcars are being overhauled, and a modification during the overhaul process seems to have done wonders in improving that subfleet. In addition, we made important improvements to our tracks switches and instituted some improved management techniques.

While we’ve made changes to improve service this year, I’m well aware of the fact that we can improve even more—and we will continue to make improvements throughout 2006 that will help get you to where you’re going on time.

I see there are a few questions for me to answer, so let’s get started.

Government Contacts

Author	Message
jbgroup1	Who or what government departments can one contact to suggest service changes for Metrobus in the various jurisdictions?
Richard White	Hi. Typically the contacts are the local jurisdictional Departments of Transportation, which usually have a transit office with experts on the transit service in their jurisdictions.

Departure from METRO

Author	Message
Silver Spring- R...	Mr. White, what can you say about the Washington Post article that said that your departure from METRO is impending? Is your departure from METRO imminent? If you had to do things again different what would you do? What is it like to come into work with that hanging over your head? What would be on the horizon following a departure from METRO? J Silver Spring Red Line / J Bus rider for 3
Richard White	There's not a lot I can say, other than I am an "at will" employee and serve at the pleasure of the WMATA Board of Directors. I have an employment contract with the Board, and should they choose to exercise an early termination provision, that is their right. Obviously it is in everyone's best interests - especially for all the hard-working Metro employees - for this issue to be resolved, one way or the other, as soon as possible.

Silver Spring Escalator

Author	Message
Silver Spring Sa...	I have been using Metro for my daily commute for the past 14 years and it generally is a great way to get to downtown. I have also noticed over the past year the breakdowns have decreased significantly. Keep up the good work. I would like to know what the deal is with the escalator at the Silver Spring Station that has been out of service in your refurbishment program since mid-May. It was originally scheduled to go back into service in August and since then the date keeps getting pushed back every ten days to two weeks. It is now mid-December and another delay has been posted pushing it back to December 23. The big fence was taken away nearly two months ago and there is just a yellow gate blocking it. There no longer appears to be any sign of work being done and if there is a part needing to be ordered or on backorder, why not just be upfront with how long it will take? This extention every two weeks is frustrating.
Richard White	Hi. I understand your frustration with the extended escalator project delays at the Silver Spring station. The reason for the delay is Maryland officials now require a new test be performed on escalators. This is our first escalator in Maryland required to meet this new criteria. As a result there is confusion by all parties, including our contractor, as to exactly what is required and how to properly demonstrate the new function. This new requirement is intended to ensure the escalator operates safely. After two previous attempts all parties have agreed on a method to properly demonstrate this new safety feature. The inspection is scheduled for January 6, 2006 and we are confident the unit will return service shortly after.

Metrorail track work

Author	Message
All Aboard	Why doesn't Metro post weekend track work earlier than Friday on the web page? And then the link is in small print. It's difficult to plan for the weekend on Wednesday and find out a station is closed or single tracking increasing trip times 15 minutes on Friday. You can take a lesson from New York City where track work is posted EVERY DAY!! And the link is at the top of the page.
Richard White	Hi. We post the weekend track work news releases on Thursday after we get official confirmation that the work will indeed take place. Generally track work takes place every weekend. A general summary of expected track work is posted on our homepage in the same type size as everything else on the page. It’s the second bullet item under the heading of “also of interest” and typically gives a look forward for a few weeks so that advance planners like yourself have a sense of what to expect.

Improving flow of passengers on/off trains

Author	Message
kmf164	Regarding proposed ideas for improving flow of passengers off and on trains (http://www.wmata.com/about/met_news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=1035), I dislike the idea of marking the spots along the platform where the doors will open. As a seasoned metro rider, I already know where these spots are anyway. During afternoon rush hour, it's the rear door of the first car that stops in front of me, half the time. Otherwise, it's the first door of the second car. Either way, it works for me. But this means that the spots where the middle doors open is inconsistent half the time, and the platform markers would often be off-the-mark. Also, I think it's not entirely safe for everyone on the platform to crowd these particular spots. While passengers are disembarking the train, there's enough time for people to 'line-up' to board. Instead, I think the problem with passenger flow lies more in the layout of the cars, including the poles and the rows of seating. The rows of seating is problematic, as the person in the isle seat may block flow of passengers when he/she gets up to allow the other person sitting by the window to get by. While a more bold suggestion, perhaps a seating arrangement like the New York Subway, PATH, or Toronto's system would eliminate that and provide more space for customers away from the doors.
Richard White	Hi. You make a great point about being a “seasoned Metro rider.” Part of the issue, however, is for those who are less “seasoned” than you are. There are many people who ride the system who are infrequent riders; those who don’t use the same stations over and over, but those who travel through several stations; and then there are those out-of-towners who are using it for the very first time. We are trying to improve the passenger flow not only of the daily commuter, but for that entire group of passengers, so we’ll try marking the spots along the platform and see if that makes a difference. As to your notion that the windscreens create a bottleneck, we’re with you there! The new Series 6000 cars have reduced those windscreens, and the layouts for other cars also eliminates them. You’re right, some folks lean on those windscreens, blocking others from being able to enter and exit via a clear path. Take a look at some of the new layouts and an explanation of those new designs that we’re considering. The entire presentation we gave to the WMATA Board is on our web site.

Slippery Tiles in Metrorail Stations

Author	Message
mustang_dvs	I was wondering if Metro has any plans to address the extremely slippery tiles found in every Metrorail station and on every platform? The smooth, non-porus tiles become as slick as ice with the slightest bit of moisture, a problem compounded this time of year due to the ice-melt chemicals that get tracked into stations with each winter storm. Over the years, I've seen numerous metro riders slip and fall due to these tiles and I, myself, despite my youth, fast reflexes and good balance, have fallen at least once a year, just walking normally. I know that I'm not the first to complain -- despite customer complaints, Metro has stuck with these tiles even in the brand-new New York Avenue station -- so, why won't Metro introduce a non-skid surface on it's platforms and station floors?
Richard White	Ah, the tiles. The tiles are part of our visual identity. They are part of our iconic station design, which makes us distinctive. With that said, however, in the new stations we opened last year--the New York Ave, Largo Town Center and Morgan Boulevard Metrorail stations--we installed granite flooring at the exterior entrances to the stations to cut down on the likelihood that someone might slip and fall. The station entrance areas are where people are most likely to track in water/rain/snow/ice, and so the newer stations do take that into account.

Track Work

Author	Message
Silver Spring- R...	Mr. White, It seems that now, more than 30 years after the original oppening of METRO, there continues to be the need for trackwork. Why is it this way? Will the Red Line trackwork ever end? It seems like the red trains are so slow between Brookland- CUA and Union Station. J Silver Spring Red Line / J Bus rider for 3
Richard White	Now that the system is 30 years old, it is critical that we maintain all of our infrastructure, including tracks, structures, tunnels, stations, etc. While these improvements may inconvenience our riders in the short term, in the long run this work will help to maintain our quality of service. We are sorry for the inconvenience this work causes, but the consequences would be far worse if we didn't keep up with this very necessary rehabilitation.

Thursday's 'Weather Related' rail service disruption...

Author	Message
mustang_dvs	Could you please provide some information on Thursday evening's "railway-wide" service disruption that was attributed to "severe weather" in station PA announcements? I wouldn't think that light drizzle and 40 degree temperatures would qualify as "severe weather" and I certainly don't believe that the weather was sufficiently "severe" to disrupt rail service. The website says nothing about the severe delays (which also were not mentioned on the PID system), in fact, it states that such delays should not have occurred: "Metro bus and rail service normal Thursday evening and no impact on Friday service is expected. Metrorail will operate normal service Thursday evening and the weather is not expected to affect Friaday morning's service." - http://wmata.com/about/met_news/story.cfm?ID=506 After nearly 8 years of living in the Washington, D.C. region, I still find it unbelievable that Metrorail is so often crippled by cold temperatures and/or wintery weather in a region that sees temperatures at or below freezing for the better part of four months out of the year. Why is Metro so seemingly unprepared for the cold and why does it appear that so little is being done about it?
Richard White	Hi. Please send me information on where you were and about what time you heard that announcement, because in reviewing the daily report for delays, I did not see anything related to the weather that would impact us on a system-wide basis. The list of service disruptions/delays is posted on our web site by noon every day to allow passengers to go back and find out what may have caused a delay to their trip. To see that on our site, go to our homepage, scroll to the bottom and the second bullet item under “Also of Interest” has a link to “Yesterday’s Service.” Click on that and you will be able to look up the reason for any delay in the rail system.

Why does Metro continue to use 4 car trains on the Blue line...

Author	Message
bsa	I cannot for the life of me understand the rationale used to put 4 car trains on the Blue line during rush hour. This is not an acceptable option to us on that line. During tourist season we suffer greatly. I read this morning that eight car trains would be put on the Orange line and this line would experience 2 fewer trains during rush hours. The next sentence stated that the Blue line would run 4 and 6 car trains. This makes absolutely no sense. Why not put two of those cars on the Blue and run 6 cars all the time during rush hours. Please rethink this horrible decision. Also, I'm having a difficult time understanding why at Springfield-Franconia there is a period of time when there is no train on the track. At the beginning/end of the line on both ends, there should never be a time when a train is not on the track. I am completely befuddled with the management of the Metro system. bsa
Richard White	Hi. We use four-car trains on the Blue Line because we don’t currently have enough cars to make longer trains. The Red, Orange and Green Lines are the most crowded lines and trains. Then comes Blue and then Yellow. When we test out the eight-car trains on the Orange Line, the idea is that there will be fewer trains, but longer ones. Fewer trains means that we’ll have extra cars to make up the longer ones. Plain and simple, it’s a matter of arithmetic. However, because the Blue and Orange Lines overlap in the core area of the system, the Blue Line also will benefit from the longer trains. Please review the presentation that we gave to the Board yesterday on the topic. Perhaps if you have the opportunity to see the details of how it will work, you’ll better understand it. The presentation is posted on our web site, as are all presentations to our Board.

Last Car Out of Service

Author	Message
Silver Spring- R...	Twice the p;ast few days, while boarding the train in Silver Spring, I have encountered trains where the last car was out of service. Why is it that this has been the case? Would METRO consider extending dwell times in these situation so that passengers don't all bottle up at the end but have time to find space on other parts of the train?J Silver Spring Red Line / J Bus rider for 3
Richard White	I'm sorry, I don't know the specific of this particular issue, but it was probably due to one of two factors. One, as we prepare for ice and snow conditions, we deploy our snow fleet of railcars that are equipped with spraying equipment to help de-ice the track. At times, those cars are closed off to the public as we are preparing the equipment. Or two, it is sometimes better for our customers if our employees close off a problem car, instead of taking an entire train out of service. As far as the dwell time is concerned, our train operators do allow for additional passenger boarding times at busy stations, as long as they are not causing delays along the line.

Fewer Delays

Author	Message
SH	I read the news release about fewer delays on the trains. What's making the difference? Can you do more to reduce delays?
Richard White	Yes, we issued a news release about our rail reliability being up and delays being down. Why? We’ve made some changes that have made a difference. We refocused an improvement program with our 5000 Series rail cars and our rehabilitation project on the Series 2000 and Series 3000 cars. The modifications to the rehab project were implemented during the year and the performance of the fleet increased. We also have been very aggressive in our track maintenance work—replacing switches and portions of worn rail just about every weekend. That has resulted in fewer problems as a result of the tracks themselves. We also have been able to minimize service disruptions by making better choices when a mechanical problem arises. For example, it used to be that if a train experienced a problem with a door of the train, we used to offload passengers and take that train to the rail yard. Now we just close down that car of the train and keep the train in service, which means that people aren’t as inconvenienced.

Bad weather

Author	Message
SH	With the bad weather, I think fewer people were on trains yesterday. Do more people use you in the bad weather or fewer?
Richard White	Hi. Yes, fewer people were on our trains yesterday. Our estimate is that about 18,000 fewer people rode Metro due to the weather impacting their daily plans. Typically fewer people ride the trains during inclement weather. Yes, some opt to ride Metro and not drive, but a larger number opt to change their schedules all together. Some stay home with children when schools are delayed or cancelled. Some work from home. Some take annual leave. Others opt not to take the discretionary trips during the middle of the day or during the evenings.

Metrorail cars

Author	Message
P. Mc	I have seen the rehabilitated 2000/3000 series Breda cars and they look great. I thought I was in a new car. The cars looked brighter, the seats looked great, and the LED signs on either side of the car were a huge help. A few months ago, I was on a Rohr car (#1038) and I saw the car was leaking. Then, I saw a 4000 series Breda cars with the new Priority Seating sign, but the color scheme was the old orange, brown, and yellow seats and did not have the LED sign on either end of the rail car. The same is true with the Rohr cars. Why aren't the 1000 series Rohr and 4000 series Breda cars being updated with the new color scheme and next station signs?
Richard White	As you mentioned, the new (burgundy, blue, and sand) color scheme is being installed on all new railcars as well as the newly rehabilitated cars. Within three years, this color combination will be in the majority of our fleet. The oldest, 1000-series cars are almost 30 years old and are programmed to be replaced in five-to-seven years. Therefore, retrofitting these 30-year old cars doesn't make much sense at this point. The 4000-series railcars are scheduled to be rehabilitated in the next 7 to 10 years, at which time they will also get the new interior color scheme. Thanks for your compliment on our 2000 and 3000 series cars!

J-Bus

Author	Message
Silver Spring- R...	Mr. White, I realize that METRO is considering restructuring somme bus route. Will METRO consider beefing up service on the J bus? It runs once every half an hour outside of rush and could definately afford to run more often. J Silver Spring Red Line / J Bus rider for 3
Richard White	Hi. We are in the process of evaulating various bus lines throughout the jurisdictions. The J2 Bethesda-Silver Spring Line is one of our underutilized routes that is under consideration for elimination as part of our FY 2007 budget review process. I have proposed eliminating the bus routes with low ridership and reinvesting those funds into enhancing bus service in other ways.

Student Pass

Author	Message
Silver Spring- R...	Is METRO considering instituting a student pass anytime soon? It seems like there is little if any work being put into that. If a student pass were to be instituted, what would it cost? Also, given how much the weekly passes cost (1) Is it possible to buy a weekly short trip pass that's good for a month? (2) Is there any way taht you can register a pass. It seems an awful liability to risk losing weekly or monthly passes. Would there be anyway to tie it, for example to my credit card number- they way its done in New York? It would seem that the pass users are the most regular users of METRO- maybe the passes should be carried on a more durable plastic card like the SmartTrip Card? Speaking of which, why doesn't WMATA do more to advertise the pass options that it has? It seems that the majority of people pay their fare a la carte including some who might benefit from the use of a pass. J Silver Spring Red Line / J Bus rider for 3
Richard White	We will be implementing pass options with the completion of the "Next Fare 4" software that powers the SmarTrip system. We are researching a pilot program for SmarTrip-based student passes in DC. (We've just begun this effort.) WMATA does not gather data from credit card purchases of fare media (the clearing banks do) so tying the card number to a pass is not feasible. But stay tuned--passes on SmarTrip are in development.

Red Line Signage

Author	Message
P. Mc	Recently, I saw the updated pillars between Silver Spring and Brookland-CUA stations have a spelling error. The Grosvenor in Grosvenor-Strathmore was spelled Grosvener as opposed to Grosvenor. I don't know about the signs in Forest Glen, Wheaton, and Glenmont stations, but they should be checked for the same spelling error. I wanted to bring this to your attention before the rest of the stations get their updated signs with this or any other spelling error.
Richard White	I asked my staff to check on this after I received your question, and you are absolutely right. I will have someone correct this misspelling as quickly as possible. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

creeping trees?

Author	Message
Andrew	Southbound yellow line trains slow to a crawl on the Virginia side of the Potomac River bridge. I'm not sure, but this may be caused by some trees that have grown very close to the bridge. If that's the case, why don't we trim the trees?
Richard White	Hi. Nope, the slowing of the Yellow Line is not related to the tree. As the trains approach Pentagon, they merge with the Blue Line and so trains slow down to allow the trains ahead to pass. Our control center continually monitors the service to minimize these types of delays.
Richard White	Hi. Nope, the slowing of the Yellow Line is not related to the tree. As the trains approach Pentagon, they merge with the Blue Line and so trains slow down to allow the trains ahead to pass. Our control center continually monitors the service to minimize these types of delays.

train frequency

Author	Message
Andrew	Is there any hope of increasing the frequency of trains during off-peak hours? The first train after the end of the morning rush hour is often packed. How about gradually decreasing frequency at that time, instead of an abrupt change? Also, there's nothing more frustrating than waiting 15-20 minutes for a train in the evenings. I understand the ridership likely wouldn't support more frequent service in the outer reaches of the system, but lots of people in DC would like to see more evening trains. Shorter trains that run more frequently would be a welcome change. thanks
Richard White	We monitor our level of service and ridership on a monthly basis. The first trains after the rush hour ends often do carry heavy loads, as many people often wait for the off-peak fare to take effect. Although the off-peak and evening service does operate every 15-20 minutes on the outer portions of the system, there is plenty of capacity to carry all of our patrons at this time of day. Although increasing the frequency of trains would add to the quality of service, the cost would be significant and probably prohibitive, given our other priorities and needs.

Electric sign on Metrobuses

Author	Message
P. Mc	I have noticed on the Flxible-D and Flxible-E Metrobuses numbered 4000 and 9700/9800 have had their electric signs replaced. I have several questions regarding this. I was wondering what happened to the electric sign that was in the oval that showed the bus number route? Couldn't there be the route number sign have been replaced in the oval? The next question is why aren't the station destination spelled out? For example, New Carrollton is spelled NEW CARRLTN. The next questions are in regard to the R4 route heading to Brookland from Highview. Why do the side sign say Brookland Stadium when there is no stadium in Brookland? Couldn't you just have BROOKLAND STA in the side sign when it makes the return trip to Brookland Station?
Richard White	Hi. The oval spacing on the 2000-series buses are in the process of being retrofitted to display the route number on the side sign. Also, there is a configuration restriction that only allows a limited number of fields for spelling out the destinations. The Brookland "stadium" error was recently changed last month with a few other changes that we spotted for change. Good catch!

CFC Ads

Author	Message
Silver Spring- R...	Mr. White, It seems that every January, METRO sells advertising to Catholics for a free choice at Brookland-CUA station. Obviously we live in a country that is deferential to free speech- but also recognizes that free speech has its limits. Wouldn't it seem to METRO that stationing such a poster at Brookland-CUA could be considered hate speech designed to irritate a given class of people. Would METRO sell advertising to someone who wanted to post anti-Martin Luther King advertising in Anacostia? Or for that matter say someone wanted to buy an add saying "America deserved it" with pictures of the twin towers and pentagon burning- to be stationed at the Pentagon- wouldn't this also be insidious? I'm sure that if you were to ask Cardinal McCarrick- the leader of the local Catholics, he would decry this kind of advertising as anti-Catholic. The history of the persecution of Catholics in America is long and storied. We Catholics are proud contributing members of American society. It is depressing to have to go to work every day and have no choice but to be exposed to this awful advertising. Doesn't it seem a simple matter of human respect? Add to that the content of the adds- contraception- doesn't this seem an indecent topic to post publicly in a place where children might be present? Would METRO consider making a list of locations that have ads with this kind of volatile content so that parents and children can stay away? J Silver Spring Red Line / J Bus rider for 3
Richard White	Hi. Our advertising policy is content-neutral. As long as an advertisement meets our guidelines, we'll run it. Guidelines basically restrict obscene and pornographic content.