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There's no doubt Metro has had a terrible run lately.
It has been so bad that we're seeing a lot of email and tweets from people who say they're done with Metro entirely, opting instead for driving, walking or cycling.
The week after the crash saw 208,751 fewer riders than the week before.
But while there was a big drop off in ridership the day after the crash, the numbers returned to more or less their trending levels by that Wednesday. Reports of stuffed trains haven't slowed either.
It will be interesting to see if recent woes will drive people away over the long term. Have you sworn off Metro?
Ridership the week before accident *
June 15: 775,669
June 16: 818,541
June 17: 813,915
June 18: 806,869
June 19: 823,416
Total: 4,038,410
Week of crash
June 22: 743,437
June 23: 718,367
June 24: 806,837
June 25: 813,554
June 26: 747,464
Total: 3,829,659
Other news:
The lawsuit against WMATA (PDF)
Red Line not doing normal turnbacks (WaPo)
Audio of Catoe's press conference yesterday (WMATA)
Will Metro be ready July 4? (WTOP)
I've seen people say "I'm through with metro" time and time again with a very small amount actually sticking to it. But this past month's tragedies have caused more of my co-workers to drive if they can.
ReplyDeleteI have taken metro only once since the crash (I ride from Cleveland Park to Silver Spring) but that one day was a terrible experience. With the delays and the tragic incident at Forrest Glen, I knew I wouldn't be getting anywhere fast, so I ended up hopping off onto the Green line, getting off at Columbia Heights and bussing home from there. Took me no time. I think the red line is cursed. I've been driving every other day since.
ReplyDeleteDoes WMATA post ridership statistics by rail line? I'm curious if most of the dropoff is from the Red line due to the speed restrictions, single-tracking, and general crapiness...
ReplyDeleteDespite the soul-crushing Red line delays, it's still faster than the bus and cheaper than driving.
ReplyDeleteIf it weren't for the high cost of parking, I'd be driving.
ReplyDeleteI'm tired of drivers threatening to put a train out of service because people are trying to stop the doors.
1) Hire transit police to monitor the platforms during rush hour and fine anyone preventing the doors from closing. Make it a stiff fine. $100! $500! Whatever it takes.
2) Use the money to repair trains and design doors that don't fail. No matter what, there will always be some newbie who will try to "reopen" the doors as if they work like elevator doors.
It's only the monthly parking cost ($250) that keeps me on Metro. I can commute from Alexandria to my office and be at my desk in 30 mins or less by car. Metro (bus transfer to rail) on a good day is 45 mins minimum, and the norm is usually more like an hour and sometimes much longer when there are delays.
ReplyDeleteThe red line today was horrible! packed trains, crazy waiting at each stop between union station and farragut.
ReplyDeleteI called to complain, and was told that it will continute to run at 50% capacity or (less) for the time being- meaning red line cars wil only arrive every 10 minutes rather than the 3-5 minutes of normal. I begged her to at LEAST run 8 cars trains , and she said she'd pass along the suggestion. For now I'm taking the bus. 10 minutes headways are crazy.
There goes the dollars to fix Metro...$20 million for Ms. Bell? Multiply that by 9 wrongful death lawsuits, 150 injury lawsuits, and Metro is out of business.
ReplyDeleteYep. I'm a confirmed bus rider. No more trains for me. Trains suck.
ReplyDeleteI've been avoiding the wrong/red line since the crash on the 22nd. I've rode all the other lines (orange/blue/yellow/green) since then without too much fanfare or delay. Despite the fact that I live in near the crash area, until the wrong line can get it together and run trains closer to normal that they have been I'll be taking a combination of green/yellow and buses.
ReplyDelete