Metro is good at one thing: excuses. Although, honestly, this popular January excuse doesn't seem to make much sense. There are a few other gems if you scroll below the "we were late because we were late" examples, including a doozy.
Jan. 7
8:13 a.m. A Red Line train at Twinbrook was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain schedule.
Jan. 8
6:31 a.m. An Orange Line train at Metro Center in the direction of Vienna was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
Jan. 11
7:15 a.m. A Red Line train at Grosvenor in the direction of Shady Grove was delayed because the operator could not maintain the schedule.
Jan. 12
8:43 a.m. A Red Line train at Farragut North in the direction of Shady Grove was delayed because the operator could not maintain the schedule.
5 p.m. An Orange Line train at Vienna was put into service late because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
6:29 p.m. A Red Line train at Union Station in the direction of Glenmont was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
Jan. 14
6:36 a.m. A Green Line train at Mt Vernon Square in the direction of Branch Avenue was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
1:03 p.m. A Yellow Line train at Huntington was put into service late because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
1:11 p.m. A Blue Line train at Franconia-Springfield was put into service late because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
3:39 p.m. A Blue Line train at Stadium Armory in the direction of Largo Town Center was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
9 p.m. A Blue Line train at Braddock Road in the direction of Largo Town Center was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
Jan. 15
1:30 p.m. An Orange Line train at New Carrollton was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
Jan. 18
4:34 p.m. An Orange Line train in the direction of Federal Center in the direction of Vienna was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
Jan. 19
5:06 p.m. An Orange Line train at West Falls Church in the direction of Vienna was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
7:12 p.m. An Orange Line train at West Falls Church in the direction of Vienna was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
Jan. 21
5:59 a.m. An Orange Line train at Vienna was put into service late because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
7:58 a.m. A Red Line train at Friendship Heights in the direction of Shady Grove was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
1:50 p.m. A Green Line train at Anacostia in the direction of Branch Avenue was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
Jan. 22
12:23 p.m. An Orange Line train at Vienna was put into service late because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
12:51 p.m. An Orange Line train at Vienna was put into service late because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
11:17 p.m. A Red Line train at Farragut North in the direction of Glenmont was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
Jan. 25
3:57 p.m. A Red Line train at Grosvenor in the direction of Shady Grove was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
5:54 p.m. A Blue Line train at Largo Town Center was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
6:03 p.m. A Blue Line train at Franconia Springfield was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
Jan. 26
3:43 p.m. An Orange Line train at West Falls Church in the direction of Vienna was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
5:06 p.m. An Orange Line train at West Falls Church in the direction of Vienna was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
Jan. 27
6:23 a.m. An Orange Line train at Rosslyn in the direction of New Carrollton was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
Jan. 28
7:38 a.m. A Red Line train at Friendship Height in the direction of Shady Grove was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
1:20 p.m. A Red Line train at Silver Spring in the direction of Shady Grove was delayed because the operator was unable to maintain the schedule.
Other notable delays:
Jan. 12
5:36 p.m. A Red Line train at Judiciary Square in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of [Its misery? Yep, that was it.]
Jan. 25
11:41 a.m. A Red Line train at Silver Spring in the direction of Glenmont was delayed because the operator overran a red signal on the track.
Feb. 2
6:31 a.m. A Red Line train at Woodley Park in the direction of Shady Grove was delayed because of reported body fluids. The car was isolated and the train continued in service.
Other items:
Acquisition of 7000-series cars inches closer (WTOP)
Feds already pumping over $300 million/year into Metro (Examiner)
Metro workers ride for free (Examiner)
Dear Metro.
ReplyDeleteHow dare you spend American tax payer dollars and rider dollars (given the nature of the ridership subisdies also mainly American tax payer dollars) on manufacturers overseas for the purchase of the 7000 series cars.
Either find an American manufacturer or piss off.
Dear Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteWe make so few railcars here in the US it's hard to find a manufacturer to do a good job. Maybe if we had a rail transportation system that actually had funding there would be enough manufacturing to do it.
There are "Buy America" provisions for Federal Transportation dollars, but if there isn't a viable manufacturer, they can be changed.
Also, fares don't fund capital improvements, so no rider dollars are at stake.
Dear Anon @ 9:41,
ReplyDeleteReally? The Rust belt manufacturing sector that has seen thousands of layoffs doesn't have the manufacturing and tool and die experience to build rail cars?
GM doesn't have the idled factories capable of being upgraded to produce such products? Given that GM is 64% taxpayer owned I think we have both the expertise and incentive to Buy American at this time of employment crisis.
$3 billion in rail car purchases, subsidized by $300 million in fed funding a year...I think it's worthwhile to develop such expertise don't you?
Take heart, CAF & Alstom, if either win, have large manufacturing plants in upstate New York where these rail cars would likely be built/assembled.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 10:06A:
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure you understand how bidding works.
WMATA released an RFP (Request for Proposals) some time ago. Anyone who makes railcars and who is qualified to do so can bid on the project. If no American company bids, WMATA can't select one.
If GM wants to make railcars, all they have to do is, well, bid. Simple, no?
Don't blame WMATA. Blame GM or Ford, or whoever it is you think should be turning car factories into train factories.
Maintain the schedule? What schedule?
ReplyDeleteAnon @9:02: Please found an American company that builds good subway cars and submit a competitive bid for the next car procurement, or, as you so nicely put it, "piss off."
ReplyDeleteI don't care where metro gets the cars from, as long as they get them fast, and as long as they work safely.
There are no American-made cars to buy that will work on this metro system. It's not a choice, it's a sad fact.
ReplyDeleteDoes being put in service late due to operator not able to maintain schedule mean they overslept? Hit a red light or two? Oh wait! I forgot - red lights on the tracks don't count. Musta overslept. ;-D
the redundant excuse is the groundwork being laid for Metro to blame the union and reinstate computer control to metro rail.
ReplyDeleteIs it interesting they fail to give the reasons the train drivers are late.
ReplyDeleteIs it "bobbing" track circuits or speed readout problems, back ups, door problems, OCC holding trains to keep space between trains, loosing speed readouts, all trains are late due to a prior incident (sick customer, down train, door problem).
I would like how they use a train driver as a "scape goat".
If a train driver is intentionally late the train driver would be taken out of service by a supervisor and re-instructed and/or disciplined.
So Metro should give more information.
By the way there is "a schedule" which has never been changed since day 1 as far as I know.
Metro actually has a schedule?
ReplyDelete