Thanks Andrea.Saturday, October 30, 2010
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guest · 751 weeks ago
@kara_h · 751 weeks ago
No faith in Metro · 751 weeks ago
Dr. Sano (get it?) · 751 weeks ago
On top of that, the morning journey was awful. I am so glad Shady Grove is my closest station, so I'm right at the beginning of the Red Line. But the platform was so packed, the train was already experiencing a crush load by the time we left. The rest of the way down the Red Line, from Rockville to Dupont Circle, we had to leave most of the people waiting on the platform behind. I feel bad for those guys. Fortunately (according to the operator), there was a train right behind ours at... Medical Center, I believe. Speaking of our operator, by the time we got to D.C., I could tell he was in a bad mood. Every time we arrived at a station, he'd say: "This is the Red Line train to Glenmont. Customers on the platform, we are experiencing a crush load. It is possible that you may mot be able to board this train. If that is the case, stand back, because the doors are closing and this train is moving; there is a train behind me ready to pick you up." Whenever he'd say this, he'd say it with an irritated tone in his voice. At every other station, he'd threaten to offload us if we did not heed his words. It was especially bad at Dupont Circle, when the doors kept opening and closing repeatedly, about eight times, I think. The guy sounded like he just wanted to go home, away from the madness, and fix himself a heavy drink.
It was similar on the too-long trip home. Since this was a return load, it wasn't so bad on the operator, but I think something was wrong with her mic; it kept getting static. I was thinking we might hear music played backwards or something. When we FINALLY got to Shady Grove, she loudly stated: "ATTENTION: THIS TRAIN IS GOING OUT OF SERVICE; CUSTOMERS ON THE PLATFORM, DO NOT BOARD THIS TRAIN, IT IS GOING OUT OF SERVICE; STAND BACK AND LET PASSENGERS GET OFF, AND DO NOT BOARD THIS TRAIN; THIS TRAIN IS GOING OUT OF SERVICE..." While she was doing this, we also heard some static, plus, she had the mic on high, so this made for the LOUDEST part of the rally. What's even crazier is that as we were all lurching toward the escalators, another train pulled up as ours left, and while THAT train was offloading (except that one WAS returning to Glenmont), ANOTHER TRAIN PULLS UP. This has been by far, my worst experience on Metro.
But in the end, was it worth it? My answer is an emphatic "Hell to the yeah." I had such fun at the rally. It's like beating a really hard video game; you go through hell and back to get there, but the reward is oh so sweet. By the by, isn't it ironic how after attending the "Rally to Restore Sanity," the return trip almost drove us back to insanity?
Contradiction: Brought to you by Metro.
Sizzle · 751 weeks ago
Susan · 751 weeks ago
No faith in Metro · 751 weeks ago
(By the way: Metro personnel told us that the high people traffic had been steady all morning.) We tried to go west bound on the orange line (as many others thought to do) and remain on the train as it turned around to head east bound. However, while on the train, the announcement came on stating that the train was going out of commission at the subsequent stop due to the people volume at the Vienna station. Come on! We wasted our time, money and faith in the system. Not sure where managment was. Not sure why there was no proper forecasting and planning of the anticipated volume.
LMK&CRB · 751 weeks ago
@ekai · 751 weeks ago
No faith in Metro · 751 weeks ago
G Farabutto · 751 weeks ago
Matt G · 751 weeks ago
guest · 751 weeks ago
Mainland · 751 weeks ago
dunker · 751 weeks ago
@kara_h · 751 weeks ago
NotaWMATASympathizer · 751 weeks ago
Your excuse isn't good and very WMATA-esq. Come up with a better one.
Mainland · 751 weeks ago
Matt G · 751 weeks ago
Always Anon · 751 weeks ago
dunker · 750 weeks ago
WMATA needs help!!! · 751 weeks ago
Guess what? I have done both, and metro loses every time. Even on the bad days, driving is quicker and more reliable, and at this point costs about the same when you factor in parking at metro stations.
dunker · 750 weeks ago
Anon · 751 weeks ago
It sounds like there were significant issues with how Metro was handled on Saturday, from the escalator issues at L'Enfant to overcrowding. But we all know that trains only run every 15 minutes on the weekends and that Metro has shortened hours, unless the organizers pay for additional service. Comedy Central hadn't even planned on renting port-a-potties and tried to beg the MCM to use the ones they had rented. I don't ever want to let Metro off the hook, and I'm not trying to do that here, but I think that the lack of organization on Comedy Central's part was a huge contributor to the issues people faced in getting to the rally. No extra service and misjudged attendance is going to cause Metro issues and Comedy Central could have helped alleviate some of those.
Full disclosure: I was at work in Foggy Bottom on Saturday, so I did not go to the rally. But I had to decide whether to Metro or drive and I chose to drive, fearing issues like these. I'm glad I did and I'm glad everyone got home safe.
Doyle005 · 751 weeks ago
George B · 751 weeks ago
But the WashPost seems to be downplaying it, saying it stopped suddenly.
GlenmontGirl · 751 weeks ago
Anon · 751 weeks ago
@kara_h · 751 weeks ago
Not that the out-of-towners were any better beside their usual standing on the left. One several people behind me complained his group had to wait for 5 trains to board but I did easily. I am guessing they were the 'no, you go, I will sit on the now-empty bench' types.
Sizzle · 751 weeks ago
b. Their inability to handle the crowds was borderline scary. I had two trains break down at New York Ave. The platform was FILLED literally filled to capacity, as THREE trainloads of people were trying to get on. There should have been Metro employees up on the platform directing the crowd and instructing them. There was no one. Not a single employee. When the second relief train came, it was mob rule. People flipped trying to get on that train - we waited about 45 minutes with NO trains at NY Ave. so by the time that second relief train came, people were really sick of waiting. The rush to get on the train was scary, and I think if they had had some employees out there to yell at the panicking tourists shoving children and old ladies out of the way to get on the train, it would have been much less of a dangerous situation.
I'm not blaming the crowds on Metro, just their inability to handle them.
Lacosse Rocks · 751 weeks ago
G Farabutto · 751 weeks ago
Just because there's no entry about an incident that no one can agree on doesn't make this a "hack blog." If you've got photos or an eyewitness account, send it in and find out what happens.
Always Anon · 751 weeks ago
king friday 13 · 751 weeks ago
dunker · 750 weeks ago
graxczyl · 751 weeks ago
part 1
metro really outdid itself Saturday. I got to Bethesda about 10:45 or so, and the signage said that there would be a train in 12 minutes. One showed up in maybe 15 minutes, a 6-car train, and it was so packed, literally nobody could get on, at least in the several doors I could see. Trains were showing up and going in the other direction, so at some point, I hopped on one of those and went to Grosvenor, figuring 1) getting on out there would be easier, and 2) it was outside and I could call my friend that I was planning on meeting and tell him I was running late. When I got there, there was obviously the same sort of crowd that there was at Bethesda. ____
graxczyl · 751 weeks ago
I saw a metro employee walking on the platform, so I approached him, stood in his path, and asked him if a train was coming any time soon. He immediately said "You attacked me!". As I say, I stood in his path, but at no time did I touch him or attempt to do so. Apparently, asking a question of an uniformed metro employee is an "attack". I repeatedly said that I was not attacking him, I was asking him a very simple question. He kept insisting that I had "attacked" him. After a few rounds of this, I was pointing with my finger, either in the air or at him, I frankly don't remember. This creep obviously had a major attitude, and said "You're pointing! I don't think I like you pointing!" He finally told me he didn't have any information about when trains were running and could not get any. I suggested he use the walkie-talkie in his hand and at least try to do so, but he refused.
Dr. Sano (get it?) · 751 weeks ago
I forgot to mention: That morning, when we entered Shady Grove, there was a line leading into the station as far back as the garage.
graxczyl · 751 weeks ago
A couple trains showed up and were taken out of service, but they did not turn around and show up empty to head downtown - "out of service" meant out of service, apparently. Eventually, a train showed up, maybe another one as well, and it was (or they were) as packed as the one at Bethesda. I finally took another train on out to White Flint, and finally managed to get on the end car of a train. (It looked like the first few cars were stuffed to the max.) Heading downtown, I noted at noon that I was at Bethesda, where my long strange trip began an hour and a quarter earlier.
I ride metro to and from work every work day, and I am pretty much stuck with that situation. But I will never, ever, ever (ever, ever.....ever) count on metro to get me to any sort of large event downtown or anywhere else. We avoid the 4th of July downtown for that reason and skipped the inaugaration last year for the same reason. The system is lousy on a daily basis and a disaster for a major event.
dunker · 750 weeks ago
Kat · 751 weeks ago
My friend and I went to braddock and while we did have to wait a few trains, we did get on an BL to Largo (we decided to "play it safe" instead of waiting for the YL that was directly behind and we didn't know how crowded it would be. Our BL train was crowded, but no worse than rush hour. We had to fuss to get people to move to the center area between doors to fit a few more people, but it worked. Everyone around is was nice, both the locals and out of towners. We eventually got off at Federal Triangle and walked b/c the train kept stopping in the tunnels and figured walking would be quicker.
To get home, we hopped the YL at Gallery Place. Easy enough. At L'enfant, there was a surge of people and we were squished. My sunglasses got knocked off my head and both lenses fell out. We were at the end of the car so the guys on the bench right behind me picked them up and put them back together for me. The worst part of that ride was having nothing to hold on to and bracing against the momentum of the crowd/train.
Also, trains were definitely on a "regular", not reduced fair or weekend schedule (at least in South Arlington) which really helped. yeah, metro was crowded, but in my experience, people were nice and that made all the difference.
Guest · 751 weeks ago
Erica · 751 weeks ago
dunker · 750 weeks ago