Unsuck DC Metro: How'd Metro Do?

Thursday, January 27, 2011

How'd Metro Do?

Via @jessy6341 Where stranded #WMATA buses go to die. #McLeanGardens http://yfrog.com/h7a3udj

Via @BeeZales 3 buses stuck on Connecticut Ave @unsuckdcmetro #wmata Glad I decided to walk instead. http://twitpic.com/3tpou5

Metro got off to a shaky start during yesterday's storm, but by the end of the commute, it was better to be on the rails than on the roads.

From Frustrated (Usually, but not Tonight) on the Orange Line:

I complain about Metro a lot, but tonight Metro was positively a breeze compared to what happened (is still happening) on the roads.

Leaving Farragut West at 6:15 p.m., it took less than an hour to get to Vienna.

So, kudos Metro! This almost makes up for all the commutes you've screwed up for me in the past.

The buses were another story, but there were several mentions on Twitter of bus drivers doing their absolute utmost to battle the elements and deliver their passengers safely.

@huetteman Metro bus driver just stopped, got out, and helped push a stuck car out of the way on an icy hill. What a woman!

One has to wonder if OPM, which seems decision averse, is at least partially to blame for Metro's initial suck spasm. Did they give Metro enough time to prepare for early release?

How was your commute?

Comments (49)

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+2 Vote up Vote down

ps240389 · 739 weeks ago

My boyfriend took the Orange Line home from Metro Center to Ballston at rush hour. It was a normal commute for him: He said the worst part of his commute was the walk outside, and his time spent on the train was not too different than most other days (~30 minutes).

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Lisa · 739 weeks ago

Metro was a breeze...but the lines for the buses at Pentagon City stretched for what seemed like miles, and there were long waits between busses. After finally getting on one, we crept along at about .5 miles per hour; took about half an hour to go two blocks. Coming up the hill by the Air Force Memorial on Columbia Pike, things just stopped. Cars were stuck, swerving, spinning their wheels. After waiting for another half hour or so, everybody just got out and began to walk home. I passed another two busses that had been stuck in the mush on the hill, also emptied of passengers. On the other hand, I kind of enjoyed the walk home.

3 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

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Joe · 739 weeks ago

the bus from pentagon city was non-existant last night. i started walking home and as i turned onto s. joyce from army navy i saw why. there was a line of buses and cars stuck wrapping onto columbia pike all the way to the interchange with washington blvd and a little past there. six or seven 16 buses were there. i walked home in about 45 minutes but never had a bus pass me. seems like the slight uphill nature of that stretch caused some cars to get stuck which trapped all the traffic behind it for about a mile.

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Lisa · 739 weeks ago

Yep, you must have been behind me!

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Kate · 739 weeks ago

I had been on one of those buses by the Air Force Memorial...walked a good mile or so in the slush and ice without boots (I hadn't planned on having to hike home!) until I found a cab that could take me closer to my house. And not a moment too soon, I couldn't feel my feet.

Now if I could get my $1.70 bus fare back...

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vanceastro 111p · 739 weeks ago

Left work at 3 to get on Metro at Rosslyn. Waited 15 minutes for the first Orange Line train as the platform filled up. A 6 car train pulled in packed to the gills and not a single person got off. Everyone already on was jammed in like sardines, but this didn't stop one intrepid (idiotic) soul from trying to fit JUST ONE MORE.

Waited another 8 minutes for an 8 car train and everyone who could jammed themselves aboard. From leaving work to making it home, took about an hour, so not bad considering how wretched it was on I-66.

This morning was floored to see OPM had declared a 2 hour delay. This, with trees and power lines down in my neighborhood, barricades in the road, and still ice and snow on the secondary roads. After battling to make it to the beautifully empty Metro parking lot, I climbed aboard a nearly empty Metro car for the ride back in.

Just watched as a chunk of ice tore off our building and nearly brained an Asian girl walking along the sidewalks 24 floors below, so I'm really happy to be coming in to work right now...

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William · 739 weeks ago

Metrorail wasn't bad actually. Red Line at metro center was over crowded, had to wait for 4 trains to go by before I could get on.

Biggest failure of the night was getting off at Bethesda to take the J9 to Lakeforest Mall. That bus ride took 5 hours - we parked at Medical Center (I really wish I had gotten off and back on the rail system there) while there was another J9 parked at Medical Center waiting to be dug out. (We eventually passed that bus on 270)

Last night's driver of bus #6208 Route J9 to Lakeforest did a fantastic job of keeping his calm after that 5-hour ordeal. The bus got stuck several times on I-270 N, but not once did I hear shouts of frustration come from the front of the bus which wasn't crowded at all. At my stop, I thanked him, even then, he still maintained a smile. Might have been a smile of relief that the run was almost over. Hope he was able to get home safely last night.

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Todd · 739 weeks ago

Last night my bus took 90 minutes - but the driver carefully inched along, picked up as many people as could cram onto the bus, and we all got to our destinations safely. The trip in this morning was easier than usual - guess a lot of people are taking advantage of the two-hour delay or working from home.

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VeggieTart · 739 weeks ago

Normally, I ride two buses home. Yesterday, I caught Metro at Rosslyn, rode to McPherson Square, and caught an S9 there. The Metro ride was smooth--I left work around 4:30--but once I caught my bus, it was a NIGHTMARE to get home. The bus creeped along, as traffic was jammed, and idiots were blocking intersections. A bunch of us finally got off about a block before our stop at Euclid and walked up the hill. What normally would be a commute of 30 to 45 minutes (Metro and bus) took 90.

Today, I waited at least 20 minutes for a bus, watching two pass the stop before a fairly full bus pulled up. As it crept down the road, jammed with people, I know it passed some stops. Metrorail (again) was painless)

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Autumn · 739 weeks ago

I normally loathe metro but I have to say they did a bang up job last night. I took the red line home with no issues and only a very minor delay due to single tracking.

My commute this morning via bus was a bit slower than usual, which was expected, the driver was courteous and waited at stops patiently for people who were scurrying to make the bus.

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Guest · 739 weeks ago

I would like to know why OPM provided a 2 hour delay because it did not help - and how I can complain to OPM. Metro buses were not servicing all their routes this morning, and Metro's "Next Bus" feature was not accurate. WIthout being able to rely on Metro buses to actually get to work, OPM made a bad decision, which aids in making Metro look bad.

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Guest · 739 weeks ago

No problems for me last night. Since I'm a contractor, if I left early I would have had to use my personal leave. So I worked a little late, went out for a drink after work and got on Metro around 5:30. No delays, and the trains weren't packed.

This morning the College Park parking garage looked abandoned, but the trains ran smoothly.

And I saw something amazing in Union station today - repairmen were actually working on a broken escalator!

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anonymous · 739 weeks ago

Hey Unsuck-

Maybe you can submit a Blog on VDOT, DDOT and MDOT's poor recovery and planning for storms/road clean up.

I heard a guy was in halted beltway traffic with a newborn for hours.

3 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

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CarlSpackler · 739 weeks ago

Not really VDOT, DDOT, or MDOT's fault. When you have a bajillion cars spill onto the roadway at the same time, there's no room for plows to do their job.

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emacco · 738 weeks ago

Totally agree with you Spackler!

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Guest · 739 weeks ago

A GUY gave birth?!!!!!

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More is More · 739 weeks ago

I think Metro did a fantastic job getting people home last night. Finally, something to commend them for!

As for the rest of DC's services... not so much. The power in my apartment complex went out around 8:30PM last night. It was still out when I left for work this morning (and yes, I was quite surprised by OPM's 2-hour delay as well). Since my entire home runs on electricity, that means I've been without power, heat, or hot water for going on 14 hours now. And Pepco's response: "We're trying but can't make any promises". *sigh*

Good job Metro!

3 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

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Anon · 739 weeks ago

This storm knocked out the power for 25% of their customers. Do you think they have a magic wand to fix all the broken power lines and fallen trees immediately? These things take time. Have reasonable expectations.... or cry about it.

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More is More · 739 weeks ago

So... we can be upset about Metro and the rest of the DMV's DDOTs when they aren't prepared for an impending storm but Pepco's exempt?

Do you work for Pepco? Is that why you're so sensitive?!?

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Anon · 738 weeks ago

No, but I did see an employee of theirs trimming a tree branch off a downed power line outside my house at 3am. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that damaged infrastructure takes time to repair. Some people have just an insane sense of entitlement these days. Makes me think you weren't raised right.

I don't know what thread you've been reading but most of the comments here have been positive.

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Shawn · 739 weeks ago

Got into the Dupont Circle Glenmont side of the redline at about 10:00 PM and didn't ave a train come for about 45 minutes. Sign kept flashing random times and then on the next cycle through would either have no listing or no minute estimation. I understand that late at night we're going to have to wait a little longer (15...20 minutes) but to have to wait 45 minutes was a bit drastic. Just about everyone around me was complaining about the same fact either to each other or those they were on the phone with...

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JacksonsGirl · 739 weeks ago

I left school *in Rosslyn* at around 1pm. Caught the orange line to Metro center and that ride was smooth. My only "issue" with Metro was that I ran to catch a red line to Shady Grove, which had: Shady Grove written on it and stopped and unloaded at Friendship Heights. That was really my only issue. And I didn't mind because Friendship heights is inside. My mom took the red line later from Twinbrook around 4pm and then a bus. She said the only issue with the bus was that it was packed and a lot of people had to stand up. Which isn't really any issue. I am very happy with Metro at this moment! My poor friend who goes to another school here in Gaithersburg started home at around 3pm and didn't get home in VA until 2:30am. Poor girl. :(

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Ummm · 739 weeks ago

Metro wasn't interested in the early release. They said so. They announced they'd be running a regular schedule even though most of their riders were getting out two hours early.

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Frequent commuter · 739 weeks ago

I got on the red line towards Glenmont in Rockville yesterday around 2:30pm, and things weren't too bad. Of course as we got downtown, farragut north, metro center, and gallery place were full of riders anxious to get on our already full train. We all held our breath at every station wondering how everyone would fit, while the train operator assured people that there were empty trains directly behind us. When I switched to the green line, the train operator threatened to offload each time the doors would not close, while advising people not to attempt to overcrowd the already crowded train. I would have thought that metro would run more trains knowing that people would get off early or try to get home early since the storm would get worse, but what do I know? To metro's credit, all of my buses were on time, the drivers drove slowly and allowed everyone to sit before pulling off, they tried to let passengers off where sidewalks looked clearer, and other riders were helping people get on and off the bus if they looked like they were struggling. I had no issues at all in that area.

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A.N. Onymous · 739 weeks ago

I am pretty quick to complain about metro, but yesterday evening and this morning, metro did fine by me, anyway.

Yesterday, I was late getting the word that we could leave early and wound up leaving at my more-or-less normal time, about 4:40. I caught a train quickly, and actually had time to get off at Van Ness, run an errand, get back on another train quickly, and get to Bethesda in time to catch a 5:30 #30 ride-on bus or my backup, a 5:36 #47 bus. If either bus had been running, that is.

Today, with ride-on buses apparently taking half the morning off, I walked towards Old Georgetown Road to hopefully catch a J2 metro bus, with my thumb out hitchhiking in case someone would take pity on me. Someone heading to Georgetown did, and gave me a ride to Tenleytown. There, I caught a train almost as soon as I got there, and it made the trip to Union Station without interruption.

As far as I can recall, even the escalators were working. Don't get me started on Ride-on, though....

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Meredith · 739 weeks ago

I ran into a friend at Foggy Bottom taking the orange line who hadn't been able to get on yet bc the trains were so full, but there's really not much that can be done when the federal government releases early. I was taking the blue line and I had an easy commute out to Springfield. It took a little bit longer than usual (about an hour versus 35-45 minutes) but that was ok with me. Our driver was reminding people to make their transfers at underground stations if possible to avoid the conditions and letting everyone know that the platforms were in bad shape and to avoid the front (uncovered) cars if possible.

Getting out of the Springfield parking garage took one hour and 15 minutes because everyone was trying to leave at the same time. The fare gates eventually were put up and we started moving. I don't know if it was a malfunction or a decision, but it was a good thing.

I then sat in my car for 6.5 hours for a 12 mile drive up 7100, but that's not Metro's fault (nor really anyone else's).

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DcGuy · 739 weeks ago

One minor complaint about the S Line yesterday afternoon. We waited at 16th and M for about 45 mins and had at least 5 buses blow by. The thing was, they all appeared to have some room for additional passengers. It wasn't the end of the world, but if those buses had stopped and taken 3-5 people apiece, the commute for a lot of folks would have been easier. Ended up walking home which turned out to be fine.
Sounds like the rail system was great last night, so kudos to Metro for that.

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Just me · 739 weeks ago

I had a few drinks with some friends then got on the Orange line around 6:00 and had a fast ride to Ballston, same this morning. The wait was just a little longer than normal both times and not too crowded.

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Tired Commuter · 739 weeks ago

How was my commute? How was my commute? No problems on the trains from Union Station to Pentagon.

Then I got on a 16 Bus at 5:40 pm, and the fun began.

The bus made it to the Air Force memorial (took about 30 minutes, usually less than 5 from Pentagon to the memorial). For those of you unfamiliar with the area, the memorial sits on a large hill. At the bottom of that hill, our bus simply stopped. It remained stopped for 15 minutes, and showed absolutely no signs of moving. Out the front window, we could see a line of six other buses stopped, and not moving. No announcement from the driver about what was going on.

We started seeing people get offloaded from the buses in front, so I decided to get off and walk. I figured I'd walk until they resolved whatever the problem was, and then get on at a stop up the line --- at least, I thought that until I saw what the problem was.

The hill outside Air Force memorial (and, consequently, pretty much all of Columbia Pike) was a solid sheet of ice. No 16 bus outbound from Pentagon down Columbia Pike was ever going to get up that hill. No attempt was made to reroute, and apparently no attempt was made to advise passengers of the situation. I live at Jefferson Street and had the joy of walking the 3 miles from the memorial to my apartment, through a snowstorm.

Arlington County deserves as much blame as Metro, but I checked WMATA's website throughout the day yesterday, and the only announcement on that site up to the time I left work at 4:30 was "We anticipate normal service." I hate Metro so much.

2 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

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Joolz · 739 weeks ago

"No announcement was made...." Please, Metro employees, communicate with the riders. Tell us the anticipated length of the delay; explain the reason for the delay. You're transporting human beings who are interested in these things. Communicating with us will go a long way toward changing people's perceptions of Metro. (And I don't mean droning PSAs, I mean brief, timely announcements containing necessary information.)

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HJk · 738 weeks ago

Also, we, the riders, know that non eof this is your fault. We can't blame YOU for ice, sleet ... just be honest with us and tell us what's up.

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julio · 739 weeks ago

I think OPM should have closed at noon so that people could have accessed mass transit earlier in the day. I was at Dupont yesterday morning for the fire and ended up catching the circulator from dupont to Rosslyn. I decided since there was still a delay on the redline listed at 3pm to catch the ciruculator back to dupont. As we were driving through georgetown, everything went to crap weatherwise in about 20 mins. If I had not made it onto that 3pm bus, it would have taken me two hours to get home at least because I could tell the road condtions were getting bad and there were more people on the road than prior.

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Tom T. · 739 weeks ago

Route 50 in Virginia was jammed for miles, and a big part of that was the stranded Metrobuses blocking multiple lanes on every slight incline. I understand wanting to keep the buses running, but trying to do so made the road commute much worse than it had to be.

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Hostagehoosier · 739 weeks ago

This was about hour 1 of my seven hour commute to Loudoun Count. I bailed a Fairfax Connector bus at Whiele Ave after being on the bus for 4 hours. I walked up the toll road, hitchhiked in Reston, and then waited for my husband at a McDonalds in Herndon.

I bet I would have been stuck on that bus for another 4 hours if I hadn't bailed.

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@deafinthecity · 739 weeks ago

Why are we giving credit to wmata for doing THEIR JOB?

It was smooth sailing during the commute home yesterday but somehow they can't pull it together during normal rush hours? GTFOWTBS

My boss didn't let me out until 4pm and it was nasty walking to the station. Thankfully, I caught the Alexandria Dash and go home at 5pm.

This morning, I was expecting to have a snow day but we had a 2 hour delay. Come to find out my bldg does not have power so I just wasted $2.60 going back and forth.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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GDopplerXT · 739 weeks ago

They should get credit because it was far from business as usual, especially on the buses. I agree that generally speaking they should do better when it *is* business as usual but that doesn't mean they shouldn't get credit for doing a good job under adverse conditions.

Sorry about your $2.60 but that's hardly Metro's fault. Not sure why you mentioned it here.

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Kat · 739 weeks ago

I would give the bus drivers an A+ grade for dedication and patience. I give the Metro administration a flat F for not informing riders that they had suddenly decided to run buses only on snow routes. I had friends who waited for buses that never showed up.

My ride was a bit inconvenient but otherwise okay. I left at 4:00 pm and it took an hour for my S bus to go from 11th street to 16th street! I gave up at Dupont Circle and walked the rest of the way. This morning, one S bus goes by my stop at 7:00 am, and that bus driver crammed as many passengers as possible. He said that the fueling station for the buses had lost power, so the drivers had to wait for buses to come from another fueling depot. There were plenty of drivers but no buses. He could only get us as far as McPherson Square, but it was better than nothing..

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Marcela · 739 weeks ago

After hearing my auto-commuter colleagues' horror stories about going home during the storm yesterday, kudos to metro for a smooth ride home last evening.

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Me1 · 739 weeks ago

I don't get it, why does metro not put chains on their buses when the weather forecast is rain/freezing rain/sleet/snow/sleet/snow/heavy snow/very heavy snow? I have an idea (bus maint. employees are too lazy and inept to affix chains), but it really needs to be addressed. I've heard from one employee who said it tears the roads up. Umm, no, it doesn't, as other cities who routinely use chains will tell you.

3 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

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GDopplerXT · 739 weeks ago

I know nothing about snow chains, but I would guess two things:

1) It's not practical or cost-effective to equip an entire fleet of buses with snow chains that are only needed very occasionally for a few hours.

2) The benefit of snow chains on buses would be somewhat minimal when operating on city/suburban streets that are crowded with vehicles that are not similarly equipped.

I know what blog I'm on, but still I think it's a bit cynical if employee laziness and ineptitude are the only two you can think of.

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Steve · 738 weeks ago

Chains are very inexpensive, even bus chains, and very easy to affix, simply lay them on the ground, drive the bus five over them, and attach the clips. They give a bus much added grip when dealing with icy and snowy situations. I've used them on a few different cars and trucks while living in northern states and they've always helped greatly when you got the the point where your tire tread wasn't doing much. Many of the buses were actually sliding and stranded, not just waiting for cars to be moved. Also, cost never seems to be an actual prohibitor, I mean this is Metro, after all! More likely: administrators are too scared to implement a safety/function feature such as chaining the tires of buses because the union would balk at the additional work.

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unsuckdcmetro 92p · 738 weeks ago

Metro says chains are illegal "in this area" and not sold.

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krikket · 739 weeks ago

While i was going through the commute from hell last night (5.25 hours from Bethesda to Alexandria), there were many bright spots, passengers joking and eager to share their stories of our commute, the people i met standing in line for 2 hours at the Pentagon were a blast. The old saying "misery loves company" was very much in evidence..lol. The two low spots were a broken down 170 step escalator at Bethesda, and being off loaded at Metro Center. (The clerks at Macys Metro Center, where i took a quick break, were all anxious to leave but courteous and helpful.)

The brightest star, however, belongs to the substitute bus driver, Mr. Anthony Smith, who went above and beyond the call of duty in getting us home on the No. 8 route, or at least close to it. He was patient, funny, and beyond competent. I made sure to get his employee ID number so I can write to his supervisors to let them know what a jewel they have in him. We passed numerous car accidents and 1 bus accident, 2 buses stuck on a hill prompted a 180 degree turn to take an alternate route...and he didn't complain once.

By the time I arrived home I was exhausted, and hurt so bad I could hardly see straight, but it could have been worse...much worse. So..thanks y'all...and thanks Mr. Smith.

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4cops · 739 weeks ago

I also take the Pentagon Rt daily. I talk the Bus Drivers whom states all . run out of Four Mile Base off Glebe Rd. the driver protest and told Mangers that it was unsafe to driver and pubilc and bus service should been cancel. I called Four Mile Bus and to talk manenent and staed no one was there. I talked same driver today and staed Yes there where "Fats Cats' in office all day no return call. Sometimes its not Bus driver by Lack Leadership at top to make smart call

4 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

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horseydeucey · 738 weeks ago

Holy shit, I know few care for grammatical nitpicking but that was incomprehensible. What in the hell are you trying to say?

Maybe you should learn to speak rebus.

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emacco · 738 weeks ago

LOL!

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Lisa · 738 weeks ago

Yeah, WHAT?!?!?

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4cops · 738 weeks ago

It not allways the Bus Drivers, but Bad Leardership from the Top. Some worse Bus Drivers ever, are now in upper management. In fact if your are an "YES" worker or an "Asskisser" you can and will move up fast in Metro!!