Unsuck DC Metro: Green Line Meltdown Open Thread

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Green Line Meltdown Open Thread

Photo via Ryan

The Green Line delivered another oh-so-Metro commute this morning. It was so bad Metro even issued an apology!

What do folks make of that?

What were your experiences out there today?

Here's a classic tweet from this morning:

@sosarahsays Green line is a disaster. Station manager told me "we have no idea where the trains are." Great. #walking @unsuckdcmetro

And here are some questions Ryan has for Metro about the delays:

I waited 30 minutes for a southbound train. I kept hearing announcements to be patient, a train is coming soon, etc. If WMATA knows a train won’t be coming for the foreseeable future, why not just announce it? I could have taken a bus or cab. Above is a photo of the helpful information provided to riders about the delay.
The trains were single tracking. During my 30-minute wait for a southbound train to downtown, there were four northbound trains. This seems weird. When trains are single-tracked during morning rush hour, shouldn't Metro focus on getting people downtown instead of to the suburbs?
When the southbound train finally came, it was packed. That's no surprise, given the wait. As the conductor closes the doors, he announced with a loud sigh: “Here we go again. I keep telling y’all --watch the doors, watch your personal items. It's an eight car train people." Etc. Why would the conductor chide people who just waited for half an hour? Surely he realizes the train would be unusually crowded due to the long wait, right?

Comments (30)

Logging you in...

Dashboard | Edit profile | Logout

Logged in as

+3 Vote up Vote down

Sizzle · 717 weeks ago

I usually hit the Metro around 7-7:15 at Silver Spring. I had gotten an alert at 6 that morning that the GL was messed up at Fort Totten (where I transfer on a daily basis from Red to Green).

Because they said the single tracking was going on between Ft. Totten and U St, I stayed on the Red Line to go down to Gallery Place. Got halfway between Ft. Totten and Brookland and the train stopped dead for about 10 minutes, with no communication from the driver, of course. Then he flashed the lights and said the train wasn't servicing NY Ave or Rhode Island Ave stations and was going straight through to Union Station. There was a problem on the Red Line and they had to single track between those stations.

It usually takes me between 30-45 min to get from Silver Spring to Navy Yard in the morning. Today it took almost 90. I can't believe they can get away with charging people to use their piss poor system. What a disgrace.

3 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

Sizzle · 717 weeks ago

In Metro's defense, when I did get to Gallery Place to transfer to Green, the first train that came along was totally empty so they must've thrown a new one in there at some point.

0 Vote up Vote down

Mimi · 717 weeks ago

I was at Silver Spring this morning, too at 7am... The redline single tracking at Rhode Island really threw me off. The conductor even said he doesn't know if our train would be moving next... I'm grateful it only was a 10 minute delay and I didn't have to transfer.

0 Vote up Vote down

Red Line · 717 weeks ago

Yes- also was thrown off due to unexpected single tracking on the Red Line.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Kara · 717 weeks ago

So that is why the red line was so packed this morning!

Advice to metro: give out refunds to people at rush hour when there is a major problem. Or at least communicate with us at the time and let us out of the station!

2 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

0 Vote up Vote down

guest · 717 weeks ago

whenever that guy jumped off the mezzanine at grosvenor a few yrs ago and backed the trains up to NJ, i was astounded to see they *did* knock the faregates back to completely off-off-peak rates, and they even knocked $.75 off the parking gates at that end.

i take it nothing similar this morning? :(

0 Vote up Vote down

Kara · 717 weeks ago

No, but I did not try to exit at my entrance gate.

+8 Vote up Vote down

VeteranRider · 717 weeks ago

Sounds like a nightmare all around - good luck getting home!
I would like to point out one thing: When you are waiting for a southbound train to get downtown, and see northbound trains - be aware that those northbound trains also were bringing also people into downtown, from a whole different part of the region from where you are. Yes, you should have have service, but people at the south end of the Green line shouldn't be begrudged their service. Just a thought.

+11 Vote up Vote down

Anon · 717 weeks ago

I love how Metro was able to get the PIDs to display a link to their stupid new site, but they can't get them to display information that would actually be handy.

Also, why are those PIDS not outside so I can see them BEFORE i decide to pay??

2 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

+3 Vote up Vote down

roadwest · 717 weeks ago

very good Idea !

+1 Vote up Vote down

mike · 717 weeks ago

Doesn't matter-
The PID at King street station, Alexandria has been broken for at least 4 weeks.
It is located outside the fare gates, but I guess the same "experienced" Metro workers that service the escalators also service the PIDs :-(

+15 Vote up Vote down

Daniel · 717 weeks ago

Was waiting at a packed U Street station this morning around 7:30 when the station manager announced there was a Branch Ave-bound train apporaching the platform, and to please step back. Full train arrives, slows down, and proceeds to speed out of the station.

Announcer: ...Or maybe not. There's another train at georgia ave now, arriving in 4min. If it stops, it stops; if it don't, it don't.

She continued to make comments like "I dunno what's going on today" and giving us updates as the train approached.

Train arrives, announcer says "yay! it's here. y'all have a good one."

Didn't appreciate the delays, but enjoyed the peanut gallery comment from the station manager..

+4 Vote up Vote down

Alex B. · 717 weeks ago

Hate to bring up the obvious, but:

The trains were single tracking. During my 30-minute wait for a southbound train to downtown, there were four northbound trains. This seems weird. When trains are single-tracked during morning rush hour, shouldn't Metro focus on getting people downtown instead of to the suburbs?

There are two ends to each line - and the trains have to keep moving through. Those northbound trains were also headed downtown, just from the other direction. Once they got there, you have to move them out of the way so other trains can come in.

2 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

mike · 717 weeks ago

You make the rash assumption that Metro Cares :-)

0 Vote up Vote down

Red Line · 717 weeks ago

I think OP was saying that in terms of which trains are given priority to move through the single tracking area first....and that if any "direction" gets two or more trains in a row through before the other direction, then it should be in the direction of downtown, whether that happens to be northbound or southbound from the station.

+2 Vote up Vote down

· 717 weeks ago

OK so the guy got tripped over the words. The broader point here is why all the trains in one direction? why one closer to 1:1?

2 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

Alex B. · 717 weeks ago

1:1 adds to the delay.

Think of a single lane bridge. It's far easier to have cars stop and wait and then go through in a bunch all in one direction than it is to sit and alternate one after another, particularly if the single-track section is quite long.

0 Vote up Vote down

bark · 717 weeks ago

This is true, however, it's sad it takes so long to get a few trains through a tunnel when they only sit on the platform for maybe 30 seconds.

+5 Vote up Vote down

sir sorry · 717 weeks ago

I just know they're gonna start charging for apologies!

+2 Vote up Vote down

Soylent Green Line · 717 weeks ago

Metro Forward!!! Keep up the great work, WMATA!

+4 Vote up Vote down

Ryan · 717 weeks ago

I'm the OP. Yes, I tripped over my words -- I realize the northbound trains were at one point headed downtown. I was more perplexed at why there seemed to be so many trains going northbound. But Alex B.'s explanation seems to make sense -- thanks!

+13 Vote up Vote down

ANONYMOUs · 717 weeks ago

Hey c'mon guys!

I thought Metro did a great job this morning.

You see, there was this horrible meeting planned at work, and because of the delay, I missed it!

I waltzed into the office moments after it broke up with an iron clad excuse for not having been there.

All I had to do was sorta look down at the floor and say "Metro" to my boss, and all was forgiven.

Sweetness!

Thanks, Metro!

+3 Vote up Vote down

jrutter21 · 717 weeks ago

The yellow line has been shit all week! I haven't waited less than 8 minutes during the "peak of peak" rush hour (830) all week! Tried tweeting Stessel but he's napping on the job.

+1 Vote up Vote down

ALevin · 717 weeks ago

It was absolutely horrendous this morning. There were multiple cars going northbound but none going southbound. The question isn't why weren't there cars going in both directions, but where were these northbound cars disappearing to? I waited 45 minutes at Georgia Ave. for a southbound train and that baby was PACKED. We even watched as the PID indicated a train was coming, only to have it switch its signs to 'No Passengers' and speed right past the station. My fifteen minute commute turned into an hour and fifteen minutes. What the hell metro?

0 Vote up Vote down

Kara · 717 weeks ago

So what was their excuse on the red line his evening?

-1 Vote up Vote down

ASO · 717 weeks ago

He's probably chiding the riders because even though the wait has been endless, I've found my fellow riders don't care about each other. THEY have to get to work, so THEY are getting on THIS train no matter what. Rarely do I see people stop and think that cramming onto the train might break the doors and make everyone even later than they already are. Of course the driver knows the train will be crowded- the better question is why the people on the platform can't be a little more considerate. I know waiting sucks, but it's better than forcing a train to offload when the whole line is already shot to Hell. I know that makes me sound b*tchy, but I've been in that situation before, and it just makes things worse.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

-2 Vote up Vote down

Kara · 717 weeks ago

Maybe because crowded platforms are dangerous? Or that you are not the only person in a hurry?

Honestly, you sound like someone with a seat complaining about standees.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Frequent red-liner · 717 weeks ago

I would love for the conductors to quit lying about the trains ring "directly" behind us when we offload. I don't know if they really believe that, if they are just trained to say that, or they just don't care. I was fortunate to miss most of the green line trouble, but when I arrived at gallery place to transfer to the red line, I waited 8 minutes and watched two grovesnor trains go by. When a shady grove train finally came, it was smooth sailing until Cleveland park, where the conductor announced that the train would be offloading at van ness, all the while assuring us that a shady grove train was directly behind us. 13 minutes and two grovesnor trains went by, and we were still standing there. I guess directly behind us means somewhere on this same track, in this system.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Ted · 717 weeks ago

This is not new. I've had that happen to me on the red line last year when I was heading into metro center from shady grove, they sent 5 trains north at 8 am. It was a 45 minute delay. The conduction decided to announce every 5 minutes on the train to please be patient we will be moving shortly.

This news would really be surprising if they managed to be truthful and they somehow managed to alleviate the pain of the delay.