Unsuck DC Metro: Blind Adherence to Rules

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Blind Adherence to Rules

Metro sources all tell me Metro likes to write blanket rules that are to be followed blindly, no matter what the situation. The rules are largely written by people who don't ride or don't bother to get out of their cozy offices to take a look at the real-world implications of the rules they make.

Here's an example where pulling to the end of the platform, ostensibly because automatic train operation is still science fiction at Metro, doesn't make sense.

What are some others?

From Paul:

I don't know how many other platforms are like this, but it's completely ridiculous to insist on having all trains at all stations pull all the way up to the front of the platform regardless of the situation.

For example, it is causing turmoil at Fort Totten.

There is only one set of escalators and one set of stairs down to the Green Line platform. Both of those leave you short of the train--if it's a six-car train in the direction of Branch Ave.

I've done this transfer enough to note that the Red Line train to Shady Grove and the Green Line to Branch Ave. arrive at just about the same time every morning at approximately 7:58.

Every day, there is a mad rush to get to this train.

So people are not only running down the escalators, they have to run another car-length or so to get to the train, and then there's this mass of humanity all looking to cram themselves in.

And then they yell at people for holding the car-doors open.

Six-car trains plus platform stairs at the rear-end of the train plus train pulled all the way forward ... You don't have to be a math wizard to figure out this equation.

You can argue that these folks should all be patient and wait for an eight-car train, but why is Metro even putting people in this situation to begin with?

You would think there would be room for some common sense in certain situation.

Oh wait. This is Metro. What am I saying?

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+7 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 676 weeks ago

They did it because Metro operators would forget whether they're driving six-car or eight-car trains and many driving eight-car trains would sometimes pull to the six-car mark, leaving cars in the tunnel. So now, they just have everyone pull to the end of the platform so they don't have to remember. Why they can't put something in obvious sight that reminds the operator whether s/he's driving a six-car or eight-car train is beyond me, but then they still can't figure out how to get the system back to automated braking either, and I'm probably more likely to win the lottery than to see that happening.

I wonder, though, how painful or inconvenient it would be for Paul to ride to the Gallery Place stop and transfer there to the Red Line. Would it add too much time to his commute?

5 replies · active 676 weeks ago

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Matt G · 676 weeks ago

It's funny you say that, but they had papers on the windows inside the operator cab that say "8 CARS." Still, monotony, illness, or routine habit can force even the most disciplined individual to sometimes make an error. The real solution is the reinstatement of the ATC.

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Guest · 676 weeks ago

Hey VeggieTart-

This is a Standardized way of safety for all. It should have been implemented years ago. One reason trains read "6" cars and it is really "8". If you have not heard our safety was jeopardized for many reasons- malfunctions human error, mechanical error and faulty equipment. Get used to it and plan. That is what the operators in today's world do....believe me. "Plan your work", I heard them say.

What I see is a new problem is management has decided to hire incompetent new hires/supervisors off the street without experience and expect the current employees to respect them. Ha!
How about giving the internal employees an opportunity. This is the old way of doing things at metro and it is a vendetta to the folks who have worked their butts off for years.

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KnowsAboutWMATA · 676 weeks ago

Depends on what kind of supervisor level you are talking about. Front line supervisor? They do promote internally but why would you want to?
- You "become" management in the eyes of fellow employees
- You get paid less (you can get more money at WMATA by working "overtime") or being appointed a "temporary supervisor" when they can't fill the position
- You get yelled at by your boss above (who's a suck-up usually and takes on work that he/she knows can't be completed) and you can't do a damn thing to the employees beneath you because they're protected by a union. But wait, you were also in the union (but no longer active since management can't be union) so whatever happened to brotherhood?

Anything higher?

Why would you. You can be fired at will (why risk losing your job). And the pay isn't that much greater for the responsibility you have.

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former employee · 676 weeks ago

I normally don't comment on issues unrelated to post but felt compelled to reply to your comment First, there are many good mechanics who would make excellent superviosor --- make a difference. However, they are not in the clique and thier work ethic would be viewed at the top as "troublemaker" "go along to get along" is what top mgnt. wants from every superviosr including union supervisor. Second, who appoints "fill in supervisor" for long peroid of time--years of "fill-in supervisor" mgmt.
Where is the Brotherhood there? It does not take years to post positon to be filled by qualified applicant. Fill in superviosr benefit doing nothing but reap the rewards of OT. This kind of practice not only cost WMATA money but it breeds discrimination. What would make sense: first start with HR, civil rights and the union. They all need to work together to make (turn around) the hiring, job appointments and upper mgmt. needs to select qualified applicants whose expertise is going to be appreciated and supported. Teamwork and not "I" egos.

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KnowsAboutWMATA · 676 weeks ago

My point about the brotherhood was that one of the tenets of a union is protecting and helping each other. But from what I've been told by a former member of the union is that there is no sense of helping each other. Especially from one division of Metro to another.

I have no doubt that there are many WMATA employees who deserve to lead and be great supervisors but the incentives are clearly lined up against becoming a supervisor. It's a shame since the people on the front lines know the problems first hand when the upper management is often blind to it.

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Jen · 676 weeks ago

I actually prefer Metro pulling up to the front of the platform because then you know exactly where the doors will open. When they stopped mid platform you'd have a general idea but it was never certain. I realize its an issue at transfer stations like Gallery Place and apparently Fort Totten but people push, shove and hold doors open at Metro Center when transferring from the Blue/Orange to Red. Of all the issue I have with metro this isn't one of them...

4 replies · active 676 weeks ago

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Gail · 676 weeks ago

I agree. I routinely transfer at Gallery Place during rush hour, and have told people many times to move down the platform when waiting for the train.

I LIKE the fact that I know exactly (within half a foot) of where the doors will be. That usually gives me the edge over all the tourists when it comes to actually getting on the train.

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@ChrisHowdy · 676 weeks ago

Back when the trains were on automatic control you know where the doors were going to be, even with six-car trains stopping mid-platform...and the trains didn't have to stop-start-stop-start-stop to hit the cue.

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Jen · 676 weeks ago

Chris not really - because if they planned to stop in one place but didn't stop in time then they'd pull up closer to the front but they wouldn't pull all the way up and so then you're standing between two cars and nowhere near the door. That happens today - I see Blue car trains stop at Metro Center and they are a good 2-3 feet from the front of the platform but they still open the doors - causing everyone expecting them to stop in one spot to move. My friends who take the blue line say this is common because there are never 8 car trains on the Blue line unless the entire system is running 8 car trains.

I get on at Dunn Loring and the exit is at the far end of the station so I see people daily running 2 car lengths to reach a 6 car train. Even so - I still prefer them stopping in basically the same place daily.

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KnowsAboutWMATA · 676 weeks ago

When the trains were in automatic control the operators aren't suppose to do anything with the train. As I was told, the operator in a train essentially becomes the "just in case anything goes wrong" back-up.

However, what usually happens is that they'll hold open the door longer for then the train is suppose to stay at the station (to be nice to the customers even though it screws up the entire time table). But that was in the days of full automatic control.

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Arnaud · 676 weeks ago

Same problem every day at the Cleveland Park Metro Station to Glenmont... The train stop at the front of the station, the stairs are in the rear-end of the station... and there is never any eight car trains at rush hour when it's crowded... so people are running down the escalators and enter through the last door of the cast car, creating a dangerous mess at that point...

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@ChrisHowdy · 676 weeks ago

Unfortunately, Metro can't trust all their operators to remember whether they're driving six- or eight-car (or apparently in some cases, ten- or twelve-car) trains, so "pull all the way up, every time" is their way of not opening doors of the back cars in the tunnel. A few dumb apples retard the bunch.

You could probably fix this by issuing every train operator a pad of sticky notes and a sharpie. Or hiring people that can remember a single digit number for the duration of their shift.

6 replies · active 674 weeks ago

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Daily Rider · 676 weeks ago

I seem to recall reading an operator interview in one or another of the official reports that sometimes operators are assigned trains of different lengths during their shifts.

There should be a way to have technology on the trains and platforms that tells the operator that cars are still in the tunnel, and doesn't let the doors open until the train pulls forward.

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@ChrisHowdy · 676 weeks ago

Hadn't seen that, not surprising though. Get to the end of the line, get off train, chill in break room and (presumably) fill out paperwork, get new train.

Sticky note/sharpie solution would still be applicable :)

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anon · 676 weeks ago

Son @ChrisHowdy- It is not the cookie cutter discription you with easy blog.
I challenge you son ChrisHowdy to operate a 6 car train on time, then an 8 car train on time that reads 6 cars on the console then a 6 car train on time and then an 8 car train on time. When the 8 car train breaks down I want you to trouble shoot it in 8 minutes then reverse ends and put it back in service in 2 minutes and break off the 2 cars then operate the 6 cars and then tell write a 4 page report on what train cars you were operating and how many cars were on each.

You get the point. Howdy Doody- You try it then lets see if you make any errors. I bet you won't even get through the 13 weeks of training. And you would not work until 4 in the morning all weekends and all holidays for at least 3 yrs/

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anon · 674 weeks ago

Boy, good thing they don't test for literacy before hiring train operators.

Your post exemplifies a typical Metro operator, from the passenger perspective: clueless, defensive, ignorant, and illogical.

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n2deep · 676 weeks ago

there something that tells the train it is still in the tunnel. it is called " back-end code". but the train must be in ATO.

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AB26 · 676 weeks ago

In NYC, they use conductors for that exact reason. MTA C/Rs usually ride in the 4th or 5th car (depending on the number of cars in the set). They'll point directly at a marker located in the center of the station and then hit the door enabler to open the doors (the motorman only moves and stops the train). If that marker isn't adjacent to the C/R, he or she will not open the doors.

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John · 676 weeks ago

Yeah! Same issue at Gallery Place on the Red Line heading to Shady Grove. The exit/transfer area is where the rear of the train will be. On crowded days, its a bitch trying to get to that area thanks to the 6 car trains pulling forward.

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@schrammalot · 676 weeks ago

I think it's just fine with pulling all the way up.

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Nick · 676 weeks ago

Considering there was a story on here recently about accidental 10 and 12 car trains, I do not at all trust metro to have a sensible solution to this problem.

Hell, even pulling up to the end of the platform they still brake too early and have to inch forward occasionally.

I think the logical conclusion would be 8 car trains at all times (wouldn't that be the day). It is possible we could see this in ten to twenty years (assuming the entire system doesn't implode by then), when the region's population has grown quite a bit.

4 replies · active 675 weeks ago

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n2deep · 676 weeks ago

the power grid WILL NOT support all eight car trains!hahahaha!!

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Nick · 676 weeks ago

I know - that's why I gave a 10 to 20 year time frame to possibly upgrade the system. But considering we are only now dealing with 25 years of maintenance backlogs, I'd put the date for power grid upgrade at around 2040.

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bet · 676 weeks ago

There are reasons for this and the reason this mistake keeps happening is the entire training department are of one race, all the training instructors are of one race, the training department has never changed, the people in the tower are not taking the responsibility before the train leaves the yards and the trains roll back and connect to other trains and trains should not roll back.

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brian · 675 weeks ago

YOU'RE NOT A RACIST OR ANYTHING.

how has no one else called you out on this yet?

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asfasdf · 676 weeks ago

Most Metro operators are too stupid to remember at this stop, stop here, and at this stop stop here.
Remember when they couldn't even remember how many trains were in their consist?

1 reply · active 676 weeks ago

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Kara · 676 weeks ago

They do not need to remember, there are signs under the platform saying where trains of different lengs should stop. All they need to know is how long the train is.

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anon · 676 weeks ago

If your operator is too dumb to remember how many cars he or she has in his or her train, he or she has no right whatsoever operating that train - or any heavy machinery. If you're that forgetful, you shouldn't be in charge of the safety of anyone, let alone six or eight full rail cars.

1 reply · active 676 weeks ago

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Frequent red-liner · 676 weeks ago

I wish I could hit thumbs up a million times

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Sizzle · 676 weeks ago

I'm an everyday Ft. Totten Red to Green transfer(er?) and yeah, it's annoying, but really there are more pressing matters I'd like them to fix. If anything, I think the only exercise most of these people get is jogging downstairs in case a Green Line train is coming.

Like explaining why it took 20 minutes to get from Silver Spring to Ft. Totten at 6am yesterday morning.

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Anony · 676 weeks ago

Couple problems with the current setup:

(1) The last car gets overcrowded.
(2) 8-car trains are rarely filled in the back because people just don't pay attention to # cars and automatically go towards the front.

Unfortunately, until automated trains return, this may be necessary due to the forgetful nature of Metro employees.

Only quasi-solution could possibly be to have zero 8-car trains on some lines (like blue or yellow or maybe even green), which could then mean drivers wouldn't have to worry about it. (But I assume some drivers do multiple lines.)

2 replies · active 676 weeks ago

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Kara · 676 weeks ago

Oh, that is right, they need a way to remind them what line they are on. :)

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Matt G · 676 weeks ago

I love seeing when an 8 car, or the elusive "2 car" trains are coming, I can usually share the 8th car with a number of other passengers - but we all get our own double bench to ourselves. :-)

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Anon · 676 weeks ago

The same problem happens with Shady-Grove bound Red line trains at Gallery place; 6 car trains, huge numbers of people coming from the 2 entrances at the back of the train (including lots of tourists), and then a huge traffic jam as they all try to pile into the last car.

But still probably better than operators accidentally leaving the last couple of cars in a tunnel.

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Frequent red-liner · 676 weeks ago

I'm torn between the two. On one hand, I like the fact that they pull all the way to the end of the station, I usually ride I the first car, and before I always had to sort of guess where the first car would stop. On the other hand, operators over-shooting platforms has become a problem. I was on the red line last week, and the operator overshot the grovesnor platform by half of our car, opened the rest of the trains door, and proceeded without any explanation. The train made a horrible whooshing sound, as if it were broken. Also, I transfer from the green line at gallery place to the red line in the direction of shady grove in the morning, and that 6th car is horrible. The sign is too far from me to tell whether the next train is a 6 or 8 car, and for safety reasons I don't want to pull out my phone out to check wmata's website. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Welcome to wmata, step back the doors are closing.

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Stan Dessel #2 · 676 weeks ago

We're pleased that you noticed that the trains arrive every day at Fort Totten at 7:58. Thanks for recognizing our efforts to run trains on schedule.

1 reply · active 676 weeks ago

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Orange Crush · 676 weeks ago

What's an 8 car train? If I waited for one, I would be waiting a very, very long time.

1 reply · active 676 weeks ago

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jkuchen · 676 weeks ago

I waited 30 seconds for one at the beginning of PotP yesterday afternoon at WFC....

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@savemetro · 676 weeks ago

They pull all the way to the front to avoid jumpers.
I have to say, of all the things wrong with Metro, this is all you have to complain about? You must have a good life..

2 replies · active 676 weeks ago

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KnowsAboutWMATA · 676 weeks ago

How would this stop jumpers? Most people who want to kill themselves by jumping in front of a train need the train to be moving at a decent speed. If you jump while the train has stopped in the middle of the platform the operator will just wait till the police arrive.

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@savemetro · 676 weeks ago

I couldn't even make that up, it came from Metro, and it clearly does not work. Its just one of the reasons they gave. Similar to putting the 1000 series cars in the middle to be safer. . . .

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Guest · 676 weeks ago

What frustrates me more is the timing of trains at transfer stations. I always seem to just miss the connecting train during rush hour. It happens to me at Metro Center, Gallery Place, and L'Enfant all the time. I wish they could hold the train for 30 seconds longer when they see that the other line's train just offloaded and a ton of people are still frantically trying to catch the train, either because everyone is slowed down by a giant crowd or because a 6 car train pulled to the front when the stairs/escalator to the platform let out in the back. Nothing quite as frustrating as watching a mostly empty train pull away as the platform becomes so crowded you can barely move.

Maybe I'm just not doing it right, though.

1 reply · active 676 weeks ago

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Judy Brooks · 676 weeks ago

I could care less about the timing of transfers during rush hour. Big deal if I have to wait 5 minutes for a train. What annoys me is when I take the Yellow Line to King St and then have to wait 17 minutes for a transfer to the Blue Line on the weekend. Thanks WMATA!

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Guest · 676 weeks ago

Is it me or have i just not noticed any semblance of a rush hour schedule for the trains? I just thought the idea was to just throw as many cars on the rails as possible and let it work itself out.
That being said, 6 or 8 car trains and the station layout... exactly how would you suggest to combat this problem? Create a rush hour schedule that takes into account that most people want to get to dc, so instead of having a red and green line train show up almost the same time, at least try and space it out by 2 minutes? That should give enough people time to get down the stairs and to the front of the platform.
Construction on the stations isn't something i'd like to experience any time soon, and trains stopping in the middle would complicate things. I personally like knowing where the train will stop.

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anon · 675 weeks ago

You know, if Metro was smart (!), then the new cars they're purchasing would be designed so that they'd interlock with each other with a secure passageway between them. In other words, you could open that rear door - any passenger - and move into another car. They don't allow that now for obvious safety issues, but if those could be addressed (think of two Legos), then it would allow Metro to run longer trains - yes, 10-car trains. The people in the end cars could exit via the end door into the next car, just as they do with MARC trains, and the doors in those end cars (the side doors) would be closed/locked.

Allowing passage between cars, even in transit, would also permit people to spread out more. If everyone's rushing to get onto the train, they wind up in the last car. Open those doors up, and they can move a little more freely into other cars, thus making it easier for everyone. Hey, they're always telling us to spread out anyway.