Unsuck DC Metro: Headways Out of Hand

Friday, June 8, 2012

Headways Out of Hand

Via @lowercasejames: Hey @wmata why are you even open on weekends? ‪#wmata‬ http://img.ly/j1Yz

Via R:

I'm a regular Metro rider, and one constant annoyance is the uneven headways on Metro. Why can't Metro maintain "policy headways?"

When I worked for the New York City Transit Authority 25 years ago, we had "gap stations" at which trains would be held until their scheduled departure times. This is important not only to ensure even loading of trains, but also to avoid delays at junctions.

My regular commute involves a trip from the Pentagon to L'Enfant Plaza, where I change to the Green Line and ride two stops to the Navy Yard. The other morning, there must have been some sort of problem, since the platform at the Pentagon was very crowded. A Yellow Line train arrived, and sure enough, some of the crowd couldn't get on.

Behind him in the tunnel, the lights of a Blue Line train were visible. The Yellow Line train departed, the Blue Line arrived and left, and behind him was another Yellow Line train (less than a minute behind). I boarded this train, we headed off for L'Enfant Plaza, and, true to form, were held in the tunnel south of the station for a "Green Line train in the platform."

Now, since the running time from the Pentagon to L'Enfant is known to within a few seconds, why can't the Yellow Line train simply be held briefly so it doesn't arrive at L'Enfant while a Green train is working the platform? This is hardly rocket science.

More to the point, if Metro made more of an attempt to maintain consistent headways across the system, these delays at junctions could be eliminated, train crowding would be reduced, and passengers would have faster trips. (By the way, my trip this morning, involving a bus and two trains, took just over an hour. When I make all the connections, it can take as little as 45 minutes. I should also note that the total distance is 6.5 miles, and takes 15 to 20 minutes by car).

Metro's service quality sucks.

Here's a marker for you. The U.S. government offers a "transit benefit" program -- up to $125 per month to pay for Metro rides, on top of salary.

That's right. We Feds can ride for free.

How many do?

Less than 25 percent of the people in my building even use the transit benefit.

Other items:
Metro may be better at Twitter, but deep down, they just don't care (GGW)
MWAA may get a watchdog (Examiner)
Sarles to Bethesda riders: F you! (Examiner)

Comments (49)

Logging you in...

Dashboard | Edit profile | Logout

Logged in as

+8 Vote up Vote down

knows metro · 667 weeks ago

This one's easy. the operators, many at least, don't know how to keep a constant speed. ATC will fix this, but what I'm hearing is that ATC may never come back to metro...just what i'm hearing. they got all the wrong equipment from the get go and don't really know how to fix it.

2 replies · active 667 weeks ago

+10 Vote up Vote down

@MikeUehlein · 667 weeks ago

That's a real shame. Without the ATC, I get massive motion sickness on the trains (as I'm sure others do as well). Pathetic that WMATA can't figure out how to do what countless other major cities do every day.

0 Vote up Vote down

Kate · 667 weeks ago

I do as well, it's absolutely awful. I try not to metro anywhere because I know I'll feel sick as can be the entire time. I've never experienced motion sickness on any other subway or light rail, it seems to be a phenomenon unique to metro.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Vienna Bound · 667 weeks ago

This is an interesting topic. I often find myself in both situations, waiting in a tunnel while another train services a station, and being held at a station for a 'schedule adjustment'. Do headways factor in delays for doors that do not close properly? Or the operator cleared to go ahead, but does a start/lunge, stop, lunge, stop, lunge, stop as he exits a station. (That was my orange line train experience at WFC last night after holding for 40 seconds for a schedule adjustment).

I'd like to learn more . . .

2 replies · active 667 weeks ago

+15 Vote up Vote down

Nick · 667 weeks ago

yeah i really don't understand this start/immediate stop thing when LEAVING a station. I can maybe get it if you're inching forward to make the platform, but why do I consistently think "yay we're leaving this station" and then suddenly stop?

Any metro workers know about this? Do the trains not like being moved forward? All I see is that little lever thing, I thought you just had to push that forward to go - didn't think the train would suddenly stop unless the operator pulled the lever back.

+2 Vote up Vote down

n2deep · 667 weeks ago

if a train does not have speed commands leaving a station it will cause the train to apply brakes. or if speed commands "drop out" the train goes into a brake mode. nothing the operator can do. some stations have "bobbing speed commands" so some trains start the stop start thing.

+6 Vote up Vote down

bll · 667 weeks ago

I'm about 99% sure I saw Dan Stessel walking into the Navy Yard metro station this morning, around 8:05. I could've walked over and asked if he was indeed the infamous Dan Stessel, but I didn't. Why? Because the man was wearing headphones. I understand that some people like to zone out on their way to work, but to me that is the ultimate metaphor for metro- Don't bother talking to me, I'm not listening.

2 replies · active 667 weeks ago

+19 Vote up Vote down

ncc · 667 weeks ago

i'm 99% sure it wasn't stessel, and i wasn't even there. that's because you claim you saw a metro employee actually using the metro system for transit. that can't be right. if you'd said you saw stessel getting into his car that metro leases for him, i'd believe you.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Matt G · 667 weeks ago

Stessel lives in Columbia Heights; I've seen him and spoken to him there.

+10 Vote up Vote down

Ever Broker · 667 weeks ago

uh. $125 a month wouldn't cover my weekly Metro subway fees.

3 replies · active 667 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

lmnop · 667 weeks ago

I think only people live a couple of stops from their work can make it under 125 using metro. I pay $215 before parking.

+2 Vote up Vote down

lmnop · 667 weeks ago

And I am a little confused as to how the $125 fits into the headway discussion.

+9 Vote up Vote down

VeteranRider · 667 weeks ago

I think the idea is, that Metro service is so bad - including the headway issue - that people who could receive as much as an $125 subsidy to ride the Metro still won't do so.
Maybe that's a new Metro slogan:
"We're so bad people can't even be bribed to ride!"
(Though I am sure Metro's huge, crack PR staff could do better.)

+29 Vote up Vote down

zorsulak 105p · 667 weeks ago

6.5 miles in 45 minutes is a solid pace for anyone running a 10k.

Metro: Less efficient than just huffing it on foot.

+11 Vote up Vote down

bmfc1 74p · 667 weeks ago

Not all Feds ride free. With the lower transit subsidy, I pay 1/3 of my fares and will pay more after the increase in July.

+3 Vote up Vote down

Matt G · 667 weeks ago

Three letters: A T C.

+5 Vote up Vote down

Matt G · 667 weeks ago

My monthly metro fares are $220. ($5 each way x 22days) Do the math. $125 doesn't mean I ride for free all month.

1 reply · active 667 weeks ago

+3 Vote up Vote down

Long Commute · 667 weeks ago

Same here. I take the bus to Pentagon/Pentagon City and then metro up to Medical Center. It's over $220 a month for me as well, and I usually run out of the subsidy benefit around mid-month to pay out of pocket.

-2 Vote up Vote down

Jpm347 · 667 weeks ago

Believe it or not the problem with headways are to many trains on the line. If they remove every or third or fourth train the time would be consistent. The system was designed to carry about 400,000 patrons a day max and now carries 700,000 + a day. The system is in overload everyday.

1 reply · active 667 weeks ago

+3 Vote up Vote down

BradK · 667 weeks ago

The system may have been designed for 400k patrons a day, but the system is designed for somethig like 90-120 second headways throughout... (I can't remember which, but check GGW, or railroad.net... Look for SandBox John's post on this subject.)

The problems with headways are maintenance, and ATC. If ATC were enabled, the trains would still have headway problems, as doors would still break. It would also help to have Gap stations, as the OP stated...

There are too many problems to list... but too many trains is not one of them.

0 Vote up Vote down

Kid Charlemagne · 667 weeks ago

Correct me if Im wrong, but don't many fed employees get subsidized parking too? That might explain the low use of Metro by fed employees.

7 replies · active 667 weeks ago

+5 Vote up Vote down

Steve · 667 weeks ago

Parking is not covered under the transit subsidy.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Sam · 667 weeks ago

Actually, the overarching transit subsidy policy permits parking subsidies, but it is at the agency's discretion. Not many agency's actually include it.

0 Vote up Vote down

G1956 · 667 weeks ago

Mine does and I love it! I gave up on metro over a year ago and have never regretted it. But I would have done it anyway even if parking was full price.

0 Vote up Vote down

Mike · 667 weeks ago

The "subsidies" are based on the tax benefits that are available to everyone. Employers can pay for transit up to $125 before employees are taxed on this benefit. Employers can pay for parking up to $240 before employees are taxed on this benefit. These tax free benefits are available to every tax payer. It's up to your employer as to whether they will provide that benefit.

What are taxes for if not to influence certain behaviors? I find it interesting that Congress has provided more incentive for driving to work than to use public transportation.

-1 Vote up Vote down

Anon5 · 667 weeks ago

I'm not sure you put quotes around "subsidies." The transportation stipend is, by definition, a subsidy.

Subsidy, n: (c) : a grant by a government to a private person or company to assist an enterprise deemed advantageous to the public

Second, taxes are fundamentally usage fees. Any effects on behavior are incidental. The use of 'sin' taxes to curtail certain behaviors is a relatively new practice.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Mike · 667 weeks ago

Tax incentives used to influence behavior:
-Marriage deduction
-Child deduction and credits
-Mortgage interest deduction
-hybrid car deduction (until 2010)
-retirement deductions
-highest capital gains tax rate of 15%
-health insurance from employers deductible to employee and employer

These are all done to influence behavior

+1 Vote up Vote down

Anon5 · 667 weeks ago

I said that taxes exist to pay for things. This is true. You've listed a number of deductions and credits which modify taxes, but these are not taxes themselves.

Historically, the first monetary taxes (rather than troop levies) came about to pay for wars. As society has become more complex, and social services has become more abundant, taxes have been raised to pay for other things.

The first Federal income tax in the United States existed from 1861-1872 and was used to pay for the Civil War and Reconstruction.

In 1898 the Federal government implemented a 3% excise tax on long-distance phone calls in the United States, for the explicit purpose of funding the Mexican-American War. This tax was not repealed until 2006.

The Federal Income Tax exists to fund the military, federal roads and bridges, federal programs, etc.

The Payroll Taxes exists to pay for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Property taxes exist largely to pay for schools, as well as local roads.

Federal gasoline taxes help fund the Federal Highway Administration.

'Incentives' are quite often the result of industry lobbying rather than an attempt to modify behavior.

You might be shocked to learn that prior to 1986, all interest paid on personal loans was deductible. In 1986, these deductions were eliminated, with the exception of the Home Mortgage Interest Deduction, which was retained due to intensive industry lobbying.

Most of your incentives date to the last sixty years or so, whereas taxation has existed for millenia.

+7 Vote up Vote down

Art Vandalay · 667 weeks ago

From the article about the Bethesda escalators:

----

"We regret the inconvenience that customers continue to experience at Bethesda station when escalators are not functioning," Sarles wrote

---

He left out '.. and thank you for your patience!'. That always pisses me off, if I had a thought bubble like the cartoons it would say "What patience!?!?!"

1 reply · active 667 weeks ago

+5 Vote up Vote down

Kara · 667 weeks ago

What always annoys me is that it is said as if we had a choice then decided they had been good so were patient in return.

+10 Vote up Vote down

Mike · 667 weeks ago

I'm a Federal worker and there are very few people in my office who use Metro. Almost all of them start using Metro when they start working in my office, but that usually only lasts a few months until they figure out how much quicker it is to get to work by driving.

I honestly don't know why I continue to ride the Metro. On days that I wake up late I drive because I only need 40 minutes to get to work from Fairfax instead of the 1 hour and 30 minutes it takes me by public transportation.

+7 Vote up Vote down

USDOTguy · 667 weeks ago

I'm not sure where anyone got the idea that Metro was "designed to handle 400,000 people a day". This person obviously has never ridden a subway in New York (which carries 5.5 million daily). Metro isn't even very crowded by New York standards. It's just incompetently run.

Metro consists of five lines, four of which share portions of the same route (Orange/Blue, Green/Yellow), Minimum design headway is two minutes. With 8-car trains, that would be 30 trains an hour, each way. Figure, on a 75-foot car, a crush load of 200 per car or 1,600 per train and you get 48,000 per hour, each direction. Thus in a single peak hour the three downtown Metro segments could handle just less than 400,000 people. But the "rush hour" is actually about three hours long and Metro runs about 20 hours a day. So obviously capacity is substantially greater than 400,000, and that capacity isn't even reached in the peak hours (for one thing, all the trains aren't 8 cars).

11 replies · active 667 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

BradK · 667 weeks ago

Well said... I put it in less technical words above... 400k/day is "totally inaccurate" to put it in WMATA terms.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Anon5 · 667 weeks ago

1. NYC Subway does not 'carry 5.5 million daily'. There are a combined total of 5.2 million TRIPS on NYC subway each weekday. It's probably closer to 2.2 million people carried, per day.

2. DC Metrorail is operating in excess of it's design capacity, which is limited not just by train throughput but also by station design and platform access. Stations like Shady Grove outgrew the original, limited platform access years ago, but no improvements as to platform access have ever been made.

Furthermore, Metrorail was never designed to handle eight-car trains, and said extra-long trains will not completely fit into some of the stations.

+3 Vote up Vote down

back in the day · 667 weeks ago

... "Furthermore, Metrorail was never designed to handle eight-car trains, and said extra-long trains will not completely fit into some of the stations."

Can you name a single station with platforms shorter than the standard 8 carlengths?

8 car trains were standard in the late 1970s and early 1980s (this was back when it was the subway that worked and the city that was broken). Shorter trains only came along as the various lines were extended; the cars on hand were reassembled into a higher number of shorter trains in order to keep frequencies from getting too sparse. This was billed as an interim measure, to tide over until enough cars could be acquired - which never happened because the necessary funds never made it into the budget (some things never change).

The OP and USDOTGuy will recall this, as they were daily riders at the time.

-3 Vote up Vote down

Anon5 · 667 weeks ago

'Can you name a single station with platforms shorter than the standard 8 carlengths? '

Isn't it Metro Center that the first and last doors of the train are unable to open, or is that Gallery Place/Chinatown? You know, the stop where they announce 'the first and last doors on the train will not open'.

I can't recall which stops exactly, as I haven't ridden Metro in over two years. Incidentally, I've been riding Metro since 1983 and I've seen very few enhancements other than an increase in parking spaces in commuter lots.

+1 Vote up Vote down

chris · 667 weeks ago

It's neither, at least not on the Red line.

+3 Vote up Vote down

grahamwjenkins 147p · 667 weeks ago

Right. One of the few areas where capacity HAS been reached, though, is the Rosslyn tunnel, which is why it's insane to extend service into the far reaches of Maryland and Virginia while core capacity remains so hardpressed.

Separated blue line, anyone?

+3 Vote up Vote down

Nick · 667 weeks ago

I dream about a separated blue line LOL

-1 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 667 weeks ago

By separated, do you mean a parallel line a few blocks north? I heard that idea bandied about a few years ago. My first thought was that if there was a problem on one line, they could shunt trains to the other (as they would coincide at, say, Rosslyn and Stadium/Armory). My second thought was that it would be an absolute nightmare while construction was going on. And of course, Metro barely has the funding to finish the Silver Line, which will REALLY bollix up the Rosslyn tunnel when (if) it ever gets running.

0 Vote up Vote down

WRD · 667 weeks ago

Metro isn't building the Silver Line. It's MWAA. I'm confused as to whether you're serious or just want to pile on WMATA for the fun of it.

+1 Vote up Vote down

grahamwjenkins 147p · 667 weeks ago

Somewhat like that, yes. But the key to making it work is a new tunnel from Rosslyn to Georgetown, giving at least double the capacity of the current overworked Rosslyn Portal.

Ideally, the line would then proceed more or less under M Street in NW (stops like Georgetown, West End, Longfellow Sq, Thomas or Logan Circle, etc.) and then connect with Union Station before proceeding down H St. in NE.

Hey, a man can dream, right?

+1 Vote up Vote down

AB27 · 667 weeks ago

Metro needs to procure more rail cars before thinking about anymore expansions. They've had a rail car shortage for a long time and I'm not completely sure that the 7k order will make things better. Select Blue line trains will likely be diverted via the Fenwick bridge and travel up the mid-city route (Green/Yellow) towards Greenbelt once the Silver line is open. The Rosslyn tunnel is designed to accommodate 26 trains per hour and it won't be able to handle a third line. The Orange line is already packed to capacity. Silver line trains will likely get priority over Blue line trains.

A "separated blue line" was mentioned years ago. It would run through Georgetown via M Street, but it would require another tunnel built under the Potomac river. The capital costs for that extension would be astronomical.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Jin · 667 weeks ago

I work in DC part-time (gotta love underemployment!) and spend more than $125 on Metro per month. Metro - making it harder for the un- and under-employed.

0 Vote up Vote down

Eric Bolden · 667 weeks ago

How can you guys be talking about "capacity being reached"? What planet are you from? When weekend, midday, evening headways are regularly scheduled to be half an hour during trackwork happening 20 miles away? One door problem, and next thing you know it's an hour between trains.

1 reply · active 667 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

grahamwjenkins 147p · 667 weeks ago

It's a systemic thing. If the state of repairs and maintenance is resulting in one or two trains an hour, those trains are probably full, e.g., at capacity.

What I'm trying to say is that current levels of service are unacceptable even when the headways are close to reasonable.

0 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 667 weeks ago

Whose brilliant idea was it to reduce maximum subsidy while INCREASING Metro fares? Even if you pay pretax, which a lot of people do, the maximum is $125, which doesn't cover a lot of people. It's why I'm glad using the bus is an option. It sure is cheaper and doesn't take much longer than Metro.

1 reply · active 667 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

VeteranRider · 667 weeks ago

The subsidy is a Federal/IRS program - the increased subsidy was part of one of the stimulus efforts. It was always intended to be short-term. WMATA fares are set locally. Changing one is not related to changing the other. Should the higher subsidy be extended? I think so, but that's a whole other kettle of fish than Metro fares.

0 Vote up Vote down

Dan · 667 weeks ago

I thought they are already doing the gap station thing ... maybe not as consistent as you are suggesting. I have frequently experienced trains being held up for "schedule adjustment." They may understandbly not do it in the downtown areas where tracks are shared by two lines since doing so may also delay the other line.