Unsuck DC Metro: Rush+ Avoidance Guide

jahmekajersey · 664 weeks ago

And how many of us work at the Smithsonian? Not useful.

ccc · 665 weeks ago

I continue to ride my bike most days.

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fixwmata 105p · 665 weeks ago

The thing is: This was a REALIGNMENT that was sold as a "PLUS". When you sell it as a "plus" everyone thinks "oh, thing's will be better for me!". That's bullshit. The trains had to be taken out of rotation at Rosslyn (sorry, Blue) to allow for the Silver Line trains to come through. Currently those trains are Orange Line trains but when the Silver Line opens the Orange Line folks west of East Falls Church will be complaining as loud as the Blue Line folks now.

This change wasn't about "reinventing rush hour" to make life "better" for ANYONE. It was about opening slots for Silver Line trains to operate. It was sold to you wrong. For that WMATA should apologize.

The map is another thing. They could have done this in a MUCH simpler way by not fucking up the map with all these dashed color lines. There were better alternatives out there and they were ignored.

The only thing that MAY change to make things better is the addition of more 8-car trains instead of 6-car trains, but with a car shortage coming up I wouldn't count on it.

8 replies · active 665 weeks ago

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@jurbanchuk · 665 weeks ago

You simply cannot argue with that logic. You are absolutely right. This was a realignment dressed up as a service improvement. When Silver comes online, Orange will be crushed again.

Feel Wood · 665 weeks ago

Not only that, Orange will be crushed WORSE than it was before Rush+. The Silver Line is going to run more than three trains an hour during rush hour, isn't it? Where will those trains come from? Capacity is maxed in the Rosslyn tunnel now, so they have to come from either Orange or Blue. The only way they could come from Blue is by total elimination of the Blue Line as it existed prior to Rush+. If they come from Orange, that is taking trains away from Vienna, Dunn Loring and WFC. Those three stations are big contributers to the current Orange Crush. Leaving WFC, almost every train is SRO during rush hour. If there are fewer trains, they will be even MORE crowded.

jkuchen · 665 weeks ago

I buy most of your argument--in fact, given how full the Booz Allen and other corporate shuttles are at WFC, I'd dare say that more people in the Vienna area and points west would be drawn to take Metro given the Silver Line stops. Decreasing Orange Line throughput to give Silver Line access to the Rosslyn tunnel will not be fun for me at all, among others.

But I'd posit that part of the crowd at WFC comes from the buses that serve Reston, Herndon, and Loudoun County. The good news is that the platform may not be as filled, but the bad news is that the Silver Line trains may be full by the time they get to WFC.

dddddda · 665 weeks ago

I agree that some ridership will be pushed from Orange to Silver. On top of that, Silver trains will only serve the closer-in Orange stations in VA, so there might actually be some relief from the massive crush at the closer-in stations. Instead of sharing the Rosslyn tunnel with 3 Blue trains that do NOTHING for Orange line riders, regular Orange riders will get 3 trains an hour that absorb some demand from closer-in stations. Overall, it might be a slight improvement for Orange riders from beyond WFC (reduced crowding from WFC in to town), though they might have to wait slightly longer for a train or their train might be a little more crowded from the outset/further out.

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@Hell_on_wheelz · 665 weeks ago

The conspiracy theorist in me has maintained all along that Metro will NOT be retiring any cars when the 7K series arrives, current PR to the contrary. Because of "customer pressure" Metros will have "no choice" but to keep the 1K series cars in service because of a car shortage caused by demand on the Silver Line.

The following scenarios are all possibilities:

You want 8 car trains?
We'll have to keep 1K series cars.

You want replacements while hot cars are out of service?
We'll have to keep 1k series cars.

You want the ability to run gap trains when there is an issue on the (choose a color) line?
We'll have to keep the 1k series cars.

ObserverDC · 665 weeks ago

In fact, the best thing to do would take the trains that will be Silver Line trains and label them as such now.

Matt G · 665 weeks ago

I made a point to ask them about this - I had to about 4 times before I got an answer - but the original plan of Rush+ was the extra OR trains were going to turn around at W. Falls Church to get passengers "used to" the silver line peeling off after E. Falls Church. Somehow in the past year they decided to forget about that, and say that all trains run to Vienna. I said to them the week before Rush+ began (when I finally got that answer) that they were just going to create another source of anguish when those extra trains are taken away from EFC to Vienna after the SV line opened. I guess it fell on deaf ears? Their answer was that the third track at WFC is used for entry/exit to the Falls Church railyard, but come on - are you telling me that they couldn't manage the third track during rush+ to have a few trains per hour turn around on it? The yard is accessible by all three tracks: http://goo.gl/maps/hKcv

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The Anti-TB Guy · 665 weeks ago

Rush+ is doubleplusgood!

George Orwell would be proud. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspeak

MLD · 665 weeks ago

I don't think they "screwed up counting the number of people who ride the blue line." The planners know exactly what trips are made on the system (origin/destination at least, exact trips are estimated). So they made a change and assumed that people who COULD change their behavior (like the trip outlined on that handout) would change their behavior. Should we be surprised that that people haven't been changing their behavior after ONE WEEK? No. People are stuck in their ways - especially when it comes to commuting routines.

If you are going King Street (or anywhere shared blue-yellow between king street/pentagon) to Rosslyn, the difference in travel time is 14 minutes. This is the biggest difference you would experience if you chose to take the yellow line if it came first. Any other stations on the orange/blue (foggy bottom, farragut, mcpherson, etc) the travel time difference is less. So decide which you prefer more: a one-seat shorter ride in a packed train, or your trip taking longer with a transfer but probably less crowded. If you're going east of McPherson, the trip is shorter if you take the Yellow line. This is the tradeoff the people at WMATA expect people to make after a while. But you can't declare it a "disaster" after 5 days of trial.

5 replies · active 664 weeks ago

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Kara · 665 weeks ago

Of course you are assuming the trains come on time at the transfer station. Yeah, good luck with that. I used to do crystal city to Faragut and it was 13 minutes plus wait. Longer the days I got off at foggy bottom. Beat that with a transfer.

Kara · 665 weeks ago

Oops, curse not having an editor .... that should be *shorter* to foggy bottom as I was counting time on the blue.

Blue · 664 weeks ago

Actually, as much as I complain about having to transfer, taking YEL from CC to L'enfant, catching whatever train is pulling up (doesn't matter if it's Blue or Orange, to Vienna or West Falls) downstairs, and I get to work at just about the same time. And it's less crowded on the Yellow.

I don't like the extra moving, but I also appreciate not having to wait after Rosslyn to get through that damn tunnel.

Still shitty, but not that much longer, if at all.

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Mike · 665 weeks ago

MLD - I have no idea what you are talking about. I ride from Braddock to Foggy Bottom every day. There is no earthly way that going to L'Enfant and transferring to a blue Line train saves time. It is a loser even when you can count on getting a blue train within three minutes of your arrival. From L'Enfant it is six additional stops to Foggy. It's 18 minutes from Braddock to Foggy. From Braddock to L'Enfant it's 15 minutes, from L'Enfant to Foggy another 9 minutes. That's 24 minutes not including the chaos of transferring at L'Enfant. So if you miss the 0741 train at Braddock there's no point in taking the next yellow train at 0746. The only way you can so much as break even, time wise, in doing that is if you pick up a blue train immediately upon arrivaing at L'Enfant. The above are generous assumptions that don't include the routine delays (the risks of which increase when you take two lines vice one for your commute) or the poor communication (message boards, unmarked cars and inaudible audio o the platforms). There is absolutely no benefit to transferring at L'Enfant.

MLD · 665 weeks ago

My argument is not that it's faster - I was saying that going via Yellow was 14 minutes SLOWER to Rosslyn, less slow to other stations. Some trips are shorter via Yellow (Metro Center and east). Of course if the Blue Line comes first you would take it, but if things are getting crowded maybe people would prefer a slightly longer trip to a packed train.

Bottom line: they are not changing it back. The Silver Line will require this type of service pattern to work. Metro should add more 8 car trains to the Blue Line but I don't know if they will. Eventually people with brains will just decide to change their commute and free up space for people who need it (people going to Rosslyn/Foggy Bottom) and people who demand a one-seat ride.

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woe is metro · 665 weeks ago

Shhhh, do you hear that? It's the sound of thousands of red line riders laughing and saying "now it's your turn."

2 replies · active 665 weeks ago

OL Rider · 665 weeks ago

I don't think red liners have it any worse on a typical day than orange line riders. That being said, the red line has had more extreme life-threatening/life-ending incidents than any other line.

dddddda · 665 weeks ago

It's an either/or scenario. The Orange Line is more crowded on a consistent basis (every train instead of most trains, in my experience) heading to/from VA than Red in either direction (probably the result of having trains more frequently over much of the area traversed...3-4 stations on either end rather than the 8, heavily used, on one end of the Orange), but the Red breaks down MUCH more frequently (Wed, Thur, Mon significant delays for me in the last 7 days). And, yeah, the incidents are more severe on Red.

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Ever Annoyed @ Metro · 665 weeks ago

Personally I find it hilarious they dare claim they "re-invented" rush hour with this change. Who runs their PR department anyway? Goofy or the guys from Dumb and Dumber?

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@jurbanchuk · 665 weeks ago

I travel from Crystal City to Farragut West every day - right in the Blue Crush target zone. To avoid the sheer absolute nightmare that is Rush "+" I simply moved my departure time up. I need to get to work by 8:30. In the good old pre-rush+ days I would still make it on time if I got to the platform in CC by 8:00 or even 8:05 if I was feeling adventurous. Now, I get there by 7:35 and take the earlier Blue - generally less crowded with a few seats open. I get to Farragut West by 8:00am. Yeah it's early, but it also means I can get breakfast and walk leisurely to work. It also builds in time to deal with the ever-expected mind shattering incompetency WMATA displays as their sign of "excellence" every day.

F'n JD · 665 weeks ago

Live on the Red Line.

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bullsumner · 665 weeks ago

This "improvement" has completely eff'ed my afternoon commute home. The only time I can now get home with any kind of regularity (and that's even a stretch of the definition of "regularity") is if I can leave work before 3:30, which isn't often. If I have to wait until Rush Putz begins, I have to add about 30-40 minutes to my travel time. Transferring to the Yellow Line at Lenfant does me virtually no good, either because the Orange/Blue Line is so backed up, I can't get to Lenfant to make the transfer, or even I do get there, the time savings for me, according to Metro's trip planner is a grand 7 minutes.

Why the hell can't a change in Metro service ever actually be for the better? Is it that difficult of a concept for Sarles and his fellow idiots to grasp? 10 years ago when I first starting riding Metro, I can't remember it being so utterly and completely useless as it increasingly is becoming now. Weekends? Forget it, After 10 pm on Fridays? Nope. And now rush hours.

3 replies · active 665 weeks ago

Wesindc · 665 weeks ago

I agree. I moved to DC in 95 due to falling in love with a transit system that seemed to work. I moved from NoCal (SF bay area) and always used BART. I can count on one hand how many times the platforms became so crowded that it alarmed me (EarthDay and Castro Halloween). Even after the earthquake that caused the collapse of the Bay Bridge BART was able to handle the crowds without any issues,and that was for a couple months! Imagine Metro trying to do the same. It's very sad for Metro. What was once a great system has been ground into the ground basically. I never use it on the weekend any longer due to "track maintenance".

Anon · 665 weeks ago

I agree with your basic point about how Metro has deteriorated into a shadow of its past self, but to put the crowding comparison with BART into perspective, it has to be pointed out Metro weekday ridership is approximately three time greater than BART's. So, a certain amount of crowding is to be expected, though of course not the dangerous level that Rush Plus has wrought.

Kara · 665 weeks ago

Yeah, I moved here about the same time having had a good experience with metro in the past. After a few years it just started a decline though and I was already past the point where I could avoid relying on it.

Anon · 665 weeks ago

Metro employees may not like it, and some don't even understand it. I was on an OL to Largo last week. While pulling into Stadium Armory the operator said that anyone wanting to continue on to New Carrollton would have to exit and catch "either an Orange or Blue Line headed toward New Carrollton". Um .... the BL doesn't go to NC.

Glenn · 665 weeks ago

What makes no sense to me is the so-called silver line needing to use Rosslyn at all. They should just run it to EFC and turn it around. Let people transfer to orange there. What they should have done was link the line at WFC and turn the trains around there instead.

6 replies · active 665 weeks ago

Nick · 665 weeks ago

Compromise for (ridiculously long) "one seat ride" from downtown to the airport.

OL Rider · 665 weeks ago

You would have to run more orange line trains because of all the people getting off at EFC. Plus, EFC isn't an easy turn-around place. It has to go to Stadium-Armory.

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myk · 665 weeks ago

Not sure why this would really be any better - all those Silver customers would get on the Orange Line at EFC, which would become even more horribly jammed than it already is. What we need is another set of tracks to carry more people into DC - changing the color designation of the trains sharing the existing tracks isn't going to move more people through the corridor.

@VeggieTart · 665 weeks ago

Another set of tracks would be great, but knowing Metro, that would be a construction nightmare for YEARS.

OL Rider--isn't WFC a good turnaround spot? I know that there are times when Metro turns trains around at one of those stops because of construction or some such or heavy ridership.

jkuchen · 665 weeks ago

WFC is a good turnaround spot for standard Orange Line service, but it does the Silver Line no good since that line doesn't pass through WFC--it branches off between WFC and EFC.

And whenever special operations are required due to construction, they put speed restrictions and such on the area. Turning around during a standard rush hour only works if you have three tracks in the station (i.e. WFC, National Airport) or a three-track arrangement in close proximity to a station.

Mike · 665 weeks ago

That is a great idea. I hope Metro reads this suggestion because this makes the most sense and disrupts less people. I would like to add that they could just have the SL go to the middle track at WFC and then turn around there.

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Stan Dessel · 665 weeks ago

We invented more options at Smithsonian.

You're welcome!

jmf · 665 weeks ago

My experience with Rush+ so far is that I get to work faster in the morning, but get home slower (riding the new Yellow from Van Dorn).
Perfect, really, because we all know how much I love those extra five minutes at the office. I'd gladly trade an extra ten minutes at home for it!
Errrrh, wait ...

1 reply · active 663 weeks ago

jjp · 663 weeks ago

I wish my experience was like yours, jmf! The OL seems to have suffered. I ride the OL from Courthouse to downtown DC; since Rush+, they run far fewer 8 car trains and the time between each train has increased, not decreased as the promo ads proudly claimed. Now, several times a week, if not daily, I have to wait through several trains before there's room for more passengers. Before Rush+, I could rely upon an 8 car train arriving within 5-6 minutes, even being able to sit down. Now I travel in sardine-packed cars. And they have the galls to increase fares and promote this as a good thing!!

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Myk · 665 weeks ago

The only responsible way to create a Silver Line to serve Dulles was to also dig a new tunnel through DC so that Silver, Orange, and Blue are not all trying to share the same track. The Blue / Orange tunnel has been at capacity for years, even before construction of the Silver Line was started. But the cost of a new tunnel is enormous, and some people really, really, really wanted service to the airport, so they decided to try to do it on the cheap by having the Silver Line share space with the Orange and Blue. It won't work. The conflict between the Blue and Orange should have been resolved years ago with a new tunnel. And things are just going to get even worse when the Silver Line opens. Turning around Sliver Line trains at WFC wouldn't necessarily make it any better - all those Silver passengers would be getting on the Orange Line at WFC, so the trains heading east from WFC during the morning rush would be just as jammed, whether they were Orange or Silver.

6 replies · active 663 weeks ago

@WMATARage · 665 weeks ago

Exactly. A new Potomac portal was needed many years ago, but if only now they're discussing it (and I doubt they even are), it will be decades before it actually becomes a reality. WMATA, for all of its awful service and other failings, has become too popular for its own good.

Anon · 665 weeks ago

Or - limit the Potomac tunnel to just the Orange and Silver trains, eliminating the Blue line completely. Orange could maintain its current configuration and Sliver could terminate at Largo. Reconfigure the tracks around Arlington Cemetary to allow a turn-around and either terminate the Blue line there, or send the Blue line over the bridge with the Yellow line, and serve Arlington Cemetary with a shuttle from either Roslyn or Pentagon. Yes, it would require construction and would cost real money, but it would be a fraction of what a new Potomac tunnel would cost, much less a whole new Blue line across DC. (And those could still be built in the future.)

@FixWMATA · 665 weeks ago

This is one of the options that myself and GGWash (and a few others) have been throwing around. I even recommended turning the Pentagon <-> Rosslyn tracks in to a dedicated bus-way and running shuttle buses for Pentagon (no traffic either).

A lot of people are upset that the quick ride from Pentagon to Rosslyn isn't as quick anymore (and that they'll have to pay more for it). I get that. The problem is by the time the Silver Line starts everyone will have "lost" a little.

jkuchen · 665 weeks ago

Wouldn't that be ironic? The Silver Line originally was supposed to be a BRT line, and now you propose converting the Pentagon-Arlington-Rosslyn link into a BRT. The main difference is that your suggestion actually makes sense! That or something like the S shuttle that runs between Times Square and Grand Central--but unfortunately an equivalent to the S would require new platforms.

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Jahmeka · 664 weeks ago

And how are people supposed to get from Pentagon - the biggest bus depot in Northern Virginia to Rosslyn, Foggy Bottom, or Farragust West? Going into the city and then coming all the way back adds even more time to commutes. I mean, really, I live 5 miles away from work but with metro, it now takes me 50 minutes to get in. Seriously?

Anon · 663 weeks ago

If there were a shutle from Pentagon to Roslyn, you could take the Shuttle from Pentagon to Roslyn (which could run frequently since it would be the only thing using that stretch of track) then transfer to the Orange Line or Silver Line from Roslyn to Foggy Bottom & downtown DC. (Or, you could take the Yellow Line from Pentagon to L'Enfant Plaza and transfer to the Silver Line or Orange Line to Farragut West or Roslyn, though we know people wouldnt like this since they're not doing it now during Rush Plus, though the service from L'Enfant would probably also be improved with the elimination of the Blue/Orange kink at the tunnel.) The point here is to entirely eliminate the Blue Line crossing at Roslyn. This wouldn't just replace the current Blue Line traffic with the same amount of Silver Line traffic; by eliminating the time currently needed to operate the switch between Blue and Orange lines, the tunnel could accommodate more trains per hour than can use it now. And the reconfiguration needed to make the shuttle functional would cost much much less than a new Potomac tunnel.

montagthezine 51p · 665 weeks ago

i don't normally ride the blue line south, but did last week, on an overcrowded train to crystal city. to add insult to injury, there was no air conditioning on the train, or working escalators at the station. i was surprised when a lady spoke up and suggested that everyone write wmata and dr. gridlock about the problem that day.

Mikke · 665 weeks ago

Wait a minute. I thought one of the main benefits of Rush+ was that transfers would be less. Now they're telling Blue Line riders they're better off transfering. Something didn't think things through.

2 replies · active 664 weeks ago

Anon · 665 weeks ago

That's the dirty little secret of Rush Plus - not only was it NOT intended to limit transfers, the previously unadvertised truth is that it can only work if people choose to take the Yellow Line to L'Enfant and transfer to the Orange/Blue going to the west side of DC. Thus the tip from Metro at the head of this post - they are finally forced to make it clear to people that they must go through LEnfant and kiss good-bye the one-seat ride on the Blue Line.

Jahmeka · 664 weeks ago

Plus, depending on where you're going, transferring only makes the trip longer or as long as if you waited for a blue line train. Just because they want to decongest the Rosslyn tunnel, doesn't mean that the same number of people don't need to get to Rosslyn.

Donald · 665 weeks ago

While I know this is not an option for everyone, once I saw what a mess Rushplus was, I started coming in after rush hour. Faster and cheaper.

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DUH · 665 weeks ago

If Metro ran reliably, perhaps more people would opt for a transfer.

Metro does not, and many people rightfully fear a 12 minute or more wait if they take the Yellow to L'Enfant.

With a crappy Metro, you take the train that's there. That's the safest bet. Sad.

3 replies · active 665 weeks ago

unsuckdcmetro 92p · 665 weeks ago

Well said. I think this is the same reason you see people cramming into trains when the PIDs say there's one coming in another few minutes. Metro's unreliable. Get on when you can.

I'd like to see how something like Rush+ would have worked in Japan, Germany, etc.

@jurbanchuk · 665 weeks ago

I was in a packed Green line train and a guy said about the overcrowding "It's worse in Tokyo." I responded by saying "yeah, but at least there the trains run on time."

The above posts capture it correctly: No matter what the PID or Metro says, veteran riders know that it's safer to take the train that's there than to rely on the system operating properly. I know that there is a 60% or higher chance that if I change over to Yellow from Blue there will be a service disruption on Yellow worse than standing in a packed Blue line. It is sad, but that's the system we have. What's the answer? Raise fares of course!

The Anti-TB Guy · 665 weeks ago

> "With a crappy Metro, you take the train that's there."

Donald Rumsfeld once said, "As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time."

When you ride Metro, just remember Rumsfeld and the war...

Matt · 665 weeks ago

My favorite line from Metro's notifications... "Normal service has resumed at _______"

Define "normal".

Guest · 665 weeks ago

I have some good news. The fares are increasing on July 1! Higher fares means more money for WMATA, which means they have more to spend on improving their service and infrastructure! That's how it works, right? Everything will get better in a few days! (in case you don't get it, as Homer Simpson once said, "I was being sarcastic!")

1 reply · active 665 weeks ago

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Anon · 665 weeks ago

Or at the very least, higher fares means more money for metro personnel to steal, meaning more coins for them to buy lottery tickets with, meaning more lottery income to fund the schools. So Metro is raising fares in order to help the little children, our graetest resource!