Unsuck DC Metro: Longer Waits Coming?

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Longer Waits Coming?

PIDs like this might start to look pretty good. (Via @LoriG Yup, that's wmata pic.twitter.com/jmOxUxqv)

Is Metro proposing stealth service cuts?

On Thursday, the Metro Board's Customer Service and Operations Committee will hear a proposal by Metro to change the "rail service criteria."

According to the presentation, the criteria means the "maximum customer wait time between trains."

The current proposal appears to increase those times significantly to:

15 minutes during the peak
30 minutes during non-peak

As of March of this year, the criteria are listed as:

In the core:
Three minutes in the core during peak
Six minutes mid-day

Non-core:
Six minutes during peak
12 minutes mid-day
20 minutes off peak

There is no breakout between core and non-core in the current presentation.

While the approved 2012 budget posted on the Metro website details headways, the proposed 2013 budget currently posted, does not.

There was no discussion of these increased headways during the most recent budget process.

Posited one reader:

I think this week's Board document is there to set the stage for service reductions necessary as cars are taken from other lines and put on the Silver Line.

Hopefully someone form the Board will ask some good questions to shed light on this potentially troubling issue.

This is not the first time Metro has lowered its standards, all the while increasing fares.

Other items:

Some Metrobus drivers working 20 hours a day (WMATA/Examiner story)
Is Metro too risky for a pregnant woman? (WaPo)

Comments (78)

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+34 Vote up Vote down

Sizzle · 663 weeks ago

Oh great. Metro is basically non-functioning on the weekends as it is. How do they expect to close their budget gap by continuing to offer worse service.

I doubt even tourists will stand for waiting 30 minutes for a fucking SUBWAY.

5 replies · active 662 weeks ago

+11 Vote up Vote down

16 cents · 663 weeks ago

Of course you are assuming a train doesn't offload. If a train malfunctions, you are talking about an hour. And don't even factor in track work.

0 Vote up Vote down

Stan Dessel · 662 weeks ago

And of course all the crowds be very careful to make sure not to jam the doors/overload the train. No big deal.

0 Vote up Vote down

Anon · 663 weeks ago

METRO continues to what they please without oversight.
The Department of Transportation restricts BUS DRIVERS to 10 hours a day.
RAY LaHood where are you?

+1 Vote up Vote down

Anon · 663 weeks ago

Ray LaHood where are you?
Metro is violating the DOT Safety Laws! for operating buses and the hourly limits!

0 Vote up Vote down

Daily Rider · 663 weeks ago

If I understand correctly, those rules apply to inter-city operators. There are no limits for local transit systems. I do agree that there should be a weekly limit on operator hours because of safety.

A management concerned about the riders would negotiate this in the union contract.

+8 Vote up Vote down

OL Rider · 663 weeks ago

This is what all the weekend travelers to Dulles on the Silver Line get to look forward to in 6 years.

+33 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 663 weeks ago

Clearly the people who make decisions about Metro never ride Metro and probably have never set foot in a station. They have NO FREAKING IDEA what people who do use the trains go through. Oh, and some people use the trains on weekends to get to their jobs. Asking them to wait 30 minutes for a train is inexcusable.

If Metro wants to push people to use their cars, they're doing a pretty good job a that. Too bad I can't drive and am forced to use public transit.

6 replies · active 663 weeks ago

+9 Vote up Vote down

John · 663 weeks ago

Anyone ever see Sarles riding metro? I know he claims to ride it, but has anyone ever seen him?

+8 Vote up Vote down

UnSuck Fan · 663 weeks ago

No, but I think I just saw a pig fly by my window! ;-)

+35 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 663 weeks ago

If he does actually ride, I bet he stands on the left side on the escalator.

+29 Vote up Vote down

@ChrisHowdy · 663 weeks ago

You're presuming a working escalator in this already improbable scenario.

+16 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 663 weeks ago

And stops at the bottom while he tries to figure out where to go.

0 Vote up Vote down

Anon · 663 weeks ago

NEVER.

+26 Vote up Vote down

Kara · 663 weeks ago

A possible 30 minutes? Even in the core during the week?

So what metro is saying is 'if you live and work in DC then get out early one day walk home, it will be faster'.

1 reply · active 663 weeks ago

+9 Vote up Vote down

montagthezine 51p · 663 weeks ago

Seriously!! Some people have to be squeezed in like sardines just to catch a train on normal days. What kind of crowds is this going to create on the station platforms.

+16 Vote up Vote down

bmfc1 74p · 663 weeks ago

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. This means that we could go back and forth to work and wait for a total of 30 minutes (15 minutes each way). Add that to the time of the ride itself and there is little incentive to take Metro. Plus, fewer trains means more crowds so there's less of a chance to get a seat.

You know who is laughing: parking garage owners.

+28 Vote up Vote down

Off · 663 weeks ago

These levels are getting close to Amtrak NEC service levels. Maybe WMATA should start selling tickets/seats and have gate agents instead of fare gates?

+5 Vote up Vote down

hrh king friday 13 · 663 weeks ago

Our nation's capital.

+5 Vote up Vote down

Matt G · 663 weeks ago

Is there a good reason why they don't just run 4-car trains during the lowest ridership hours? That would definitely save some $ on electricity costs, and could keep the more reasonable headways.

2 replies · active 663 weeks ago

+9 Vote up Vote down

MetroRider · 663 weeks ago

Because the real expenses come from the salary and benefits of the train operator. More 4-car trains, the more employees they have to pay.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Sam · 663 weeks ago

If this schedule change goes through, give it a year... the union will complain that the added workload of having to deal with overcrowded trains and platforms is unfair and they'll sue for a wage increase. That savings will disappear in no time.

+17 Vote up Vote down

jimlcunningham 80p · 663 weeks ago

What difference does it make? It's not like this "criteria" meant anything to them BEFORE?

I know a good trade we can do. We'll be OK with the new criteria if they promise to FIRE someone every time they don't meet it.

+6 Vote up Vote down

Andrew · 663 weeks ago

With changes coming to DC taxis, I will easily cough up a couple more dollars to get around. To me, it's totally worth it to pay more to not have to stand in a Metro station for thirty minutes.

I'm a big fan of the buses in the city and will use them more often. But it's still money going to WMATA, blah.

+4 Vote up Vote down

jkuchen · 663 weeks ago

Dr. Gridlock was calling people out to get "politically active" in these issues during yesterday's chat. (Not that I would quote him that often, but just sayin'.) This is definitely an issue that we need to have our voices heard. Is there a RAC meeting this week? Should we be writing our representatives? (I know, like that would help, but at least we can cite inattentiveness to the public's concern afterwards....)

+19 Vote up Vote down

Daily Rider · 663 weeks ago

Jacking the fares, then proposing headway reductions immediately after is quite underhanded.

1 reply · active 663 weeks ago

0 Vote up Vote down

Bet · 663 weeks ago

This will make the riders complain and then congress men and women will ask for more money This is the scheme of things. Remember the escalators, trains, buses, and etc. etc..

+12 Vote up Vote down

@MegE_N · 663 weeks ago

This is incredible! Think about how packed trains are during rush hour now, when the trains come ~5 to 10 minutes. Think about being at Metro Center on 5:30 on a weekday and waiting 15 minutes between trains - adding that some trains won't even go all the way to the end of the line on the red line. You're looking at platform disaster! What happens when ONE of these trains tries to offload at, say Rosslyn?

1 reply · active 663 weeks ago

+7 Vote up Vote down

MetroIsCray · 663 weeks ago

That is what I am thinking about!!! I know people are metro dependent on the weekends, but let's be honest, at this point metro should just shut down on the weekends and set up bus service between stations.

The weekdays will be A MESS!!!! As a redline rider to Glenmont, I just think about potentially waiting 30 MINUTES on a WEEKDAY?! And paying $11 for that???

Of course that assumes no offloading or other issue.

+21 Vote up Vote down

unsuckdcmetro 92p · 663 weeks ago

A reader left these email addresses on another post:
rsarles@wmata.com,
aburnside@wmata.com,
aclemmons@wmata.com,
atroup@wmata.com,
bheppen@wmata.com,
boardofdirectors@wmata.com,
brichardson@wmata.com,
cjohnson@wmata.com,
ckent@wmata.com,
ckissal@wmata.com,
cOKeeffe@wmata.com,
csvc@wmata.com,
dHenderson@wmata.com,
djmccoy@wmata.com,
dJohnson@wmata.com,
dKubicek@wmata.com,
dlaffert@wmata.com,
dmadams@wmata.com,
dShaffer@wmata.com,
dstessel@wmata.com,
gbaldwin@wmata.com,
gStief@wmata.com,
hlew@wmata.com,
icumming@wmata.com,
jcole@wmata.com,
jdougherty@wmata.com,
jhughes@wmata.com,
jrequa@wmata.com,
kborek@wmata.com,
mbarnes@wmata.com,
mbrown@wmata.com,
mChu@wmata.com,
mpohl@wmata.com,
nbottigheimer@wmata.com,
pStaub@wmata.com,
spant@wmata.com,
hntrmill@fairfaxcounty.gov,
Catherine.hudgins@fairfaxcounty.gov,
info@NicholsCreativeDevelopment.com,
alexvamayor@aol.com,
william.euille@alexandriava.gov,
mhynes@arlingtonva.us,
jdyke@mcguirewoods.com,
mbowser@dccouncil.us,
marcel.acosta@ncpc.gov,
mortdowney@verizon.net,
mbarnes@ciponline.org,
ahampshire-cowan@howard.edu,
drgridlock@washpost.com,
matthew.bassett@drpt.virginia.gov,
emile.smith@dc.gov,
david.harlan@drpt.virginia.gov,
john.chism@dc.gov,
jbenton@mdot.maryland.gov,
ggood@mdot.maryland.gov,
Kevin.page@drpt.virginia.gov,
Thomas.freeman@drpt.virginia.gov

-10 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 663 weeks ago

Fare hikes and service cuts.

It's a Bain Capital miracle!

1 reply · active 663 weeks ago

-33 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 663 weeks ago

Sounds like Obamacare to me.

+12 Vote up Vote down

guest · 663 weeks ago

I'd be OK with this on off peak IF, and it's a BIG if, Metro actually ran on a schedule. So if the 9:02 train came at 9:02, people to adjust accordingly.

That will never happen though, so this is a terrible idea.

2 replies · active 663 weeks ago

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mrickster · 663 weeks ago

It wouldn't matter if there were an actual schedule. If we have to wait for 15 minutes between trains, there is no way you can be guaranteed to get on the 9:02 train. I get on at Union Station headed toward Shady Grove. If the trains don't come for 6 minutes, the platform becomes so crowded that not everyone gets on the next train.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Jason · 663 weeks ago

And at two-line platforms, you might just not be able to get on because you can't push through the crowd before the five seconds they hold the doors open is up.

+2 Vote up Vote down

16 cents · 663 weeks ago

Maybe this is how they plan to make things better in the Rosslyn tunnel. . .

1 reply · active 663 weeks ago

+12 Vote up Vote down

Anon · 663 weeks ago

This schedule will practically allow them to rent out the Roslyn tunnel for apartments! (Nice and quiet - hardly any trains!)

+15 Vote up Vote down

F'n JD · 663 weeks ago

This isn't a subway worthy of the nations capitol. This is third world service.

FULL FEDERAL TAKEOVER. NOW.

4 replies · active 663 weeks ago

+6 Vote up Vote down

Socket · 663 weeks ago

What makes you think that the federal government has the expertise to manage a subway? I

+13 Vote up Vote down

Kara · 663 weeks ago

Can they do worse?

+12 Vote up Vote down

F'n JD · 663 weeks ago

Oh...maybe the fact that they regulate the railways, the subway systems, they have a Department of Transportation...and the NTSB which made the safety recommendations to WMATA which they have to complete.

+3 Vote up Vote down

insider · 663 weeks ago

Anything would be better and kick out the Union too! We need to get a new Union.

+16 Vote up Vote down

@Hell_on_wheelz · 663 weeks ago

This is the 2nd leg of demand management. The Board and Metro management used it successfully against Metro Access riders and now it's YOUR turn.

Higher fares and longer wait times depress demand for transit. Yeah, there are studies out there.

Transit is funded by the jurisdictions - your fares don't cover everything. Reducing demand is an easy way to lower the transit bill to the jurisdictions. Lower bills = budget savings = politicians look good.

And the WMATA Board is staffed by who???

Never mind, you'll see what they are up to in another year or so...

5 replies · active 663 weeks ago

+8 Vote up Vote down

Anon · 663 weeks ago

You are undoubtedly correct .
I know already I have almost completely stopped riding the trains on the weekends. This schedule would make it me very much less inclined to ride in the off-peak weekday hours, and possibly not even in the peak weekday hours.

I hope they keep the buses in repair, because I willprobably be on them more and more in the future.

+12 Vote up Vote down

Kara · 663 weeks ago

I am sure quite a few people in the DC area are less apt to go local places now than a decade ago. Often if I can not walk there I just skip it, even though part of the reason for my moving into the city in the first place was to be able to get to weekend events.

+8 Vote up Vote down

Jason · 663 weeks ago

Some people like to complain that people like me who insist on pointing out that NYC is the better city hands-down whiners and debbie-downers, but here is the simple fact of it: New York City is what it is because of the subway. The fact that you can get through the whole city by subway, 24 hours per day, with service not really slowing down until after 10 PM or so, is what makes NYC what it is. I lived by Columbia University, and could be in the West Village in half an hour if I got stuck on a local, much faster if I made an express, and a bit longer to the East Village if I missed a transfer (UWS to East Village is a rare pain in the ass in the subway in NYC).

DC is *never* going to catch up if people don't go anywhere because they don't want to deal with Metro and then find driving unpalatable due to parking and/or wanting to drink wherever it is they're going.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Neenya · 663 weeks ago

Another major difference between MTA and WMATA is reliability. When you actually know the train is going to come in 2 minutes, people stop trying to crowd their way on once a train gets too full (and they get full, my experience has been that they get fuller than my WMATA commute. People know the doors will stay open long enough at their stop, so they aren’t nervous to be in the middle of the car). It also results in less platform crowding (I would guesstimate that the 4/5/6 downtown platform at Grand Central sees as many, if not more, passengers than Union Station and the platform is significantly more narrow, but I’ve never seen it dangerously over-crowded). The sheer number of lines and express tracks in New York is an advantage as well – if my 4/5 express is acting up, I take the local 6. Last week, the 4/5 were having some major troubles, so they turned some 6 trains into expresses through the busiest corridors and kept them running on the local track.

+7 Vote up Vote down

guest · 663 weeks ago

yep. i hardly ever come downtown on the weekends anymore. if i really have to, i drive.

+20 Vote up Vote down

fustrated · 663 weeks ago

Why don't they just cut to the chase.

Take our wallets, spit in our faces and call it a day.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Red Line · 663 weeks ago

This is going to be a disaster with single tracking and station closures. I've waited for an hour for an off-peak train to come when there was construction on that line. This makes Metro pretty useless to use on weekends- and they want to increase the official "twenty minute wait" to thirty????

Trains are already packed during "peak" times. WTF are they thinking??

+3 Vote up Vote down

Arnaud · 663 weeks ago

Metro already decreased the number of train, at least on the weekend. Look at the red line: Last year it used to be one train every 6 minutes. Now it is one train every 20-24 minutes, plus a few additional trains in downtown.
Moreover, since 2 weeks ago, these additional trains run from 9:30am to 6pm, instead of 9 to 9 before...
Considering the huge fare increase on the weekend, (average of +28% on my regular weekend metros), I would not be surprised to see metro closing definitively on the weekend in the next few months/years.
And it is not related to the silver line, it's to save money, due to their abyssal management...
If the waiting time increase again, they cross my red line...

+10 Vote up Vote down

I'm Done · 663 weeks ago

It's already happening. I take the first train from Shady Grove every morning. The first day of Rush Plus, Metro changed the schedule to add a minute to the travel time. It doesn't take 38 minutes to travel from Shady Grove to Gallery Place, thus, the operator deliberately dwells at stations to lose time and stay on schedule. Now, instead of barely making my transfer train every morning, I miss it and I have to wait 7-8 minutes for the next train. The second RL train makes it to Gallery Place while I'm waiting for the YL. I'm tired of Metro determining that my time is isn't valuable and that I enjoying standing around waiting on them. I've been late for work every morning since Metro added a minute to the schedule. I;m done! It's less stressful driving.

2 replies · active 662 weeks ago

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Arl Fan · 663 weeks ago

Just curious -- why not leave a few min later and take the 2nd RL train, if it arrives while you are still waiting for your transfer?

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I'm Done · 662 weeks ago

True, I could transfer to the same YL train by taking the 2nd RL train but the point is that metro is unnecessarily increasing my commute time which is causes me to be late for work every morning. I used to arrive at work at 5:50 now I arrive at 6:10 am.

+6 Vote up Vote down

Teri · 663 weeks ago

So whatever happened to the rush+ nonsense? Not that it worked anyway...trains are more packed than ever, and seem fewer and farther between. So now we have to look forward to *maybe* four trains an hour during peak commute?? What a load of c*** Knowing metro, we'll get 2 trains an hours IF we're lucky. I think we should all boycott riding this farce of mass transit for a week.

3 replies · active 663 weeks ago

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Steve · 663 weeks ago

It's called Rush Minus in my case. I take the Blue Line from Springfield into Farragut West every morning and now a third of the Blue Line trains are now Yellow Line trains. End result...the Blue Line is now more crowded and the wait is longer for a train (7-12 minutes during the rush). And my company just got rid of their telecommuting policy...gotta love it!

What's sad is there are not enough people who are up in arms about all of the problems the system has and are willing to do something about it. So, as long as Metro sees they can get away with charging more money for less service, they will continue to do it.

What a pathetic excuse for a mass transit system Metro has become. It is, by far, the most unpleasant thing I have to endure every day and I absolutely loathe having to step on board their trains every morning and night.

+6 Vote up Vote down

Jason · 663 weeks ago

I travel between Clarendon and Pentagon City. What used to be a 25 minute Metro commute can now easily be 35 minutes if I JUST miss the BL train in Rosslyn in the morning or Pentagon City in the afternoon. And I have, in fact, seen the BL train pull out just as I'm approaching the platform. 10 minutes instead of 5 is a huge deal when trying to get to/from work.

What I don't get though is why they run so many trains to Vienna in the morning. It was maddening a couple of weeks ago to see one of the THREE trains going to Vienna before my blue came, with one of the cars having ONE person on them. If Metro had half a brain--and I realize that's the problem here--they'd have had one if not two of those trains running New Carrolton->Franconia.

Also I take the ART bus in the morning now, gets me a block and a half from the Pentagon City Metro stop in 15 minutes flat and is cheaper to boot. I've been taking the Metro in the afternoon out of not wanting to stand in the heat, and I'd still have to cross Washington Blvd once I get back to Clarendon.

0 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 663 weeks ago

Does the ART bus work? I know someone has mentioned a 10E bus that runs between Rosslyn and Pentagon/Pentagon City, I think. The buses are cheaper and usually more reliable than the trains, save for traffic conditions.

+12 Vote up Vote down

Steve · 663 weeks ago

If this happens, I will just go back to driving. It will actually be cheaper, faster, and less frustrating. I've been riding Metro from VA into DC for more than 8 years and I can honestly state that Metro would make an excellent case study for business students wanting to learn how NOT to run a business. Bloated, multiple layers of unnecessary, overpaid, and ineffective management; employees who do not care about the welfare or safety of the riders; no accountability when things go wrong (even when people die)...the list goes on.

This has got to be one of the rare cities where taking mass transit is actually becoming slower and more expensive than driving. And do any of the big wigs at Metro or on the board actually depend on Metro to get them to work every day? I seriously doubt they do. If they did, something might finally get done regarding all the problems the system has.

What a joke...I can't believe I will likely soon be choosing my car over a mass transit system to get me to work. Absolutely pathetic job you are doing Metro!

6 replies · active 663 weeks ago

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Kris G · 663 weeks ago

Made the switch about a year ago, and have never looked back. I refuse to let even a single cent of my hard-earned income, fall into the hands of this corrupt and unfixable organization.

+5 Vote up Vote down

Steve · 663 weeks ago

Smart move! I am, most likely, going to do the exact same thing very soon. It just simply is not worth the time, money, or aggravation anymore to ride this pathetic excuse for a mass transit system.

+9 Vote up Vote down

Sue · 663 weeks ago

Ditto. The silver lining about metro service is that it has sucked so badly that the thought of never having to ride it again was an excellent incentive for me to save up my money for a car. In one week I will have enough to make the purchase, and I will NEVER RIDE THIS DANGEROUS, LOUSY JOKE OF A TRANSIT system again.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Jason · 663 weeks ago

I'm seriously tempted to just get a moped. I'm about a five minute drive from work...and have a bus I could take when it rains.

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DC Denizen · 663 weeks ago

Jason- you can find a good used moped that'll cost you much less than a year's worth of riding Metro. Plus it's fun! Just make sure you have a good place to lock up close to work.

+2 Vote up Vote down

@suchfail · 663 weeks ago

Since mass transit has no dedicated funding source in most of the country, A LOT of places are massively cutting service and raising rates. Its a big problem and Metro is LUCKY they keep getting bailed out (I have no idea how they can get bailed out, and not be able to make ends meet . . . oh yeah they do not force people into early retirement like a lot of their counterparts have done).

+17 Vote up Vote down

Nony · 663 weeks ago

Union Station would turn into Lord of the Flies if people had to wait 15 minutes for a train during rush hour.

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K-anon · 663 weeks ago

I'm taking action. I drive about 80% of the time now. I used to ride metro 80% of the time.

I'd rather ride mass transit to work, but having delays, hot trains, rude fellow passengers, irritating or sometimes mocking employees, and having to waste my time waiting for trains and transfers has made the decision for me.

So, I'm helping to clog the road which is already overcrowded and I'm polluting our air, but at least I'm staying sane. Thanks for nothing WMATA.

1 reply · active 663 weeks ago

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Someone · 663 weeks ago

K-anon

Y u no take action?

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montagthezine 51p · 663 weeks ago

Good lord. Metro has managed to find even more ways to make people NOT want to take the train anymore!

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Matt · 663 weeks ago

15 minute headways during PEAK???? Have they ever looked at one of their platforms during the peak?? At 6 minutes, the platforms are full.

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Sam · 663 weeks ago

Jesus Christ. At this rate (literally, not an exaggeration), it will soon be faster/cheaper to take Amtrak. I work a later shift and leave around 9-9:30am. I live in Alexandria. Amtrak costs $15 to get from King St to Union Station and runs at 40-50 minute intervals at that time of the day. And it has wi-fi. And I can drink coffee or eat a snack or use the quiet car.

It's almost worth it to wait 10-20 extra minutes (which will be made up by the shorter ride with fewer stops) and pay $9 more to get the amenities of Amtrak.

Metro--a SUBWAY--is becoming less frequent and more expensive than VRE and Amtrak. Someone please put a stop to this madness.

1 reply · active 663 weeks ago

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Stephanie · 663 weeks ago

Actually, if you buy a VRE ticket, Amtrak tickets are a $5 step up. So you'd end up paying less than $15 each way, I think (I'm doing some very quick math here, but, a single ride is 6.20, plus $5, is 11.20). But a monthly pass or multi-ride pass, and the one way is a bit cheaper.) The pain in the ass part would be buying the step up every day, each way. Depending when your shift ends, you may have a tougher time getting home, though. The last trains are at 6:40, 6:50 (both VRE only) or 7 (Amtrak)

I made the metro to VRE switch and it's way worth it.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Inside-anon · 663 weeks ago

I believe you have overlooked the second part of the service criterion. The minimum headways are just that, minimums. Combined with the second factor, "Passengers per car shall not exceed 120 nor fall below 80 during the peak hour", The headway would be much less than 15 min. Now, late night service on Friday and Saturday at 30 min, I could see that happening.

+6 Vote up Vote down

Bleh · 663 weeks ago

I looked at this BS proposal because I was curious whether 30 minutes includes delays for track work or whether 30 minutes could become 45 minutes (in which would make weekend service a total joke). I didn't find an answer to that, but found some other nonsense.

First, it's shocking that the proposal is basically just a brief powerpoint. I didn't see anything that resembled policy analysis, data to support the proposal, or even a statement of what the current policy is for comparison.

Second, under "description," it said, "This action will lead to improvements in the delivery of quality service." Longer waits will lead to improved quality of service? Come on WMATA, don't fart in a bottle and tell me it's perfume.

15 minute gaps during peak time could easily lead to a situation like this: Someone gets to the station as the train is leaving, that happens to everybody now and then. So they have to wait 15 minutes, but the next train to show up may well be too crowded to get on because that's what happens during long gaps between trains during rush hour. Meaning people could easily wind up being 30 minutes late for work.

1 reply · active 662 weeks ago

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I'm Done · 662 weeks ago

In my case, only half the trains go to Shady Grove train during rush hour. Will I have to wait 30 minutes for a train during rush hour?

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Matt · 662 weeks ago

I am moving to Germantown at the end of the month. I will HAPPILY be moving my commuting business to the MARC. Twice as far away for half the price. And 100% less likely to be killed. When was the last time a MARC train hit something and lost?

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@Hell_on_wheelz · 662 weeks ago

OK: the fare increase (how's that working for the off-peak commuters?), RushPlus (how's that working for the peak commuters?) and increased wait time went through ... next is the PR campaign to take alternative transportation (bike share, zip cars, MARC, VRE).... and the death spiral of mass transit transporting people will be complete.

Of course the Board and Metro staff will congratulate themselves regularly in the press on how efficiently the trains run.....

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JLP · 662 weeks ago

This is even WORSE than Rush. Argh. Oh well. My commute is getting longer by an hour next year. During the summer if temps are at 100 in the afternoon, I could be dead by the time I arrive at the home station. So who cares really. Well all be dead anyway. Its futile. Get out before you drown