Unsuck DC Metro: 99+ Problems

Thursday, August 9, 2012

99+ Problems

Update: Here's a post comparing problems between May 2008 and May 2010.

Thanks to FixWMATA for letting me cross-post.

WMATA provides a Daily Service Report (HERE) that tells a story of all of the problems their trains experienced each day. I went through July’s reports (July 1 – July 31) and tabulated the data. Here is what I found (the larger numbers):

120 WMATA trains experienced “brake problems” in July.

90 WMATA trains simply “did not operate” in July.

83 WMATA trains experienced a “door problem” in July.

63 WMATA trains experienced an “equipment problem” in July.

63 WMATA trains had their schedule or route adjusted (ie “expressed”) in July.

40 WMATA trains experienced an “operational problem” in July.

31 WMATA trains experienced a “signal problem” in July.

21 WMATA trains experienced a “sick customer” in July.

10 WMATA trains were delayed due to “police activity” (including suspicious bags) in July.

Comments (29)

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+9 Vote up Vote down

guest · 658 weeks ago

How many total trains were operated in July? What percentage of trains had brake problems? A relative number will help us better understand Metro's problems.

4 replies · active 658 weeks ago

+6 Vote up Vote down

@FixWMATA · 658 weeks ago

That data isn't provided in the Daily Service Report. My goal was to get a better idea of how many and which type of problem WMATA experiences most. For instance - while people go bonkers over sick customers the actual number of times that happens is small compared to the number of trains with brake problems. WMATA *CAN* do more to prevent brake problems.

+8 Vote up Vote down

horseydeucey · 658 weeks ago

Or we *CAN* be better passengers and strap pillows to ourselves. Because WMATA has shown they are incapable of doing any more... on any front... unless 'more' means 'less.'

+2 Vote up Vote down

Roma · 658 weeks ago

The pillows would catch on *unsecured* escalator panels and cause much more harm than good...

0 Vote up Vote down

anon · 658 weeks ago

Well Union employees brought home a 16% percent raise over 3 years I was told. Is this where all the revenue to repair the brakes and all or is the maintenance group slacking off? I know they don't want to increase productivity to meet the demand

+9 Vote up Vote down

Ever n Anon · 658 weeks ago

"Did not operate" and "operational problem?" Really?

+17 Vote up Vote down

Frequent red liner · 658 weeks ago

...and a partridge in a pear tree.

+5 Vote up Vote down

@davinpet · 658 weeks ago

Wow, so many break problems.

They frequently like to hold trains at the station to "adjust schedule" and you can't understand the announcement made by the train operator. Why are they getting off schedule?

1 reply · active 658 weeks ago

+6 Vote up Vote down

@perkinsms · 658 weeks ago

Because the schedules are written to accommodate an average train speed. If for some reason there are fewer people holding doors or faster than normal loading and unloading times, the trains start going faster than the planned average.

In order to restore your customary slower service, Metro sometimes causes trains to hold for schedule adjustment.

You're welcome!

-22 Vote up Vote down

notmyfault · 658 weeks ago

So I guess when they finally *Unsuck Metro*, you can move on to bigger and better thinkgs! Such as....Unsuck the Police department or Unsuck the Health Care system or even Unsuck the District with all of their bloody red light camera's and speed traps but wait.....doesn't just about everything in this area SUCK!!! Well it sure as hell does and guess what?!?! It ain't getting no better anytime soon.....especially in your life time buddy!

3 replies · active 658 weeks ago

+13 Vote up Vote down

Kris G · 658 weeks ago

Things definitely wont get any better as long as there are people with your attitude.

+7 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 658 weeks ago

Which means Unsuck will be going this until the day he dies.

Thank you.

+3 Vote up Vote down

russell.j.coller.jr · 658 weeks ago

hey,... whoa, whoa...big fella --- the 63/64 Bus and the Circulator usually don't suck AT ALL. & if you don't like speed / red light cameras - DON'T SPEED. The cops deal WAY less crack & smack than they used to. The libraries don't suck---- think of them as bum-a-rific !! It's almost Friday, don't auto-erotically strangle yourself just yet.

+14 Vote up Vote down

Tricky Dick · 658 weeks ago

These things you call brakes? Are they important??

4 replies · active 658 weeks ago

+10 Vote up Vote down

@FixWMATA · 658 weeks ago

Not important enough to cut the PR/Marketing department down to say... 60 or fewer people.

+22 Vote up Vote down

Tricky Dick · 658 weeks ago

I think you're missing the point Mr. FixWMATA...when these things you call brakes break on an average of 4 trains a day, we need the PR/Marketing staff to come up with new and creative ways to blame it on the passengers. For example, "Our trains brakes keep failing because so many passengers pack onto our blue line trains during rush plus. If they'd just wait the 20 minutes for the next train, we wouldn't have this problem."

+12 Vote up Vote down

Orange Crush · 658 weeks ago

How about "These aren't problems to be overcome, these are all opportunities to increase the amount of time you have to fully savor your Metro experience."

+2 Vote up Vote down

Vienna Bound · 658 weeks ago

Has Metro started sterotypically blaming the brake problem on passengers yet? For example, "Metro suffered an inordinate number of brake failures this month due to increased use by passengers. The antiquated, rotten fish smelling braking system cannot adequately compensate for the overcapacity and overload of our metro cars. Therefore, if fewer passengers boarded Metro trains, we could effectively reduce the brake failure problem system-wide."

+7 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 658 weeks ago

Just wondering - have there always been so many "sick customer" problems? I know they aren't frequent compared to brake problems and "not operating" problems, but I very rarely heard about sick customers even a few years ago and now it seems like it happens regularly. Is this just that it's easier to broadcast the information now with social media, or is it something more? Hot cars and jerky rides making unsuspecting tourists sick?

4 replies · active 658 weeks ago

+3 Vote up Vote down

Bitter Brew · 658 weeks ago

That's an interesting take - I actually was thinking the opposite, and that there used to be more sick customers. But maybe it was just larger as a percentage of the total disruptions.

+6 Vote up Vote down

Matt · 658 weeks ago

Note the increase in hot cars. Proportional to the increase in number of "sick customers"?

I have also seen them refer to a person run over by a train as a "sick customer".

+4 Vote up Vote down

Sabrina · 658 weeks ago

I will gladly attest that I get sick far more often in the last two years than I used to - I've lived in the DC metro area my entire life minus the time I was an undergrad. I freely admit to being more susceptible to motion sickness than the average person (I have to sit down facing forwards or stand up; I can't sit facing backwards, and I can't read or or watch something on an iPad or I WILL be sick), but it has been terrible lately. I blame the lack of ATC and the absolute lack of skills of the train operators. The herky-jerky braking dance does me in every time. I have been ill on the train before (always carry plastic grocery bags with me) and many times I have to get off at a station for fresh air.

It's not fun. I hate having to take personal wagers on 'if I have to get off at the next station to not get sick, how many trains will I have to let go by before I can find one that I can get on?"

+2 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 658 weeks ago

Between the hot cars and the jerky Metro rides (the Toronto Maple Leafs will make the NHL playoffs before we see ATC reinstated), it's no surprise there are more "sick" passengers.

+11 Vote up Vote down

jimlcunningham 80p · 658 weeks ago

Since we, in fact, would like more "Police Activity", I would totally let them off the hook about those 10 and not count them against Metro performance.

1 reply · active 658 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

@FixWMATA · 658 weeks ago

I wasn't counting those "against" WMATA, just like I don't count someone having a seizure and delaying a train as a "sick customer" against that customer. I was just reporting the bigger numbers - after the 10 police activity number the numbers dropped off to 1's, 2's and 3's for a hodgepodge of various things so I didn't include all of those.

+2 Vote up Vote down

@wmata · 658 weeks ago

That's inaccurate.

1 reply · active 658 weeks ago

+6 Vote up Vote down

JoeyBagadonitz · 658 weeks ago

I'm sure its an underestimate. After all, he's only counting the ones they choose to disclose.

+4 Vote up Vote down

M. Saheed Al-Stessel · 658 weeks ago

There are no brake problems in our system. These are lies from the infidels.

+1 Vote up Vote down

pastelbluewithlittledolphins -15p · 655 weeks ago

New York City Subway: dirty trains, claustrophobic stations, proactive riders.

DC Metro: large open stations, clean trains, riders who love to complain about the most minor problems.

If you guys were being paid by the oil companies to say this, it would almost be better.