Unsuck DC Metro: Metro Escalator Boss to Run Rails

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Metro Escalator Boss to Run Rails

According to the Washington Post, Rodrigo Bitar, general superintendent for Metro’s escalator and elevator division will be promoted to assistant general manager for the agency’s transit infrastructure and engineering services division. He'll run the rails, essentially.

Totally makes sense.

According to the Post:

Bitar joined Metro in 2008 and worked on the quality assurance group, which supported the 2000, 3000 and 5000 series rail cars. Those rail cars have had troubles with brake parts falling off of them.

We all know Metro's escalator and elevators are a shambles. Even the new, "transit grade" escalators at Foggy Bottom and Dupont South, break way more often than they should.

Below is Bitar's track record for this month alone.

Other items:
Metro to install glow-in-the-dark signs to prevent self evacuation (Examiner)
Silver Spring transit center opening more than a year away (Examiner)

Comments (45)

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+11 Vote up Vote down

Jason · 624 weeks ago

Part of me can't help but think that it's not a coincidence that we're finding out about the anti-self-evacuation signs at the same time as Bitar's promotion.

+9 Vote up Vote down

knows metro · 624 weeks ago

only the shameless get promoted at metro. anyone with half a brain keeps their head down and just tried to make it through the day alive.

+5 Vote up Vote down

Ever n Anon · 624 weeks ago

Wonder if he ever rides Metro?

+9 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 624 weeks ago

Only 317 of 588 escalators have had an outage this month? He's got to get cracking on it to make sure every escalator breaks down at least once a month.

5 replies · active 624 weeks ago

+11 Vote up Vote down

Tim Hulsey · 624 weeks ago

It's only the 10th.

-10 Vote up Vote down

anon · 624 weeks ago

if a coin goes though the comb teeth it will shut the escalator off does not mean it's broke made that way for your safety.
IDIOTS YOU ALL ARE IDIOTS

+5 Vote up Vote down

guest · 624 weeks ago

If we assume that the 685 outages thru April 9 were all caused by quarters, that would make $171.25!

+1 Vote up Vote down

Another Nick · 624 weeks ago

What are the odds that three of the four escalators I take every day got jammed by coins for multiple days in a row and all at the same time?

-5 Vote up Vote down

anon · 624 weeks ago

not all caused by money but most outages are comb impact faults maybe from one of you crybabies jumping on the comb plate.

+6 Vote up Vote down

Heather · 624 weeks ago

Good thing I bought additional life insurance.

+7 Vote up Vote down

guest · 624 weeks ago

i saw that--as someone on twitter said, we're all gonna die.

+8 Vote up Vote down

Brodrigo Guitar · 624 weeks ago

Hey guys, I look forward to your warm welcome. Just this morning, I bathed in a pile of money. I just wanted to share with you folks a respected piece of my resume:

7 replies · active 622 weeks ago

+8 Vote up Vote down

@FixWMATA · 624 weeks ago

Ugh... David Alpert... I threw up a little in my mouth...

+7 Vote up Vote down

Ryan · 624 weeks ago

Why do people let him participate in things? He's so smarmy, milquetoast, and insufferable.

+9 Vote up Vote down

Dr Turdlock · 624 weeks ago

Just think, if you were fortunate enough to come into millions of dollars of money in your 20s, you'd have your own little city to terrorize, too!

+8 Vote up Vote down

Dr Turdlock · 624 weeks ago

Alpert every day makes self-proclaimed liberals look terrible.

+3 Vote up Vote down

Ryan · 624 weeks ago

Everything is "heartbreaking" to god-awful liberals Alpert. There are no levels of anguish.

A role model tragically dying is the same as the grocery store not having their special brand of quinoa.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 624 weeks ago

If they ever decide to make another Batman movie, they could cast Alpert as the Joker. He wouldn't need any makeup!

0 Vote up Vote down

Dave Alturd · 622 weeks ago

Alpert is the biggest tool in this city. He needs to go away. He is the living breathing symbol for why hipsters are one of the most worthless groups of people on Planet earth.

+20 Vote up Vote down

@JimLCunningham · 624 weeks ago

If I ever have to self-evacuate in a tunnel, I'm going to tear off one of those glow-in-the-dark signs to light my way.

+14 Vote up Vote down

dezlboy 76p · 624 weeks ago

OMG! I'm adding xanax to my "stuck in Metro tunnel" survival kit.

1 reply · active 624 weeks ago

+8 Vote up Vote down

DoctorG · 624 weeks ago

I'm going to start selling Xanax outside metro stations.

+7 Vote up Vote down

Rory · 624 weeks ago

It makes sense. If the trains stop completely, no need for the escalators.

+5 Vote up Vote down

Another Nick · 624 weeks ago

Seems like I picked the perfect time to abandon Metro.

1 reply · active 624 weeks ago

+3 Vote up Vote down

finch2012 84p · 624 weeks ago

Everytime time is a perfect time to abandon Metro.

+4 Vote up Vote down

6 stops · 624 weeks ago

Insane. Is there nobody else in the world they could hire?

+2 Vote up Vote down

Dan · 624 weeks ago

You should be happy we have hiring standards.

You're welcome!
- Danny

2 replies · active 624 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 624 weeks ago

What, that the people you hire are breathing, sentient, and speak some form of English?

0 Vote up Vote down

technicalities · 624 weeks ago

Pretty sure sentient and English-speaking are preferred but not required.

+7 Vote up Vote down

@savemetro · 624 weeks ago

Congrats Mr Bitar your incompetence proceeds you.

+6 Vote up Vote down

TRIII · 624 weeks ago

IT took them 5 months to fix the one at Pentagon City....FIVE DAMN MONTHS!!!!

10 replies · active 624 weeks ago

+5 Vote up Vote down

Heather · 624 weeks ago

And lord knows how long it's gonna take to replace those escalators over at the Pentagon?? It's an absolute Charlie Foxtrot over there at rush hour.

+5 Vote up Vote down

Ever n Anon · 624 weeks ago

Took over a year to replace Ballston escalators. Two weeks later they broke down.

+4 Vote up Vote down

Heather · 624 weeks ago

I remember that. And Rosslyn, it's a miracle if both up or down escalators are working, during rush hour. Then again since it's tourist season, magically things seem to be working.

-6 Vote up Vote down

anon · 624 weeks ago

check the kiosk log idiot never took more than 12 weeks per escalator.
get your dates right before you run you pie hole.

-7 Vote up Vote down

anon · 624 weeks ago

12 weeks per escalator and you can check the log in the kiosk. you're an idiot who needs to pay attention to the dates. GET A LIFE

+2 Vote up Vote down

guest · 624 weeks ago

the commenters are riders who are using (or not using) these escalators. presumably they can read a calendar and know how long a particular escalator, in a station they use every day, has been out of service?

or does "12 weeks" mean 'actually working on the unit' but it may be closed for a longer period for some reason? you sound like an employee; please clarify this issue for us. thank you.

0 Vote up Vote down

anon · 624 weeks ago

like I said check the log book you morons say all of them take a year

+1 Vote up Vote down

guest · 624 weeks ago

so if i, a rider, were to ask the manager in the kiosk if i could look at the log book, i would be allowed to?

-1 Vote up Vote down

fixed · 624 weeks ago

Let me rephrase the original commenter:

It took three months to fix one escalator at Pentagon City. THREE DAMN MONTHS!

+1 Vote up Vote down

anon · 624 weeks ago

lack of knowledge you have no idea what it takes to rehab an escalator.

+1 Vote up Vote down

tricky dick · 624 weeks ago

At least this guy is getting promoted to the one thing more broken than the escalators....even if, strike that, when he sucks, we won't know the difference.

0 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 624 weeks ago

So awit Metro is going to spend 100k to reduce the number of injuries by 29 (5%)?! Why am I not surprised they will waste 90% of that money, no way that can realistically cost 100k in non-Metro money.