Unsuck DC Metro: Cracked Third Rail Open Thread

karah 81p · 620 weeks ago

Not me, fortunately I saw the email right before I left. Not that I could do much about it ... by that time I am deep in my morning routine and not much can speed it up. Anyway, the operator said nada and the station announcements were so garbled as to be useless.

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Wfrom Cleveland-Park · 620 weeks ago

Folks, when the train is stopped, you can let go of the railings. I repeat, you can let go of the railings. This will help others board. It took 20 minutes to get on a train at Cleveland Park this morning.

9 replies · active 620 weeks ago

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phan · 620 weeks ago

I get what you're saying except for two things: 1)Trains often move unexpectedly and that dude standing next to you is creepy with a capital Creep and 2) you then have to fight everyone for railing space and you may lose the one spot where you're comfortable. It's lose-lose.

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KayKay · 620 weeks ago

People don't let go of the rails because they don't want to lose their spot. I'd say, instead of wedging your way onto an over crowded train wait for another...delays aside, they come every 5 minutes during rush hour.

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Jason · 620 weeks ago

Not if you're a Blue Line rider.

Dudebro · 620 weeks ago

Last time I checked, Blue Line don't go to no Cleveland Park...

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ani · 620 weeks ago

I'm 5'0." If I let go to the pole, other people squeeze in, and I can't reach it anymore, I'm going to have nothing to hold on to. And as much as I love bracing myself against complete strangers...

Mariterri · 620 weeks ago

YES! I always have that problem and it sucks! Even those strap-things don't work for me unless I stand on my tip toes. I do my best to explain to people why I can't move or why I have to shove my way forward to find a seat rail or pole. I feel like I am constantly apologizing for something beyond my control! I truly hope metro does not go with that open space car plan that relies on rails above.

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Guest · 620 weeks ago

If I rub against you, will you expose me?

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Ani · 620 weeks ago

My girlfriend is a sex crimes prosecutor, so yeah, actually, I would. Not funny.

dddddda · 620 weeks ago

I get it, guest. :) Still, no rubbing!

Syrian Red Line · 620 weeks ago

I gave up after sitting on a train at Grosvenor for almost 30 min without moving. Taking the morning off and hoping the problem will be resolved by midday. Not holding my breath though.

2 replies · active 620 weeks ago

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Avocado · 620 weeks ago

I got on the Red Line today at about 8am at Wheaton, no problem -- except that the conductor repeated over the intercom at Every Single Stop that there had been a problem earlier this morning now has now been resolved, trains are flowing normally now, thank you for riding metro. Seriously, why do they say this at EVERY STOP? Some of us ride quite a few stops...

deedub · 620 weeks ago

you may have noticed, but at every stop, new people tend to get on, and those people may not have heard the message since, you know, they were not already on the train.

I'll take hearing the same message over the normal silence.

Anony-moose · 620 weeks ago

Please reply with your multiple choice answer on how you view metro's relationship with D.C.

(wiki Symbiosis)

A. Mutualistic
B. Commensal
C. Parasitic
D. Amensal
E. Symnecrotic

I am going to go with C, like most people probably will, but I would love to hear arguments for the other letters. Metro is a parasite that is suckling off of Uncle Sam's Man-titties. Why did I add that last bit there? Because now you will never get that picture out of your head.

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Radner · 620 weeks ago

On my way to work I had a seat. There was no wait to start moving. There was no smell of morning breath and bad coffee. I didn't get hit in the face with anyone's backpack or armpit. I didn't get nauseous from abrupt stops. No one yelled at me. I didn't have to climb a broken escalator. I felt like the cost of my commute was well worth the money. I made it to work on time. I drove.

1 reply · active 620 weeks ago

dddd · 620 weeks ago

awsome post!

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NoNo · 620 weeks ago

Eh Metro! Less easy to blame the freezing temperature for this cracked rail when you are in May!
Incompetent idiots!

6 replies · active 620 weeks ago

karah 81p · 620 weeks ago

It melted! Umm, just generally did not like the day maybe?

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NoNo · 620 weeks ago

"Brace yourself, Summer is coming":
Be prepared for some Metro bullshit "Heat related metro disfunction".
Metro keeps talking, but I'm speechless more and more...

guest · 620 weeks ago

yep, rails warp in high temps. RR's usually drop their speed limits over 95 degrees or so; caused a derailment last year.
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/07/metro-green-...

karah 81p · 620 weeks ago

As we all know, it hit over 95 this week.

guest · 620 weeks ago

i'm sure it was 95 somewhere!! <grin>

Guest · 620 weeks ago

It was ManBearPig's fault!

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Dave Alturd · 620 weeks ago

What's the other option? Driving?

You people do know that Cars require maintenance and break down all the time right? That's one of the many reasons the beltway is backed up all the time. In addition to breakdowns, there is the invisible cost maintenance and tax strain put out by subsidized cars in our car culture.

Metro's repairs are transparent and anyone can look up how much money they put toward all facets of their budet. Just look at how easy it has been for Unsuck to get information from Metro.

Don't twist the news by "presenting it" Unsuck. You have to go to the Source. Open,honest and informative (just like me): Dan Stessel. The fact that you avoid the Metro spokesperson shows you have a clear agenda.

As a lead member of the Rider's Advisory Council I will do my best to make sure the Metro Board knows that this breakdown was 100 percent the fault of the riders as per Dan Stessel.

Read my blog!: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/

7 replies · active 620 weeks ago

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Bitter Brew · 620 weeks ago

Great meme, but I think the point could be made without insulting the guy's name. Maybe post this as "Greater Greater Moron" or something.

Taylor · 620 weeks ago

Or start your own blog. Not being sarcastic. Just that maybe these would be more entertaining as entries than as comments.

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@FixWMATA · 620 weeks ago

As a point of clarification (why I'm finding it necessary to correct a parody account is beyond me): David Alpert is no longer on the Riders' Advisory Council.

SMH, it's come to this... #facepalm

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Dave Alturd · 620 weeks ago

You caught me.

I'm ashamed to say that I was fired for failing to do my job correctly. I was just embarrassed to admit it. And can you blame me for hiding it? Who wants the entire internet know that I couldn't even hack it at a Metro Council (even if it's for the Riders).

But that's okay. Despite your exposure of my status, as you can see I still attend every meeting (because I have no shame): http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/riders_advisory_...

I will continue to attend and offer my input and advocacy for the riders and the public. I will do this by further Metro's agenda because I love Public transportation no matter what. I also know how people should live and know what's best for them.

Wish me luck! And nominate me if I get a chance to get back on !

Read my blog!: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/

@FixWMATA · 620 weeks ago

Missed you at tonight's meeting!

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karah 81p · 620 weeks ago

Dan posted here when he was first hired. Then immediately ran away and yelled when he was asked questions.

His name is pretty much mud on this blog.

karah 81p · 620 weeks ago

other options that are better for the environment: walking, bicycling, carpooling

Guest · 620 weeks ago

The worst part about this morning was (besides trying to switch at Fort Totten, getting to Brookland, waiting about ten minutes, going back to Fort Totten and riding the Green line to Chinatown to get to Union Station) was when I got on the Red line train at Chinatown it was completely full, but there was one asshole sitting in the aisle seat, next to an empty window seat. Either he refused to move or nobody said "excuse me" to him.

Second worse was it took about ten minutes to get out of Union Station. The escalator lines stretched almost the length of the platform!

Andrew · 620 weeks ago

Got to Twinbrook around 7:15, knew something was up as soon as I saw the crowd. To be fair to the Mrs, she warned me before I left home that there had been an alert issued about delays, but since i've been getting those alerts almost every morning for the past few weeks, I was hoping this would be an issue that would become "normal service" has resumed, or at least have to experience "residual delays" by the time I reached the station.
Nope, 30 minutes later, the first train rolled in. I'm not the kind of guy who does well in crowded trains, so I decided to let another 2 go by before I boarded a full, but not packed train. I got off at Grosvenor in the hope of boarding a train that had just turned around, only to find out from an employee pacing up and down the platform that trains were not turning around at Grosvenor due to the delays. I have to give credit to WMATA for actually having someone on the platform letting people know what was going on, and she even went as far as to tell people how many cars would be on the next train and where they should stand etc. In the many Fubar's i've encountered on Metro this was a first. Either way, I had to let another 2 or 3 trains pass before I could comfortably board, and got to work around 09:00.

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Concerned · 620 weeks ago

Metro Worker: "Jenga!"

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Stan Dessel · 620 weeks ago

This morning, a customer sneezed on one of our world class rail cars, causing damage to our resilient third rail. Due to this customer's actions, there were some delays. But you got where you're going, and you're welcome.

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@savemetro · 620 weeks ago

Guy on the platform next to me asked if there are any delays . . . I said, of Course, its Metro. #ItsthenewNorm

guest · 620 weeks ago

lucked lucked lucked out this morning--got on a train at glenmont that pulled out a couple minutes later and had no delays until gallery place, where he had to stop with one car on the platform for a minute for the red signal caused by the train ahead of us breaking down at metro ctr. only a few second delay and central let him come in and open his doors.

unlike, monday, where i was half hour late...

as i said, lucky lucky lucky. thank you, train deity.

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@kwbarrett · 620 weeks ago

Not that I enjoyed the nearly 2 hr commute from Shady Grove to Gallery Place this morning, but maybe my outlook is just a little different than most. First, I have commuted daily on Metro for the past 8 years so I've seen plenty. When I woke up and saw my first alert at 6:14am, followed by alerts at 6:18, 6:27, and 6:46, I guess I kinda figured the commute would suck. Now I am of the mindset that I am not in control of my commute, so I just go with it. It still beats the hell out of sitting in traffic on the Beltway as I did for 10 years prior. I bang out a quick email to my boss, who is stuck in the same mess, put in some ear plugs, and read until I get there. I get there when I get there. It sucks but what am I really going to do about it? Complaining does no good.

9 replies · active 620 weeks ago

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Jason · 620 weeks ago

"I get there when I get there. It sucks but what am I really going to do about it?

Well for starters a lot of people have bosses who will fire them if they are late, period.

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@kwbarrett · 620 weeks ago

You ALWAYS have a choice in how you commute to work. If you put all your eggs in the Metro basket, I can't say I have much sympathy for you. I have options myself. I choose to take Metro and deal with the delays. Yes it sucks, but if I'm aware of the situation beforehand and I still take Metro, who can I blame but myself. I honestly considered jumping on MARC this morning. Would have been quicker and Union Station isn't that far from the office. I decided it's easier to shoot an email to my boss, who was also stuck in the madness, and just stick it out on Metro.

Guest · 620 weeks ago

Some of us almost exclusively use Metro and wouldn't know where to get MARC tickets, how much they cost or when the MARC trains run. And don't tell me I could use some phone app - I don't have a smart phone.

CS2 · 620 weeks ago

You don't need a smartphone to find out that information. If you go to Google.com and type in MARC, it has all of the information you need. Also, always have a plan B when it comes to Metro. When the Metro goes FUBAR, I look to see my option and do that. It isn't hard and doesn't take much time.

When I used to drive, I would try to figure out different routes to take just in case there was an accident. The same thing applies here. Figure out other ways to get from point A to point B and it will save you time.

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dcn8v · 620 weeks ago

I wonder if someone who uses a wheelchair or who can't drive for some other reason feels like there's a choice about whether or not to depend on WMATA...

karah 81p · 620 weeks ago

Whoop de doo for you. Not everyone has options. Most do not live near a marc or VA express. Not everyone has a car. Some of us have medical conditions that eliminate the usual options.

Metro encourages people to have backup plans and that should say something right there. My 'backup' for getting to the office is to call in sick. To get home it is walking (if it is not overly hot or cold) while cursing metro.

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dvn8v · 620 weeks ago

Imagine you get paid by the hour, but you have to leave at a pre-determined time to pick up your kids. Imagine you have students waiting on you. Imagine you've already had two warnings about tardiness and your company's policy is "three times and you're out." Now put your ear plugs in and go back to feeling superior.

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@kwbarrett · 620 weeks ago

Hard to worry about what the boss will do when the boss is also stuck in the same mess as she was this morning.

karah 81p · 620 weeks ago

Yes, I really enjoy using up that leave time on the metro, or having to stay late, or missing a morning meeting/seminar/flight.

Does it say anything that most people in this area can walk in to their office, swear at metro, and not get questioned as to why they are late? Unfortunately many others risk losing their jobs for being late *once*.

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Ani · 620 weeks ago

I live closest to Woodley Park and work closest to Smithsonian (although I've been getting off at Metro Center and walking if the weather's nice). When I saw the delays, I walked over to Columbia Heights and took it to L'Enfant. It was as pleasant as anything involving Metro can be.

And then I spent my first half hour of work (my boss lives on the red line...) scrolling through Craigslist apartments, trying to find a place closer to my job so I can just walk all the time.

karah 81p · 620 weeks ago

When I arrived at the station my train had already been holding for some time. At Van Ness.

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Piereau · 620 weeks ago

I had an unexpected delight this morning, when after I deserted the metro at Van Ness due to NO information on a next train arrival, I decided to catch the bus downtown to grab an orange line train to work. When the bus driver saw all the people waiting, he asked "Is the metro down?" and after getting an affirmative answer, covered the fare box with his hand and waived us through. He was kind, thoughtful, and I still got to work on time.

Sweetness · 620 weeks ago

Well, on a day like today rail riders like myself get to also hate Metrobus with its stops every 75 yards. Instead of dealing with the Red Line on my commute from Cleveland Park to Union Station, I took the 96 bus from 29th & Cathedral. It took me 75 minutes door-to-door, instead of the usual 25. It could have been worse, I guess.

Corbett · 620 weeks ago

Such a sad state of affairs. Here's what I don't quite understand. If the red line was single-tracking between Fort Totten and... well, anywhere south of there... why would Metro not just round-trip trains between Ft Totten and Glenmont? It was pretty clear that a vast majority of the passengers from the outter stations were going to transfer to Green/Yellow at Ft Totten; why continue to inconvience the masses by the extra long delays just getting them to Ft Totten?

Now I'm sure the explanation is something along the lines of: there are not enough third tracks/turn-around locations/whatever-they-are-called for Metro to easily reverse trains... but, as I said, any excuse is just a sad state of affairs.

1 reply · active 620 weeks ago

n2deep · 620 weeks ago

so no cross overs is an excuse?

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hrh king friday 13 · 620 weeks ago

Well, sounds like all that weekend track maintenance is paying off.

El Perro Sato · 620 weeks ago

I was at Metro Center by about 7:35 AM (I ride from DC to Rockville on the Red line 5 days a week) and knew something was wrong as soon as I showed up.

The red line platforms don't fill up at Metro Center until after 8 AM. But 2-3 blue/orange trains passed while I waited for the red line, meaning lots of transfers filled up the platform. The train was back to "normal" capacity around Cleveland Park or so.

Actually, as far as Metro delays/overcrowding goes, today was barely a blip. I've gotten stuck at platforms for a half hour on weekdays before...

Nick (NOT FROM GGW) · 620 weeks ago

Usually I board at Takoma around 8:20 AM.

Today was a bit different - I had a dentist appt in Tenleytown at 9:15, but I planned to just ride the red line all the way over there, instead of getting off at Metro Center as I usually do.

Needless to say, I opted to drive. Military road was backed up 2 da max.

1 reply · active 620 weeks ago

Melinda · 620 weeks ago

I got a little panicked and tried to find alternate transportation, but then changed my mind. I got on at Takoma around 8:15 like I always do. Completely normal commute. No problems at all to Gallery Place.

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Unsuck Fan · 620 weeks ago

I don’t know how what I say goes with what’s reported here by Unsuck because I thought it had to do with broken down trains and not a cracked third rail. My Smartphone battery was going through its charge pretty quickly so I decided not to keep up with what was going on because I knew I was going to have to communicate about the problem & my progress to my boss.

For me, I was at the beginning of the RL meltdown, Ft. Totten, when it first began. The operator on our train let us know about a broken down train in front of us. Not surprisingly, I think the train that was supposed to rescue it broken down as well because we were informed that we had to offload because Metro wanted to use our train to move the other two off of the tracks.

Thanks to FIXWMATA, I remember he had told us about the GL workaround so I was able to transfer & get around most of the RL mess. (If you are reading this, FIXWMATA, THANK YOU SO MUCH for informing us of this workaround. Yeah, I saw WMATA mentioning it, but I saw it here first from you & Unsuck. Thank you both so very much!).

I actually made it to my destination on time and before my boss did. He was caught in the RL mess heading in the other direction.

dddddda · 620 weeks ago

I often need to spring out of bed at the first sign of Metro trouble, so the alerts push to my phone. But, today, I was off. I was, however, woken up over and over again by alerts. The first one seemed okay...people need to know there's a problem. The 3rd or 4th one saying that there were significant delays also seemed necessary. But the *9* other alerts seemed a bit much. You're either going to adjust your morning because of a delay or significant delay or live with it. Tell me it's FUBAR and then when it gets to TARFU, and then if it gets worse, and then when it resolves. I don't need to know that the FUBAR is continuing, I assume that once you let me know until you tell me otherwise...

1 reply · active 620 weeks ago