Interesting July 4 Decision

It surprised us to read that Metro doesn’t plan on running any special trains on July 4, when it expects 700,000 or more people to ride. 700,000 is just under what Metro carries on an average weekday. Metro also hasn't decided yet whether to keep Smithsonian Station open during the festivities.
It has been several years since we took Metro to the big birthday bash, and it's certain they've added capacity, but the last experience was enough to deter us from ever wanting to try again.
We went mainly because we had a foreign friend visiting DC for the first time. We watched the fireworks from Rosslyn, where we’d met up with some friends who were having a party later on in DC.
After the pyrotechnics, the plan was to take Metro to into the city.
The crowds on the Rosslyn platform were suffocating, so much so that you weren’t really in complete control of your movements. The mob ebbed and flowed, and you went with it whether you wanted to or not.
It was not only uncomfortable, it felt dangerous.
On this particular night, the tide of people swept our foreign friend onto the train while pushing the rest of us away. Before we’re realized it, the doors were closed, and our friend, who at this point looked extremely panicked, had no idea where they were going.
Frantically, we tried mouthing "get off at the next station" to them. As the train pulled away, we were unsure if our friend had read our lips.
Luckily, our friend got the message, and our driver stopped in more or less the same spot as the previous train, which allowed us all to reunite.
Metro GM John Catoe told WTOP that because Metro is now using so many 8-car trains, they will be able to handle the crowds. "It's going to [be] a lot easier -- very much like a normal rush hour day from the standpoint of customers," he said.
Does Catoe realize that when the fireworks are over, ALL of those people want to leave at the same time, which is very much unlike rush hour, which runs over the course of hours?
As a benefit of not running special trains, Catoe said there will be no "confusion about which trains go over the Yellow Line bridge."
Is this an even trade?
What have your recent July 4th Metro experiences been like?

Other items of interest:
How Metro measures on-time performance on buses (GGW)
National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board supports Purple Line (Balt. Sun)

Congratulations Mr. Catoe

You've been named the nation’s 2009 top public transportation manager by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
The list of accomplishments on your press release was quite long, and as we've said before, despite Metro's shortcomings, we can't imagine how much worse the area would be without it. And frankly, compared to other U.S. mass transit systems we've used--NYC, Chicago, Boston and Charlotte--Metro is definitely toward the top of that list. On a world stage, we know Metro would fare much less favorably.
But that said, we appreciate your efforts regarding safety and cleanliness. Your record in these areas deserves praise.
However, we think you need to work harder toward your goal of achieving better customer service.
Customer service received scant space in your lengthy press release compared to the inauguration, and our blog is filled with entries from riders about rude personnel, inept crews, late trains, broken down trains, door malfunctions and much more.
It disappoints us how silent you've been about many of the problems.
On May 6, in the “Get There” blog on Washingtonpost.com, there was a memo from the CEO of Virginia Railway Express (VRE) offering his customers an apology of sorts, calling VRE’s March service “abysmal” and “unacceptable.”
He then outlined steps VRE was taking to turn things around.
We realize it's just a letter, but the symbolic value is great. It shows that at the very top of the organization there is concern. VRE still must actually do the work to improve things, but a letter like this can have a strong effect on suffering passengers.
We once asked our readers if you should go, but maybe the APTA knows something riders don't.
We hope this award gives you the added impetus to tackle the hard work ahead to make "the best ride in the nation" a fact, not a slogan.

Other News:
Vending plan shelved over food issue. (WaPo)

Rules Don't Apply?

UPDATE: Metro's response in the comments.

From reader "CS," an Orange Line rider.

I recently descended the stairs to the Orange/Blue lines platform at Metro Center. There, I found a DC police officer eating something (cookies/crackers, couldn't tell) right out in the open. Eating and drinking in the system really tees me off, so I approached the officer, and the following exchange occurred:

Me: What kind of message does it send to the rest of us if the police are eating down here?
The cop: The police are starving.
Me: I don't see anything in the rules that says, 'Unless you're starving.' How do you think it looks to the rest of us?
Cop: I don't know.
Me: Pretty lousy, don't you think?
Cop: [Says nothing].

Whereupon I walked away. I think the officer did stop eating, though.

I've also seen Metro employees violating the eating/drinking rules, too. If the authority figures don't act correctly, what kind of example does that set for riders?

We all know how Metro GM John Catoe stresses cleanliness above all else.

Other news:
Live chat with Metro's planner

Public Hearings and the Chopping Block

We just came back from one of Metro's six public hearings to discuss the budget and service “adjustments.”
First off, we have to say that Metro did a FANTASTIC job with signage. There was no way you weren't going to find this meeting.
Ostensibly, the meetings—this one was chaired by Chris Zimmerman and attended by Metro GM John Catoe--are held so that the public can get on the record with their views and Metro can consider those views when making final decisions.
As this was our first time, we didn't know what size crowd to expect, but since Virginia has relatively been spared the rod by some of the bus cuts, perhaps there was little interest and 40 or so was about what to expect.
The tone at the hearing was very civil, almost somnolent, so we'd hardly call John Catoe a brave man, as others have, for facing the public.
After hearing several passionate pleas to save certain bus service, particularly the 10A, we were left wondering if bus routes are easy targets for the budgetary ax because buses generally serve a lower socioeconomic demographic, one that is less likely to be engaged, speak English or voice concerns over losing service.
On the other hand, we see a lot of near empty buses (and trains) around at night, and we've always wondered why bus stops are so close together. Seriously, there are places where you can see three or four stops down the road. That's ridic, but it probably wouldn't save much money to space them out.
We get back to a point we've made before: If buses and trains could keep a schedule, Metro could cut service frequency, but allow users to plan their schedules accordingly. From all that we've experienced and heard about on this blog, that dream remains distant.
We did come away with a new appreciation for the complexity of Metro's budget.
A couple of other items of interest came up, and we'll blog about those later.

Other news:
Shocker! Dulles rail line completion delayed

Yikes

WTOP is reporting that the faulty section of track that caused this weekend's mayhem on the Red Line had been inspected just days before the incident.

"That area was inspected three days before," Metro General Manager John Catoe tells WTOP. "We are sending that piece of rail off to be tested to see if there's any defects in it."

We used this photo a few weeks back as a caption contest and had quite a few humorous submissions. Little did we know Metro workers inspecting tracks for faults are allegedly missing them!

We've gotten some heat that the name of this site is too harsh, but stories like this confirm to us that it was a wise choice.

We hope Catoe is happy with his clean, yet apparently dangerous subway system.

If you'd like to voice your concerns to Metro, attend some of the public hearings being held to discuss "service adjustments."

Wary of Metro? Try the new 16th Street bus.