The Week That Was March 18-24

Up until yesterday, it looked like Metro might have a chance at improving its performance over the last time we did this, but March 24 was a particularly bad day. There were 28 events last go around and 36 this week, according to Metro. Making its first appearance in our tally is the "rerouted for service" reason. Not sure what that means, but we guess it led to some angry passengers.

Here's the damage from last week:

March 18
7:29 a.m. A Green Line train at Archives-Navy Mem’l-Penn Quarter in the direction of Greenbelt was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
1:21 p.m. A Red Line train at Farragut North in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train. An additional train was put into service.
4:01 p.m. An Orange Line train at Rosslyn in the direction of New Carrollton was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train. A following train was taken out of service and used to push the disabled train to the rail yard. Several trains were rerouted for service. Customers experienced significant delays.
4:29 p.m. An Orange Line train at New Carrollton was not dispatched because no train was available.
4:54 p.m. An Orange Line train at New Carrollton was not dispatched because no train was available.
5:08 p.m. A Red Line train at Grosvenor in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train. The train was put back into service at Friendship Heights after repairs were made.
6:32 p.m. A Red Line train at Rhode Island Ave in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.

March 19
5:19 p.m. A Red Line train at Union Station in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train. The train was put back into service at Woodley Park-Zoo after repairs were made.
10 p.m. An Orange Line train at Federal Triangle in the direction of Vienna was taken out of service because of a fire, and customers were required to exit the train. Trains shared the opposite track between Smithsonian and McPherson Square until the disabled train could be moved.

March 20
7:53 a.m. An Orange Line train in the direction of Vienna did not service Ballston.
8:08 a.m. An Orange Line train at New Carrollton was not dispatched because of a mechanical problem.
9:13 a.m. A Red Line train at Silver Spring in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a report that pepper spray had been released inside a rail car, and customers were required to exit the train.
1:59 p.m. A Red Line train at Woodley Park-Zoo in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
4:28 p.m. An Orange Line train at Farragut West in the direction of New Carrollton was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
4:36 p.m. A Red Line train at Judiciary Square in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
4:55 p.m. A Red Line train at Shady Grove was not dispatched because of a mechanical problem. An additional train was put into service from Rhode Island Ave.
7:08 p.m. A Blue Line train at Pentagon City in the direction of Franconia-Springfield was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.

March 23
6:05 a.m. A Red Line train at Shady Grove was not dispatched because of a mechanical problem.
8:26 a.m. An Orange Line train at Federal Triangle in the direction of New Carrollton was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
10:39 a.m. A Red Line train at Friendship Heights in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train. An additional train was put into service from Rhode Island Ave.
5:05 p.m. A Green Line train at Naylor Road in the direction of Branch Ave was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
5:16 p.m. A Blue Line train at Foggy Bottom-GWU in the direction of Franconia-Springfield was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
5:25 p.m. An Orange Line train at Foggy Bottom-GWU in the direction of New Carrollton overran the platform and was unable to service the station.

March 24
7:01 a.m. A Red Line train at Rockville in the direction of Shady Grove overran the platform and was unable to service the station.
7:11 a.m. A Red Line train at Rhode Island Ave in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
7:31 a.m. An Orange Line train at Cheverly in the direction of Vienna was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train. The train was put back into service from Eastern Market after repairs were made.
7:52 a.m. An Orange Line train at East Falls Church in the direction of Vienna was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
7:55 a.m. A Red Line train at Tenleytown-AU in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
8:34 a.m. A Red Line train at Union Station in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
12:33 p.m. An Orange Line train at Farragut West in the direction of Vienna was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train. An additional train was put into service from Farragut West.
3:25 p.m. An Orange Line train at West Falls Church in the direction of Vienna was rerouted for service.
3:49 p.m. An Orange Line train at West Falls Church in the direction of New Carrollton was rerouted for service.
3:53 p.m. An Orange Line train at West Falls Church in the direction of Vienna was rerouted for service.
5:26 p.m. An Orange Line train at Federal Triangle in the direction of New Carrollton was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
5:38 p.m. A Yellow Line train at Pentagon in the direction of Huntington was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
6:12 p.m. A Yellow Line train at Crystal City in the direction of Mount Vernon Square was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
8:21 p.m. A Red Line train at Brookland-CUA in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train. Additional trains were put into service from New York Ave and Friendship Heights.
9:33 p.m. A Blue Line train at Rosslyn in the direction of Franconia-Springfield was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train. An additional train was put into service from Rosslyn.

The Week That Was

We like to try to keep these posts as short as possible, but in this case, it sort of keeps going.

Here's a list of what appear to be major "disruptions" as reported by Metro for the workdays March 11-17. We have removed incidents where the problem didn't appear to cause much delay.

March 11
6 a.m. A Red Line train at Rhode Island Ave in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train. An additional train was put into service from New York Ave.
6:04 a.m. A Red Line train at Takoma in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
7:37 a.m. A Red Line train at Union Station in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
8:54 a.m. An Orange Line train at West Falls Church in the direction of Vienna was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
2 p.m. A Red Line train at Medical Center in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
4:16 p.m. A Blue Line train at Pentagon in the direction of Largo Town Center was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train. An additional train was put into service from Potomac Ave.
6:20 p.m. A Red Line train at Rockville in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
6:32 p.m. An Orange Line train at West Falls Church in the direction of Vienna was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
March 12
7:37 a.m. A Red Line train at Union Station in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
8:39 a.m. A Red Line train at Bethesda in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
3:28 p.m. A Blue Line train at Pentagon in the direction of Largo Town Center was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train. An additional train was put into service from Largo Town Center.
March 13
8:10 a.m. A Red Line train at Union Station in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
8:35 a.m. A Yellow Line train at Mount Vernon Square was not dispatched because of a mechanical problem.
5:48 p.m. A Red Line train at Medical Center in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
6:01 p.m. A Red Line train at Metro Center was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train. The train was put back into service from Union Station after repairs were made.
March 16
8:13 a.m. A Red Line train at Dupont Circle in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
8:56 a.m. A Green Line train at Fort Totten in the direction of Greenbelt overran the platform and was unable to service the station.
8:58 a.m. A Red Line train at Van Ness-UDC in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
11 a.m. A Red Line train at Rhode Island Ave in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
11:54 a.m. A Green Line train at Greenbelt was not dispatched because of a public health issue (EW!).
3:52 p.m. A Red Line train at Fort Totten in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train. The train was put back into service from Gallery Pl-Chinatown after repairs were made.
March 17
7:31 a.m. A Red Line train at Friendship Heights in the direction of Shady Grove was delayed because of a mechanical problem. A following train was taken out of service and used to push the disabled train to the rail yard. Several trains were rerouted for service. Customers experienced significant delays.
7:34 a.m. A Green Line train at Naylor Road in the direction of Greenbelt was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
8:20 a.m. A Red Line train at Dupont Circle in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
3:48 p.m. A Blue Line train at Metro Center was taken out of service because of a mechanical problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
5:26 p.m. A Red Line train at Rhode Island Ave in the direction of Glenmont was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.
5:49 p.m. A Blue Line train at Van Dorn Street in the direction of Largo Town Center overran the platform and was unable to service the station.
5:51 p.m. A Red Line train at Van Ness-UDC in the direction of Shady Grove was taken out of service because of a door problem, and customers were required to exit the train.

Stuck on the Orange Line Again

Just eight days ago, we were on a train that suddenly went out of service at Rosslyn causing a major human pile up, and today we got to enjoy another Metro foul up. This time, we got to spend about 12 minutes stuck in the tunnel between Smithsonian and Federal Triangle because a train was out of service at Rosslyn. When that train was "recovered," we moved along, and while there were certainly built up crowds, it wasn't the worst we'd seen.

We're not saying this is the end of democracy as we know it, but this number of major delays is simply unacceptable for a mass transit system, and it undermines crucial support this Metro needs among many would be financiers. We wonder how many people on that train went home tonight bemoaning how Metro sucks. We bet they used that very word. Sorry Greater Greater. We know you don't like that word, but Metro, all too often, sucks. It sucks in many ways for many reasons.

At least on this particular train, we had the dulcet tones of the DJ driver to soothe frayed nerves. You know him. "The next station is Rrrrrrosslyn, the firrrrst station in the Commmmmonwealth of Virrrrrrginia."

As you can see in yet another Metro YouTube effort, the system prides itself on being "safe, clean and reliable." I guess two out of three ain't bad.

Speaking of this video, they say that Metro offers one of the "smoothest" and rides around. I'd say that's true on the Y (left and right) and Z (up and down) axes, but on the X axis (forward and backward), we've never been on a more jolting subway system.

Where are you Red Line riders? We know you have some good stories!

Photo: John Morris

Documenting its Shortcomings

This should have been our first post, but we're learning.

Metro actually does a pretty good job, at least it would appear, of documenting incidents. Here's the summary for Feb. 2:

--Six trains were taken out of service that day
--McPherson Square station was temporarily closed due to reports of smoke.
--Ridership, according to Metro's stats, was up about 35,000 over the same day last year.

Feb. 3

-Five trains taken out of service

Feb. 4

--Four trains taken out of service

Do you think the number of trains taken out of service in a day is on par with comparable mass transit systems?

**Thanks to reader "Michael" for answering this question with a great piece of research.

Photo: John Morris

"Out of Service"

Gotta love it when a train goes out of service at the peak of rush hour. An absolutely packed train 5162 leaving Rosslyn at 6:02 p.m. made about 15 very jerky attempts to leave when the dreaded “this train is out of service” announcement was made. It sat there empty for another 5 minutes before finally pulling away.

Many people were upset, and you could hear them relating stories of other times that had happened to them or just generally bitching about Metro.

We had to wait for about four trains before finally shoehorning ourselves into another Orange Line train bound for Vienna.

If you’re interested in how Metro operates, hang out for a few on the platforms near the front of the trains, and you’ll see what an amateur, anachronistic operation it really is. For one, no train stops even close to the same place, which is strange because in Japan, the location of where each door on the entire train will stop is marked on the platform--and that's where they stop. Yes, you read that right.

Anyway, with our own clunky system, the doors seem to be the main focus of what goes wrong, but you’d think that would have been solved long, long ago.

Mass transit didn’t win any fans on that train, but my main question is how does a train that’s “out of service” then pull away normally? I’m not saying Metro is pulling a fast one (har har), but perhaps Cal could explain.