Operation Hot Air?

The following is from a March 15, 2011 press release:

Last month, Metro’s Car Maintenance department launched an initiative called “Operation Cool Breeze,” a program designed to inspect and overhaul the air conditioning units inside the agency’s 1,142 rail car fleet. Under the program, maintenance personnel are cleaning condenser motors, checking auxiliary power units and other key vital components associated with providing air conditioning, and making sure the units are ready when they are turned on at the end of the month.

“We hit the ground running in February by checking all the vital components inside every rail car,” said Dave Kubicek, Metro’s Acting Deputy General Manager for Operations.

“It has been a monumental task, however our dedicated car maintenance personnel have been working diligently during the last several weeks to help ensure our customers will be comfortable throughout the spring and summer months while riding Metrorail,” he said.

When we started to see reports of hot cars ballooning during this recent heat wave, we asked Metro for some concrete information about what was done during the operation. They haven't gotten back to us with numbers, saying only the goal was to have all the cars checked by April 1.

We asked a few sources in Metro car maintenance.

The car maintenance personnel we talked to had never heard of "Operation Cool Breeze" and were not aware of any major AC work initiative being done in February or March.

One source involved in the air conditioning maintenance said Metro's approach to fixing the AC problems is "like treating stab wounds with Band-Aids."

They'd never heard of "Operation Cool Breeze" and added that Metro lacks many of the parts needed to make the AC fixes needed.

Another source confirmed the Band-Aid approach adding that the "fixes" sometimes only last a day or so. They, also didn't know of "Operation Cool Breeze" and added that they didn't think it was physically possible to get the AC working in all the cars given the scope of the problems and age of the cars. Furthermore, they said that testing them in March didn't really make sense since the AC is not stressed then.

Another said there had been some cleaning of some cars' AC evaporation coils, but that it was nothing even close to the scale of work described in the press release.

Another source said there were "not enough hours in the day" to complete the kind of work conveyed in the press release.

"An 'overhaul' is as much as a week project per car," they said.

They added that "checking of electrical circuits is futile. The systems can only be checked under load, in other words when it is 90 degrees 90 percent humidity and a crush load of passengers."

Yet another source called the operations "standard Metro BS."

More troublesome is that some of the problems with the AC appear to be unrepairable, said one source, even if Metro had the dedication, parts and manpower.

The source said fixing the air conditioning in many of the 5000-series cars was next to impossible because the auxiliary power supplies (APS), which are integral in the proper function of the AC, "are flawed" in their design.

Because of the persistent APS problems, the AC often doesn't work correctly on 5000-series cars, leading to a decision by Metro engineers that it would be OK to have 50 percent AC in two cars.

Well, I guess if the trains were running in Montana or Canada where it doesn't get as hot as DC, this would be sound judgment, but anyone who has ridden Metro in August knows this is as bad a decision as ever made by Metro. Instead of two semi-cool cars you end up with two hot cars.

The source said that when they reported 5000-series "hot cars" they were told to "isolate" the hottest of the pair.

This source said that one day last week, they'd been called to troubleshoot 8 hot cars, 3 of which were 5000-series cars.

Last summer, a blogger, FixWMATA, asked people to report hot cars to them. While the list is in no way meant to be interpreted as exhaustive, when you look at anecdotal numbers, 79 of the 206, or 38 percent, of reported hot cars were 5000-series cars.

They are also collecting hot car reports this summer.

5000-series cars make up about 16 percent of Metro's fleet.

Metro-Themed Kids' Books

Metro's Home Brewed Signage

via @nicolevins Spotted at Ballston... #goodidea #wmata yfrog.com/h2uicjnj


Via Matt


Via @allunso If you don't know which "eslator" you need to take, just follow the signs at McPherson sq @unsuckdcmetro http://t.co/USPD3q5


These used to be funny, but after seeing so many of them, they're just kind of sad as one begins to understand how deep-seated many of Metro's problems truly are.

Several current and former Metro workers we've spoken to all point to poorly educated workers as a major problem for WMATA.

Can the makers of these signs read and understand Metro training or regulation manuals? Can they read or understand written communication from management? Can they express safety concerns in a coherent way? Can they study, learn and pass tests for more responsible jobs?

Sadly, these problems are beyond the scope of more Metro funding, new by-laws, a newish GM or a new board.

Other items:
Metro promises to be nearly unusable this weekend (WMATA)

The Train Directly Behind will be here Momentarily

From Darren:

I am convinced there was an aspiring political adviser who took on an interim position with WMATA to come up with the words that we hear every day riding the Metro system.

If you consult a dictionary, the uses are technically correct, but after years of abuse by Metro, they've lost all meaning and now only cause pangs of dread in every rider's gut.

Directly

No hardened Metro rider has fallen for the pass-off trap for years now. Used as a premise to alleviate overcrowded trains, we’re often told that the next train is “directly” behind the train we need to board to make it to the office, school or in my case, Krav Maga on time.

The truth behind this is that there really is a train 1 to 20 stops behind the train now full and departing. Given that this is a rail system, the word "directly" is still technically correct regardless since there's nothing in between the two trains. That is, of course, if you’re not counting the mountain of sighs now piling up from those who either believed the message or couldn’t even get standing room on the first train.

“Directly” pales in comparison to the most dreaded of the "technically correct" words and phrases that are heard on the Metro.

Momentarily

How long is a moment is the question. I have had this last from a minute to over an hour, and still, it never sounds that long when crackled or boomed over the intercom. My favorite use is when stuck in a tunnel "momentarily" only to be interrupted momentarily over and over again to remind us that, yes, the train will be moving momentarily.

What are some other words that should be removed from the Metro spin lexicon? My first suggestion is "falling out."

Other items:
Carjacking at Largo Town Center (WaPo)
Riders may get more chances to speak out (Examiner)

"Nearly Killed by Metrobus"

From J.

On May 16th, in the afternoon, I was nearly killed by a Metrobus that jumped a red light turning from 15th left onto K St. NW.

A bunch of us were in the crosswalk already, and the 16Y (2666) bus tried to follow another Metrobus that was in front of it.

So I backed up quickly to avoid getting hit, then raised my arms in the air like "WTF?" to which the driver gave me the finger.

So I went over to his window, and he told me to "shut the f*ck up, b*tch" and slammed the window shut.

At this point, many of the other pedestrians were cheering me on, because they had also almost been hit.

I started to walk away, but then got more angry, so I returned with my camera phone.

Just as I was about to snap the picture, the driver told me to "f*ck off" and ducked out of the way.

The light was about to turn green, so I had to get out of the middle of the street to avoid getting run over.

When I got onto the Metro, I attempted to report it to the station manager.

He gave me an incident report and sent me on my way.

When I got to Pentagon City, I told the Metro police officer about what had happened. He was more helpful. The officer, along with the station manager, gave me a direct line to call and told me I should insist on talking to the bus supervisor, no matter what the person taking the call told me.

I did call. and I was transferred to a L. H. Rucker, who took my complaint.

He also gave me his email address so I could email him the pictures that I had taken, which included the bus number, and the driver trying to duck out of view of my pictures.

What I am really worried about is that he also took down my name and home address, under the guise of needing to send me some kind of letter. No letter has arrived.

Other items:
Charges dropped against man in wheelchair (WaPo) Less weaselly article (WJLA)

Guest Blogger: Dan Stessel, Metro's New Chief Spokesman

When we learned Metro had hired Dan Stessel to be their new chief spokesman, we reached out to him over Twitter to welcome him to DC. We also invited him to write a guest post for the blog, which he did--on the first day he was at Metro.

Here it is:

Why I’m Here

Over the past few weeks, a few of my close friends have tried to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into as I assume the role of Metro’s chief spokesperson. You can probably imagine the typical reaction: “Oh.” [pause] “Really??” [pause] “METRO?!”

For my introductory Unsuck blog post, I thought I’d take the opportunity to not only introduce myself, but also to explain why I believe being here is a unique opportunity that, for me, was impossible to pass up.

I first fell in love with DC during my college search back in 1994. I knew immediately that no other place would compare, and ultimately, I applied only to one school (GW) because I was so determined to be here.

Metro, of course, was one of the things that made the city stand out. It was safe, efficient, modern, clean and reliable.

Most readers of this blog are well aware of the changes that followed. Age, deferred maintenance and other factors all seemed to catch up with the system. When I came back to visit Washington earlier this year, I was dismayed to see how the system had deteriorated. The first very train I boarded at Union Station experienced door and brake problems and had to limp toward Judiciary Square at walking speed. It was obvious that the system was not what it used to be.

I’ve been a communicator in the transportation world for more than a decade now – first at Amtrak, then NJ TRANSIT and now Metro. One of the things I learned early on was that, in order to do this well, you must be absolutely passionate about that which you are communicating. And that’s really why I’m here. I believe that Metro is America’s transit system. I believe it deserves to be restored to what it used to be – the system I remember. I believe Metro customers deserve clear information, using a multitude of channels (including social media), to enhance their experience. I believe in the efforts by our Board and GM Rich Sarles, now underway, to return the system to a state of good repair over the next few years. And I believe that we can do it.

I am under no illusion about the challenges that lie ahead. The next several years – the “era of rebuilding” at Metro – are going to require patience, dedication and focus. I am committed not only to doing whatever I can to keep our customers informed of these efforts, but also to listen and advocate on their behalf.

Let the conversation begin.

Disturbing Video (NSFW: Language)

Via @punditintrigued

Update: NBC4 has more on the story.

The patches appear to be those of Metro cops.

It's hard to imagine why they'd need to take someone in a wheelchair down like that.

MetroLowersTargets

Metro is lowering its performance targets in several key areas, including on-time rates for trains and buses as well as availability for escalators.

In a presentation scheduled to be given to the Board next week (pp. 16-18), Metro says it's lowering its on-time target for rail from greater than 95 percent to greater than 90 percent. The reasons (their words):

• 5% reduction due to manual train operations
• Operators need additional time to manually stop at the stations and open/close the doors and there is greater variability between train operators
• Trend data and prior experience validates new target

Bus on-time targets are being lowered from greater than 80 percent to greater than 78 percent. The reasons:

• Metrobuses get caught in traffic on area roadways where congestion is bad and getting worse
• Washington, DC is the most congested U.S. region according to the Texas Transportation Institute
• Metrobus selected a stretch target of 78% even though historical trends indicate 75% as more attainable

For escalators, the goal is now greater than 89 percent availability as opposed to 93 percent, which they say is a stretch as "performance in 2011 is anticipated to decline." The reasons:

• Needed capital overhauls will take almost twice as many units out of service
• Improving to 60% preventive maintenance compliance will identify a backlog of repairs that must be addressed

Metro does say it expects to raise the bar for escalators in 2012.

Elsewhere in the presentation, Metro says they "will evaluate and revise escalator maintenance procedures with an emphasis on 'getting things right the first time.'”

-- - Rapture ARR

Pregame at Grosvenor!
Via @chr1sHunter @unsuckdcmetro This photo doesn't suck. Rainbow over Grosvenor metro tonight #dc #md #rainbow #awesome http://twitpic.com/4zuwoo

False hopes
Via @JohnCTownsend @unsuckdcmetro DC Metro: Where Hooters and The Rapture vie for attention (via @Barack_Odrama) http://bit.ly/j0CMfh #wmata


Will there be cutlery in heaven? Better safe than sorry, I guess.
Via @vcsjones Why yes, a spoon in a hat. #wmata http://t.co/H2rbe6V


"U lead a good life. Hugz-me."
Via @markalves Double-fisted, DC style #wmata cc @unsuckdcmetro http://lockerz.com/s/103050719

"Dignity and Elegance" or "Theater of Absurdity and Cruelty?"

Photo via Flickr o palsson

Like the Metro system, the architecture of Metro engenders love or hate.

Places, "an interdisciplinary journal of contemporary architecture, landscape and urbanism," has an interesting write up on Metro's chief architect, Harry Weese.

In the article, Weese is said to have wanted to design the system that would allow riders to travel with "dignity and even elegance."

Critics, however, have likened Weese's creation to a "repressive monolith."

One of those critics, Marshall Berman, an American philosopher, was quoted in the article with this description of Metro's architecture:

Walls and ceilings were massive monoliths, with facades unbroken by colors or diverse materials or signs. We passengers were encased in enormous voids shaped by barrel-vaulted ceilings, and by vast blots of blackness at the platform's ends, pressing us toward them like black holes in outer space. Meanwhile, pulling us upward, escalators seemed to surge up from the bowels of the earth. Lighting was not only too dim to read by, it also transformed people of every color into shades. You couldn't get a clear view of the person next to you, or else, getting off a train, you lost your view of the person next to you. ... Before long, I realized that the system was a kind of theater of absurdity and cruelty, whose scenery seemed contrived to create anxiety.

Sounds like he was at least there on a day the escalators were working.

The author of the article further argues that Weese rejected "functional richness for grand, rational spaces."

Of transfer stations he article writes:

two vaults intersect in a bilevel cruciform with no transfer mezzanine, forcing nearly every passenger to squeeze through the same narrow widths of platform at the center. Spatial majesty comes at the price of inefficiency and crowding.

L'Enfant Plaza comes to mind.

The author concludes that Metro's look and feel is impressive to the visitor or infrequent user, but regular use renders it "tedious and stuffy" and "obdurate and overbearing."

What do you think? Is Metro an architectural masterpiece worthy of the #106 spot in the list of America's Favorite Architecture, or is it a pee pee soaked heck hole?

If you want a complete rundown on all that went into Metro's creation, this is a great book.

Other items:
Metro has "saftey stand down" (WTOP)