Escalator Forecast: Heavy Sucking With Intermittent Unsucking

It's a mixed day for Metro's escalators. Metro's list of out of service escalators and elevators sometimes can be more depressing than its list of train breakdowns, but today there are signs of hope and, sadly, more evidence that the sucking is nowhere near ending.
First, the good news.
It would appear that for the first time in a long time, all escalators at Foggy Bottom are working today. (Thx brendenchaney and madb0o)
Second, contributor Tim notices signs of hope from Wheaton, which has the longest set of single-span escalators in the Western Hemisphere, according to Wikipedia.
Wheaton, Tim writes, has been down to one working escalator for over three months, and even the working one is temperamental. One of the other two was undergoing a major repair, and while originally slated to be back in service by March, is supposedly going to be ready to go at the end of this month. That promise is looking good, he writes since almost all of the escalator plates are installed. The other broken escalator, effectively serves as a very long StairMaster.
And now the bad news from contributor "CS":
A small but telling incident: Today, for at least the third consecutive rush hour, one of three escalators on the south side of Metro Center that join the Red and Orange/Blue platforms was closed. Regular riders know, of course, that escalator problems are legion. But this closure took place in Metro’s marquee location, so that day after day, many thousands of riders have run into a human logjam, missing trains, etc. If I were Metro management (or John Catoe himself), I would say: “Of all places, it is simply unacceptable that this kind of interruption take place for the better part of a week.” And I would surely bust hump to get the thing open again. But all that has greeted riders this week are the familiar yellow barriers and no sign of any urgency that repairs are being attempted. (Even a sign acknowledging the problem, and explaining that, say, the parts are on order from Australia would help.) The fact this calculus escapes Metro shows why management ultimately doesn’t get the service culture it purports to embrace. Yes, escalators will naturally break down. But that’s a hardware problem. After that, the issue is management -- a challenge Metro evidently is still not able to meet.

DC is not alone with escalator woes.


Photo: buschap

ALERT: Orange Blue Line Delays

This doesn't sound good.

WTOP confirms the passenger was killed.

WaPo reporting that as of 2:40, "there is no Blue or Orange Line service between Foggy Bottom and Federal Triangle."

Blue and Orange line riders are facing delays this afternoon after a person was hit by a train at the McPherson Square station around 1:15 p.m, according to a Metro press release.

"There is no train service to the McPherson Square station while emergency crews respond. Metro is setting up free shuttle bus service from the Foggy Bottom Metrorail station to the Federal Triangle Metrorail station to help passengers around the incident area. The buses will stop at Foggy Bottom, Farragut West, McPherson Square, Metro Center and Federal Triangle.

Passengers can expect delays throughout the afternoon as Metro continues to investigate."

We wonder if Metro is going to call every rescue, police, fire and other emergency response vehicle in Christendom to respond to this and make a bad situation worse.

In Virginia, we know it takes at least four patrol cars and one blocked lane of traffic to issue a speeding ticket.

Ride 'em Cowboy!

Our ride in today was nothing that remarkable. No major delays, no breakdowns, but yet it still somehow captured the general unpleasantness of the whole Metro experience.

We were coming from Foggy Bottom this morning . Now you'd think the Foggy Bottom station would work through the crowds since it is served by two lines. Think again.

When we got there at about 8:15, it was obvious there hadn't been a train in a while. The platform was quite crowded, and there were a lot of people anxiously looking down the tracks wondering where the next train was. You immediately sensed Metro was at it again.

Finally, after about 6 minutes, an Orange Line train arrived, but it was filled to capacity. A few moments later, a Blue train came along, also fairly full, but with enough space to squeeze in a few.

Here's where the fun begins. We've talked a lot about the jerky ride Metro offers, but this Blue Line train was a whole new level, more akin to what you'd expect if you were a rodeo rider. At every station the train the departure was so fast, so sudden that it whiplashed many, causing many to nearly fall as they grabbed for anything to help them brace. This happened every time and a few more times for good measure during our unscheduled stops in the tunnels. The stops were almost as bone rattling. Yee Haw!

To top is off, we had an extremely officious driver who seemed to enjoy barking to the passengers about how if we didn't step away from the doors, we'd have to put the train out of service. Yes, it has come to threats.

Now we're not looking for a luxurious ride. It's mass transit, and it's really not made to be enjoyable. We don't expect velvet ropes and Champagne, but the "service" Metro offers is beyond unpleasant. We just don't want to arrive to work with a sore neck and blisters on our hands from having to hold on so tight! Then again, maybe we should just be thankful the train is moving.

We're going to need an entirely new level of public support for mass transit in this country over the coming decades, and we feel Metro is discouraging many from championing public transport. Think about this: The population of DC turns over at an incredible rate. We'd love to know what kind of mass transit ambassadors Metro produces. Our guess: not very good ones.

Other news:

Metro has issued its March track maintenance schedule, which definitely could come in handy for planning ahead.

Not sure what to say about this.

This could make Metro's life 1/3 easier.

Just a couple of hiccups today

In the usual places: between Courthouse and Rosslyn and again between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom. Very herky jerky. Lots of eyes rolling throughout the car I was in. Can any one explain the stop go? I mean I understand if there's congestion, you have to stop, but the constant, fitful stops and starts are irritating.

How come the doors have to be open and shut SO MANY times at nearly every stop?