Thursday, January 14, 2010

Catoe Submits Resignation, Effective April 2

The Washington Post is reporting that Metro GM John Catoe has submitted his resignation, effective April 2.

The timing is very odd considering he took time last night to meet with some of his critics.

WMATA press release

“I have decided that it is time for me to channel my future in new directions and provide this organization an opportunity to move beyond the current distractions,” Catoe said. “Good leaders know how to impact change. Great leaders know when it’s time for leadership change. I hope I fall into the latter category.”


Here's a recap of the sentiments being expressed on Twitter:
Posted by Unsuck DC Metro at 1:29 PM 16 comments

Some Metrobus Drivers Deserve Cookies


From Angela:

On Jan. 11, I was taking my usual 96 bus to work.

There's kind of a "crew" on the bus among the regular riders. Needless to say, it gets a little boisterous, even at 6:30 on a Monday morning!

It's great!

Anyway, I got off at my usual stop and started going on my merry way when I hear my bus driver yelling at me: "You forgot your bag!"

Holy crap! I did forget my bag!

So I ran back to the bus and one of my great fellow bus riders met me with my bag.

Charlie, the bus driver, is one of the best bus drivers I have come across in the city. I've been riding his bus for over a year now, and he's just a great guy.

That he stopped the bus so that I could retrieve my bag is so nice! I brought him some cookies this morning to show my appreciation.

I don't usually have a problem with most bus drivers, but Charlie definitely goes above and beyond most Metro employees.

Thanks, Charlie for making my Monday a little better!
Posted by Unsuck DC Metro at 12:36 PM 7 comments

Metro Hosts Blogger Round Table


Hats off to Metro for inviting area bloggers for a sit down with GM John Catoe.

Hats off to reader CS who was able to attend for Unsuck readers. Here's the report:

Metrorail misery – jammed trains and platforms, gummed up operations that lead to bunched trains or long waits during rush hour, and that nausea-inducing ride – will continue for at least a couple of months, but likely even longer. And the system’s current fiscal crisis, which is prompting consideration of fare hikes and painful service cuts, is likely to stretch into a two-year slog before the crunch eases.

So says Metro General Manager John Catoe, who, in a recognition of the arrival of the blogosphere, Wednesday held a roundtable discussion with about a dozen bloggers who cover and comment on the system. (The session set the MSM atwitter after they found out about it, Metro officials said. Some asked to join, but Metro held firm and kept to the original guest list.)

The confab ended up being a wide-ranging discussion of challenges and problems facing the system. A cordial, smiling, and reasonably relaxed-looking Catoe professed that he well understands the anger that has surged in recent months following last summer’s fatal accident, as service has appeared to deteriorate on an almost daily basis. How does he know? People tell him to his face, he says. He rides the trains (albeit usually earlier in the day when fewer people are on board), and it used to be that someone would complain to him only occasionally. Now, it’s much more common to get an earful, he said. It doesn’t make him feel good, he said, acknowledging that he might have done a better job sharing with the public that Metro officials truly "get" the problem.

Unfortunately, there’s no firm forecast for relief. Besides the issue of aging rolling stock – which isn’t going to be solved soon – the key variable for the near future is when trains can return to automatic control.

Catoe acknowledged what riders know – that under post-accident manual control, Metro is struggling to maintain proper timing and spacing of trains. Trains bunch up, which creates gaps, and forces trains to hold to make schedule adjustments. The daily total of trains remains the same, he said, but during peak hours, the timing problems mean fewer trains are getting through. So even though ridership is down since the accident, service is worse.

Progress is continuing on testing a new system to provide real-time detection of train location, he said. In fact, testing is now expanding. Metro believes it will be ready to return to automatic control when that system is ready, which is at least two months away. Nonetheless, Catoe says he doesn’t want to return to automatic control until the National Transportation Safety Board wraps up its investigation of last year’s accident and issues its final report. Catoe indicated he won’t risk going back to automatic, but then having the NTSB turn up something unexpected.

Meanwhile, he said that in March, Metro officials will go to the Metro board with plans to order new rail cars, to replace the 1000-series cars. Although delivery will take years, the new equipment will also help improve reliability.

In other areas, Catoe said:

-- Efforts are underway to address the perennial door problems and the newer brake-locking issues, which send trains out of service and make riders queasy. Catoe wouldn’t commit to a roll-out date.

-- While most Metro employees do a good job, there are "people issues" that mar the Metro experience.

-- Without using the same language himself, he endorsed former General Manager Richard White’s warning of a Metro "death spiral." The current situation – heavy ridership, manual operations, and older equipment – cannot persist. "Our job – my job – is to change that."

-- When Metro holds its public hearing Jan. 27 on how to plug this year’s $40 million budget gap, the public will be given a chance to essentially vote their opinions, by mixing and matching options, cafeteria-style, from a menu of choices. Wary of getting ahead of his board, Catoe declined to say what his preference is.

-- The next two years will be crucial financially. Metro has customarily relied on a three-legged stool to solve its money problems – fare increases, service cuts, and greater contributions from Maryland, Virginia and the District. But the economy has eliminated the option of greater funding from the three jurisdictions making up the Metro compact. The economy will recover, but it will take two years for things to improve enough so that the jurisdictions can increase funding. Catoe says Metro officials know that if they make deep cuts now, they won’t be able to restore capacity quickly when the economy does turn the corner and demand begins to increase again.

-- If Metro raises fares, experience suggests that riders won’t abandon the system in significant numbers, provided the increase isn’t too large. At some point, though, what economists call "price elasticity" kicks in, and fare hikes drive riders away.

-- As bad as things seem here, they’re worse elsewhere – Chicago is proposing an 18 percent reduction in service, and in Orange County, Calif., there are plans to cut the bus system by 30 percent.

-- When he shook up his management team recently, it was because he felt improvements were not coming soon enough or fast enough, and he wanted to speed things up.

In all, the bloggers were fairly candid in hashing over the system’s problems with Catoe, relating both personal tales of woe and those of their readers. And Catoe, for his part, seemed both aware of the issues, and earnest in his responses. "I’ve heard everything you’ve said tonight, and I will respond to it," Catoe said.

But Metro’s problems are way past the talking stage. We hope Catoe succeeds wildly. But in the meantime, we’ll be watching to see what really happens on, say, the crowded platforms of Metro Center, or at a station near you.

More by CS:

Catoe: Show us you get it
Rules don't apply
Vienna's creepy tower
Doors Closing
Moving ... Backwards

Other items:
Funding shift could help area transit (WaPo)
Metro can be bad, but... (WTOP)


Posted by Unsuck DC Metro at 8:12 AM 10 comments

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

What Do You Call ...


In DC ,we have the much hated escaleftors, but there's an even more malicious Metro maladroit mucking up the system: people who refuse to budge from the little walls right by many of the doors.

You know the move: step in, pivot left or right, attach butt to wall and keep it there until their destination is reached, no matter how many people have to squeeze and shimmy by to get on or off.

Reader Howard suggests "doormites," which is, according to him, the unofficial term for these fine folks in NYC.

Can we come up with something better in DC?

Photo: karpov85
Posted by Unsuck DC Metro at 8:00 AM 52 comments

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Metro's Failin'est Escalator?


From Steve:
I wanted to share this photo with you. It's a sign at the top of the escalator at the College Park station. It's kind of hard to read, but it says that it should be repaired by November 15.

I took the picture Jan. 8.
Got another nominee for worst escalator in Metro?

Other items:
Metro starts three-day safety review (WMATA)
Posted by Unsuck DC Metro at 8:00 AM 26 comments

Monday, January 11, 2010

Unfireable?

"I often talk with the guys about working to ensure a safer working environment."

On Saturday, the Washington Post reported that the driver of the train involved in a near miss with track workers had been "disqualified" from the position of train operator. "Disqualified" sounds like legalese, doesn't it?

That's because, as the article states, "the operator may be eligible for another position."

We all know what "may" means.

Now this operator's infraction was not minor. According to the TOC report (PDF) they were:
"operating at full track speed passed the employees working along the ROW (right of way) without appearing to slow down at all or acknowledge the employees’ presence in any other way, in direct violation of Special Order 07-06 (3.87). Though there were no injuries, the employees and review team members were forced to quickly scramble out of the way to avoid being struck by the train in question due to the speed with which it appeared to approach."

Wouldn't it be nice to totally screw up your job, even to the point where it put the lives of coworkers at risk and STILL "be eligible" for another post within your organization, perhaps pulling the same pay and doing less?

More infuriating is that Metro "may" have a potential cancer among its ranks. It's obvious the employee has little regard for the rules, and now that they've been "punished," they're likely to see themselves as victims. Those two qualities don't usually add up to model employee material. We already know that Metro has a hard time getting rid of bad employees.

We're looking forward to perhaps asking this employee for help one day while they're chillaxin' with a group of fellow workers. If only we could imagine the jovial repartee...

In another Metro gaffe, there was a story in the Post about three women who were trapped in a train that had been taken out of service. Apparently, after realizing they were trapped, they tried to use the emergency intercom to hail the operator. The calls, unsurprisingly, went unanswered.

We've been documenting this problem here for some time here, here and here. Metro has said they don't send cars out with non-working intercom, yet they admitted the opposite later.

As reader Michael pointed out, the article said one trapped rider was left with no recourse but to file a complaint over Metro's customer complaint line. Michael's advice to Metro?
"Try meeting them on the platform with a customer complaint form, a $20 farecard and the business card of the head of rail operations."
If only ...

Other items:
Funny Toles cartoon (WaPo)
Metro eyes cutting 150 jobs amid budget emergency (Examiner)
Metro's 'neglect by design' pads payroll (Examiner editorial)
Posted by Unsuck DC Metro at 8:00 AM 8 comments

Friday, January 8, 2010

For All Contemplating Riding with No Pants


Call us fuddy-duddies, but this whole No Pants Metro Ride is puzzling to say the least.

Why would anyone WANT to ride the Metro when they didn't have to, and why would they do so with no pants?

Don't get it. Never gonna do it. But there's a fair amount of buzz, and maybe it's a good time, so we'll leave it as a case of different strokes for different folks.

However, if you're going to let your bare skin meet a Metro seat, you might want to read the following post. It has to be one of the most disturbing non-fatal Metro experiences anyone has ever reported. The writer would like to remain anonymous.

I got on the Yellow Line at Pentagon City recently heading back to work at Gallery Place. Since it wasn't that crowded, I sat down on a seat that happened to have a newspaper on it.
Little did I realize I had just sat in a pile of bum crap camouflaged by the newspaper.
It was everywhere.
I got off at Pentagon, and after trying without luck to find help, some friends came to my rescue by bringing some clothes and driving me home where I took about five showers.
I then called Metro’s complaint line, and after leaving a voice mail, I got a call back the next day. You’d think they’d want to act ASAP if they had a train car rolling around that was filled with poop!
She did take my info and put me in touch with the claims department (all my clothing and shoes were ruined).
I have heard enough about having a “shitty day” to last me a lifetime.

Maybe it was the same person who did this:
7:14 p.m. An inbound Yellow Line train at Huntington was dispatched late because human waste was found on the train.
or
7:54 p.m. An inbound Orange Line train at Court House was delayed to allow Metro personnel to isolate a rail car because of human waste.

If you're undeterred and simply must ride with no pants, here's how:

Date: Sunday, January 10, 2010
Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: C - street park by L'Enfant Plaza Station
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=236425545738&ref=mf

Photo: jamescalder
Posted by Unsuck DC Metro at 1:25 PM 14 comments

What a Year


It's hard to believe, but Unsuck is a year old. A lot has happened, and the time has flown by. It feels like only 365 days since we created it. Seriously though, some of those commutes should count for two days' worth.

It's hard to find much unsucking that's been done, but WMATA does, uh, tweet better, even though the Photoshop skills could use a little work.

But that's the past, so what about the future?

The blog will live on as long as you're still willing to provide the pulse. We look forward to more of your keen observations on WMATA and all of its funny, sad and infuriating charms.

The biggest thanks goes to everyone who contributed. There are WAY too many to list, but you know who you are.

Without you taking time out of your busy days to jot off an email, fire off a tweet or to snap a quick photo, this blog would be about as fresh as the air in a rush hour train or as entertaining as a door malfunction. Hats off to each of you. Please keep it coming!

Thanks also to all the extremely articulate, funny and clever readers, commentators, fellow bloggers, haters, fans, critics, supporters, naysayers, followers, threat makers, false accusers, idealists, pessimists, rider hall of shame members and anyone in between who has stopped by to take a look or told a friend about Unsuck.

Thanks also to Ron Holzer at WMATA. He must REALLY want to hit delete or use the block option every time he sees an email from us, but he hasn't. Kudos to him.

Oh, and we'll be hosting an Unsuck celebration happy hour tonight during rush hour at Gallery Place somewhere along the Red Line to Shady Grove platform. Look for the crowd and then bob and weave by to say hello. Faregate prizes for the first three to show will be three wilted farecards* with 5, 10 and 20 cents on them respectively.

Other items:
10-cent fare hike could stave off some service cuts (WaPo)
LA Metro turns to marketing (The City Fix) h/t @anc7c04

*Farecards may be (probably are) demagnetized.
Posted by Unsuck DC Metro at 8:20 AM 8 comments

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Jersey Shore has "The Situation," & the WMATA Board has ...


"The Problem"

By steadfastly refusing to allow riders to even discuss an up to 20-cent fare increase through June 30, this guy has probably bestowed sucky commutes upon us all. Metro will now consider an up to 10-cent hike (with public comment), which won't bridge the gap.

By framing the discussion like this, it's obvious he doesn't want to hear our voices or give us choices!

Why not, you may ask?

He doesn't want to "agitate" you.

If you want to get a better understanding of how some of WMATA's dysfunction emanates from the Board, listen to today's Board meeting, particularly the latter half. It's a miracle Metro runs at all.

As a side note, it must be stated that board member Chris Zimmerman was impressive.

We're not the only ones who thought Graham behavior was appalling:
Greater Greater Washington's take
Beyond DC's take

Posted by Unsuck DC Metro at 12:01 PM 22 comments
Labels:

Taking it to the Edge


@hostagehoosier http://twitpic.com/wtr51 hardcore orangeline fail

A bit long today, but bear with us.

The first commuting days of 2010 were unacceptable. The Red Line was a mess on Monday, and then the Orange Line collapsed into a teeming pile of flesh on Tuesday evening. Wednesday morning once again saw the Orange Line in a full frontal fail.

Metro sucked all last year, but the past few days have revealed an entire new realm of suck we thought was only the suck of myth. One rider claimed they had to wait for 7 trains at Court House on Wednesday morning before there was room to get on.

What happened between the end of December, when things were relatively "OK," and Jan. 4? What took run-of-the-mill Metro sucking to lows never thought reachable?

Not to be too conspiratorial here, but today is when the Board is supposed to make a decision about some very big service cuts. A year ago, at roughly this same time, Metro was talking major service cuts as well. Granted, the budget being discussed at the time was the annual budget, not an unexpected shortfall within the operating budget of same fiscal year as is being faced now, but the threats are eerily similar.

Among them were closing Metro at 10 p.m. on weeknights, increasing headways, and eliminating select bus service and closing mezzanines. Sound familiar? This year, they're not threatening to close the system at 10, but they're proposing ditching all 8-car trains and pretty much the rest of the list from last year.

Could these totally sucky commutes to start off the year be a Metro ploy to drum up fear so they can once again kick the brutal cuts down the road or raid another pile of money?

Remember when the Park Service, when faced with cuts, would threaten to close the Washington Monument? It has become known as the Washington Monument Strategy, and it is a common practice among bureaucracies.

When the dust settled last year, the cuts turned out to be rather meager, but as the final decisions were being made, everyone was in a tizzy.

What do you think? Could WMATA be so Machiavellian? Has ANYONE seen an 8-car train this week? Are we guinea pigs in a bureaucratic pissing war? Will they really go through with all the proposed cuts at today's meeting?

It is a fact that Metro's budget picture is not pretty at all, so we may end up with the cuts proposed. If the past few days' rides are any indications the cuts will have Metro playing a very risky game by letting the platforms get this crowded, and if you scroll down beyond the photos, you'll see one reader's idea for a solution to some of the crowding at Gallery Place, a notorious bottleneck.


@JohnDellaporta The GP/Chitown platform, after 2 trains passed by w/o picking people up. http://twitpic.com/wp34w #wmata



@marklemunyon Rosslyn is a mess. Never seen it this bad #wmata #metro http://twitpic.com/wtrqp

From Charles:
It was 9 a.m., Tuesday, January 5.

I was stuck. Not on a train, but on a platform at Gallery Place.

Hundreds of people clogged the platform, making it totally impossible for anybody to move. People who wanted to board a Red Line train to Shady Grove could not. People who wanted to exit a train were stuck. People who wanted to get out of the station were trapped on the platform—cheek by jowl with their fellow man.

A couple of Metro Transit Police officers surveyed the situation from the balcony that overlooks the Red Line tracks. I eventually made my way upstairs and asked the officers who was in charge of this mess.

"A rail supervisor should see this!" explained one officer. I agreed and inquired as to the whereabouts of that supervisor. "We've called for the supervisor," said the officer. He shrugged and walked away.

The officers called, but who was listening? I'm afraid we know the answer.

Hello, John Catoe? Hello, Metro Board of Directors? Why not visit Gallery Place during the height of morning rush hour? Come show us that you care!

Metro has two kinds of problems: Those that will never be solved and those that can be solved—right now, immediately, and for no extra money. The same is true at Gallery Place during morning rush hour.

The unsolvable problem at is the station’s layout. The Green and Yellow Lines meet the Red Line in a T. There will always be gridlock as Green and Yellow Line passengers try to transfer upstairs to the Red Line. Then there are the inevitable delays and breakdowns that cause people to pile up on platforms. These problems are tough, and we will always have them.

The frustrating thing is that Metro could make one easy, cost-neutral decision that would immediately improve this ridiculous situation at Gallery Place.

Ever since the June 22 accident, trains have pulled to the front of every platform to add a margin of safety. This generally makes sense, except for inbound Red Line trains at Gallery Place during morning rush hour.

Simply allowing trains to stop where the people are stacked 15 deep would make a huge difference and would enhance platform safety.

C'mon, John Catoe! Make it happen! Let's score some points for safety and common sense.

Or at least dispatch a rail supervisor to survey the situation.

Unsuck readers may recall my December 17 post titled "Doors Yet Again!" You’ll be relieved to know that nobody from Metro has followed up with me in any way. Of course Unsuck readers more than made up for that by posting a lot of good comments.
Other items:
Posted by Unsuck DC Metro at 8:10 AM 21 comments
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