The Washington Post's Disappearing Quotes

I've long thought that in recent years the Washington Post has been a key enabler of Metro's awfulness (here, here, here and here). With the exception of editorial cartoonist Tom Toles, the Post team seems blind to Metro's ridiculousness. The real baffling question is why.

Here again is another, very strange example of Post's odd reporting on Metro.

If you search for an article about the Great Green Line Charlie Foxtrot of 2013 on the Washington Post site, you come up with the first article embedded below.

The thing is that story is quite a different story from the original one published. Also below is a partial copy of  that story captured by a reader.

Quotes from Metro staff have been removed from the original.

For example in the original, the Post quotes Metro Police Chief Michael Taborn:

“We failed to assist customers with bus service at Navy Yard station,” Taborn said.

That quote is gone. It was the fifth paragraph of the original story. Removed.

More troublesome is that all quotes from Metro board members have completely disappeared. This whole passage is gone:

Board member Tom Downs said the “hairs on the back of my neck” stood up at hearing of customers evacuating themselves from a train and into a tunnel.

“Our job is to explain to customers they are risking their life exiting a train without any supervision or direction,” Downs said. Although there are signs on trains that warn passengers against evacuating , he said, it needs to be more clear.

“If you are exiting this train you are risking your life,” he said. “You are going to get killed.”

Board member Kathy Porter said passengers reacted in an “irrational manner” in exiting the train.

Also gone is mention that four people were taken to the hospital as a result of Metro incompetence. To be fair, the Post also stripped away mention that one of the train operators seemed to do a good job during the incident.

Why would the Post remove official statements from Metro's governing body? Why would they remove some key details?

More troubling is that in neither story did the Post report that board member Tom Downs actually suggested arresting passengers for "self evacuating,"  which is probably the most jaw dropping aspect of the whole sad affair.

What's up? Maybe there's some kind of technical glitch, but that shouldn't cause an entire article to disappear and be replaced with a watered down version. Allowing Metro officials and board members' statements to simply be expunged from the record is inexcusable.

I asked the reporter about the changes and omissions. They said they'd get back to me.

The Washington Post used to do great reporting on Metro, but now they seem reduced to mere stenographers for Metro's PR army.

Who knows what's going on at the DC region's paper of record, but if we can't even trust them to play it straight with their articles and keep on-the-record statements from key players on the record, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that the Post is to journalism what Metro is to mass transit.

Second version of the Washington Post's story: 

Later Waop by

Original version of the Washington Post's story: 

Miscommunication Complicated Green Line Chaos Last Month - The Washington Post Page 1 by

Other items:
Metro's number two steps down (Examiner/ Post version)

Six teens indicted in Woodley Park murder (Examiner)

Demand Your Refund!

Metro isn't very clear about when exactly they'll give a refund because of delays, but they do give them.

In fact, they're giving quite a few, according to a Metro freedom of information request.

The above is the number of complimentary ride vouchers or the equivalent for SmarTrip "rectifications" in 2012.

Start demanding your free rides when you're delayed.  Yesterday's Orange Line meltdown likely delayed significantly more then 13,000 people. So did the Great Green Line Charlie Foxtrot of 2013.

Step up and let Metro know you won't stand for crappy service.  Write them at csvc@wmata.com. Those numbers should easily be double, tripled or more. Be warned: You may have to keep after them.

Other items:
Are we any safer as a result of Metro's sexual harassment campaign? (CASS)

New Signs, More Waste

From Melanie:

Why is Metro putting up new, fancy signs that have a shelf life of less than a year?

I can understand that if Metro put up signs with Silver Line information now, it could be confusing, but why don't they just wait a few more months to put them up instead of creating these interim signs? We coped fine without them. Another few months won't make a difference.

I'm guessing that since this is Metro, all new signs will be put up when the Silver Line opens.

The waste, or more likely stupidity, at Metro is amazing.  It's harder and harder to resist the notion that Metro is a jobs program and then a transit system.

This sign is at Ballston, but there are much more intricate signs in the city showing the Blue Line connections through Rosslyn, for example.They can't be cheap.

Nickel-and-Diming Riders? Part 3

From Anonymous:

I'm enrolled in Metro's "Threshold Autoload" where it automatically adds value to my SmarTrip card.

I finally looked at my usage report and discovered that if it reloads when I exit New Carrolton, but before I leave the parking lot, I get charged $8.25 for parking instead of $4.50!

Part 1
Part 2

A Rider Bill of Rights?

Reader Kathryn submitted a draft of a possible Metro rider bill of rights yesterday in response to Metro contemplating arresting riders who "self evacuate."

Please make any additions or suggestions in the comments and vote on them using the thumbs up/down button. I'll incorporate popular changes or suggestions into a final version.

 Let's see how far we can push this idea.

1. WMATA passengers have the right to a safe and clean riding environment, free from the threat of crime or safety violations, including in the parking lots, bus boarding areas, escalators, train boarding platforms, and the trains and buses.

2. WMATA passengers have the right to timely and regular updates as to whether key accessibility aspects of the WMATA transportation system are in working order, including escalators and elevators.

3. WMATA passengers shall not be held against their will in unbearable conditions on a stalled train. Unbearable conditions include, but are not limited to, excessive heat, excessive cold, lack of air circulation, or hazardous materials.

4. WMATA passengers have the right to disembark any bus or train that is stalled for more than 30 minutes.

5. WMATA passengers have the right to immediate assistance from trained police and medical personnel in the event of a crime or medical emergency. WMATA passengers shall not be denied access to the MTPD if the WMATA police are unable to respond in a timely fashion.

6. WMATA passengers have the right to courteous and professional interactions with WMATA personnel at all times.

7. WMATA passengers have the right to swift resolution of their problems or referral to a department that can assist them.

Other items:
Former detective claims Metro bungled death probe (Examiner)

Metro Contemplates Arresting Riders for 'Self Evacuation'

At the most recent board meeting, Metro officials, and the board the "oversees" them, discussed the troubling events of the Great Green Line Charlie Foxtrot of 2013.

Metro staff seemed to lay the bulk of the blame on a lowly operator and a lowly Metro Transit Police officer.

While the continued inability of the board and Metro staff to acknowledge the bigger picture is infuriating, the really shocking surprise came when the chairman of the board, Tom Downs, took center stage at what has become the most tragicomic open mic event in the DC region.

He said the one thing that "made the hair stand up on the back of his neck" was the passengers "self evacuating." He and the board showed how completely disconnected they are by agreeing that "self evacuating" is an irrational step for a rider to take.

Obviously, they've never been stuck in a dark, superheated Metro car for hours with people puking, pissing, having seizures and fighting while Metro provides absolutely no information. Obviously, they ignore a long pattern of Metro putting riders in similar situations or worse again and again.

But it gets worse as Downs searched for ways to stop "self evacuation." 

Here's the line of questions put forth by Downs to Metro staff:

"From an enforcement standpoint, can a police officer physically restrain passengers from self evacuation? Do they have the legal authority to do so? Can an officer arrest a customer?"

Read that again. Let it sink in. He's serious. That's his solution.

The response from Metro Police Chief Michael Taborn was "absolutely."

One has to wonder if ever in the history of mass transit did a subway system seriously contemplate arresting riders for trying to escape from a hellish situation caused by the subway system.

Whenever I think Metro has hit suck's rock bottom, someone at Metro or on the board opens up a new crate of dynamite and discovers a whole new, deeper shaft of suck.

Here's another view from DC Metro Sucks.

Metro Execs Take Home Bonus Pay

Poor performance and generous salaries don't preclude Metro's leadership from being awarded bonus pay.

According to information provided to this blog in a freedom of information request, Metro's number two, Dave Kubicek, got  $5,000 in bonuses over the past two years. Kubicek makes a salary in excess of $240,000, plus a $30,000 housing allowance.

Metro's chief safety officer James Dougherty, took home over $185,000 in annual salary and was awarded a tidy $9,000 in bonuses.

Metro's chief propagandist, Assistant General Manager for Customer Service, Communications and Marketing, Lynn Bowersox, a newer member of the so-called executive leadership team took in $10,000 in bonuses. I couldn't find her salary, but one would assume it's in line with the other assistant general managers at around $190,000 per year.

Shiva Pant, Metro's chief of staff, made over $172,000 in salary and also walked away with $3,000 in bonuses, as did Metro's chief information officer, Kevin Borek, who makes $185,000 per annum. Yet another assistant general manager--Metro has five--Arthur Troup, made $5,000 in bonuses. Troup makes $190,000 a year.

The biggest beneficiary of Metro's taxpayer funded largesse was police chief Michael Taborn, who got $15,000 in bonuses on top of a salary of over $181,000.

The board wanted to give Metro GM Richard Sarles a bonus on top of his $350,000 salary, a $60,000 housing allowance and $3,200 per month pension from NJ Transit, where he used to work. Sarles at least had the sense to turn down the bonus offer. Not like he really needed it.

Other items:
Four years later and they're just getting around to the hotline (Examiner)
VRE riders offered discount for switching to Amtrak (Examiner)

Too Much to ask Metro Staff to be Vigilant?

From Josh:

At about 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 15, I was getting off the Branch Ave.-bound Green Line train at Naylor Road. As I was going down one of the rarely working escalators, a guy in his mid thirties was running up the escalators.

You could see in his eyes he had a malicious intent.

After pushing his way up the escalator, the punk started to raise his voice at a lady on the platform. As I was midway down the escalator,  the lady began to scream for help.  Everyone on the escalator, say 20 or so (and presumably everyone on the platform) turned around to watch what was going on. From my angle, I could see her head was level with the platform floor so she must have been knocked down. 

No one did anything as she screamed for help.

I ran down the escalator and saw a MTPD officer and SEVERAL WMATA employees in the kiosk. Apparently, the cameras and monitors they have are a waste of money because they, too, did nothing. 

As the punk passed everyone again on his way back, I informed the MTPD officer that the guy that just skipped the line at the turnstile without paying also just beat the sh*t out of a girl on the platform. They proceeded to mount up and chase the punk.

Apparently, this neighborhood is full of cowards--the kind of able-bodied young men/cowards that would hear a women scream for help and do nothing. But that is outside of WMATA's scope.

But what is within WMATA's scope is the station attendants in the booth chatting the day away and not watching nor listening to what is going on.

The southern portion of the Green Line isn't exactly a retirement community. The staff should be vigilant at all times of their surroundings. 

Either have staff willing to work, instead of taking siestas, or fire them all and reduce my cost by a few pennies.

Other items:
How OT abuse hurts riders (DC Metro Sucks)

Metro or Carnival?

Other items: 
Metro gives their side of Green Line meltdown (Examiner/ WaPo version)
Metro? Playing favorites? (WaPo)

That First Step is a Doozy

This is a recurring problem at Metro.

From John:

Tuesday morning, I was on my way into the city on the Red Line when I heard, "Sh*t!" come from the train driver's cabin.

My head bolted up out of my newspaper because that's the last thing you want to hear from your train conductor, especially on the mishap-prone DC Metro system.

I was on the left side of the train, in the second seat from the front, and I looked out the window to see that I was looking at the concrete barrier at the end of the Rockville station. 

The driver has overshot the station by half a car's length.  The doors opened and luckily no one tried to exit the train at the front door.

Wonder if the reason this keeps happening is this: