Unsuck DC Metro

Metro's 'Nervous System' Breakdown

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 17:19:00 +0000

Despite millions of dollars invested, bureaucratic tinkering and lots of lip service, Metro's Rail Operations Control Center (ROCC) remains mired in dysfunction, sources say.

The ROCC is Metro's nervous system, its air traffic control system. That this crucial organization remains so prone to safety lapses and basic operational problems should concern riders who value their time and safety when riding Metrorail.

For a chilling example of how ROCC failures can be deadly, just look at the smoke inhalation death of rider Carol Glover.

However, it doesn't seem as if much has changed at ROCC since that horrifying day at L'Enfant. In fact, Metro's ROCC has, as recently as December, sent a passenger train into a tunnel to investigate a report of a fire.

One source, commenting on Metro GM Paul Wiedefeld's repeatedly saying "safety trumps service," said "my behind."

How can this be happening? Perhaps it's because Metro tolerates, and even rewards, poor performance.

One source provided me with a list of what they said were "discrepancy memos." They said each is about one superintendent—someone who's supposed to be in charge. (Emphasis mine)

On Wednesday August 29, 2018 at 1610 train 914 experienced a mechanical issue (major air leak) in approach to West Falls Church track #1. The total customer delay for this incident was 48 minutes. A line delay of 26 minutes was incurred due to the Central Control Staff failing to initiate single track operations. You did not ensure the continuity of service and, incident resolution and the mitigation of delays. It is your responsibility to ensure that all customer delays are mitigated in the safest and most efficient manner.

On Tuesday August 21, 2018 at 2033 the ROCC lost remote control of field equipment due an RTU issue. ROCC was unable to set routes in the established Single-Track area between McPherson Sq. (C02) and Smithsonian (D02). The required ATC support was not on scene and contributed to the delay. Train 901 held at Farragut West (C03) for 45 minutes. No attempt was made to provide customers an alternate way to get to their destination. Shuttle Bus service was requested from the BOCC and no announcements were made to the customers to advise them that shuttle bus service was available. You did not ensure the continuity of service and the mitigation of customer delays. It is your responsibility to ensure that all delays are mitigated, and incidents are handled efficiently.

On Friday, February 12, 2019 at 1759 train 104 reported a loud banging noise coming from under the train. The Radio Controller advised the operator to continue to Grosvenor to allow Car Maintenance XXXX to board and investigate. The Controllers did not instruct the Operator to perform a ground walk around. As the train entered Grosvenor station, Car equipment XXXX stated “in his nine (9) years of experience he has never heard a train sound like this” Once Car maintenance XXXX boarded, he made a request to cut trucks on 3222 to avoid the possibility of a “drag.” During Car Equipment XXXX inspection and findings there was a separate request for foul time to perform an exterior inspection of the train. Once Car Equipment XXXXX boarded the train and advised the operator to recharge, the Radio Controller in your presence gave the Operator permission to move without verifying it was safe to do so with Car Equipment XXXXX. During the investigation it was also discovered that you were not present on in the ROCC at the start of this incident. You failed to ensure the issue was handled in the safest manner by failing to ensure that the following actions were taken to mitigate the associated risk i.e., offload passengers at the first available station, slow the train by establishing a speed restriction (15mph restricted speed or 25mph reduced speed). Instead, train 104 to operate normal speed while in service with passengers aboard. There were no actions taken to mitigate the safety concerns to include moving car maintenance towards Rockville which is where the mechanical issue was reported and establishing single track operations. There was also a lack of response to safety concerns expressed by Car Equipment XXXXX. CMNT XXXXX requested to perform a ground walk around due to smelling a burning rubber smell. This request was denied. In addition, CMNT requested a 10MPH speed restriction to transport the train to Shady Grove Yard. You instructed the Controllers to ask CMNT XXXXX if it was possible to increase the speed restriction to 15MPH or 20MPH.

Your recent performance regarding your oversight of the Rail Operations Control Center (ROCC) is of great concern to the RTRA/ROCC leadership. As a member of the ROCC’s leadership team, you are expected to assume responsibility for the overall control and coordination of the Rail Operations Control Center. Your recent failure to provide adequate oversight over the Rail Operation Control Center and recent failure to make good decisions during emergencies is a concern for me. As a member of the management team and a Superintendent this failure is unacceptable.

There's more. According to the source, this superintendent remains on the job at ROCC.

And it gets worse: According to two sources, an extremely toxic work environment makes it very hard to hire and retain good workers. Both say the reason for this starts at the top of ROCC.

According to one source, the leader of the ROCC is:

"Another WMATA lifer. They built a team based on personal friendships, not by actual talent. Consistently he and his team are being investigated for sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. This is why people from the outside do not stay. They are targeted and hazed by the existing folks. They see that the managers are not held accountable."

Another person familiar with ROCC agreed with this assessment.

"The experience level in the control center has dropped significantly. The average [controller] has less than 3 years," the source said. "The [low] morale and culture will be its downfall. It’s sad when ROCC has 30 something controllers and 30 controllers trying to leave."

Metro has tried to throw money at the problem, offering a one-time $5,000 bonus for new controllers when they get certified and $4,000 per year afterward, sources said. There's a stipulation, however, sources said: New employees must stay three years, or they have to pay back the bonuses. Some left despite the penalties, sources said. The salaries for controllers are $80,000 and up, with some advocating to make the base $100,000.

Hiring got so difficult that Metro started to bring back retired controllers, a source said. That didn't work out well as they, too, clashed with the toxic culture.

Another effort to improve ROCC was to increase staff, but according to one source:

"Promoting [and] adding multiple new management positions took competent controllers and made them managers. You now have new managers in a role that needed to be groomed and mentored. To replace the newly promoted managers you have to recruit controllers. So basically you contributed to the controller deficit that you are mandated by the FTA to resolve. So from a controller perspective you are surrounded by new managers and new controllers you do not have any guidance in the room."

Until Metro can get a handle on what's going on at ROCC, riders can continue to expect delays and unsafe operating practices.

"ROCC should be the best of Metro, and it's not," one source said.

The YAC (Youth Advisory Council) Makes Me Want to Yack

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 13:26:00 +0000

In 2017 (FY), Metro says it spent $82,615.71 of our money on something called the Youth Advisory Council. Sure, Metro probably blows this amount by the minute, but Paul Wiedefeld, the GM, told taxpayers there was no more fat to cut. Note also the budget does not include WMATA staff hours used to support the YAC.

It's unclear what purpose the Youth Advisory Council serves.

According to its minimalist website:

Metro wants you to weigh in on issues that matter to you, your peers, and our community. This is your chance to share your ideas and help make your transit system a better place to ride. It’s a free, once a month meeting that will bring together students from across the region to make a difference. You even gain community service hours for attending! Register for the Youth Advisory Council today!

Metro's Twitter account has mentioned the council just 10 times over more than a year.

These monthly meetings are attended by between 50 and 70 kids, based on documents provided by Metro through a PARP (FOIA) request. The events are catered (see below), and at one meeting at least, there was a live DJ, DJ Single Track (JK. That's what FixWMATA called him.). There was yoga at another meeting.

I went to the last "Youth Advisory Council" "meeting". They had a DJ and flew in a comedian. #WMATA has resources for this mess but can't support the @WMATARAC? @JackEvansWard2 https://t.co/gvpZK3ERym
— FixWMATA ⚒ (@FixWMATA) February 15, 2018

Another account of the May 2017 meeting went like this:

Hosted by Comedian and DTLR Radio Personality Ty Davis & Radio Personality who has us all saying 'Whats poppin!' Deja Perez, the two host focused on their upbringing and the realism of being youth in a city where most count you out.

"We want to create a safe haven for the youth to come and grow and know that we are behind them in every step of the way, it brings us joy giving back to the youth and giving them an outlet to be able to talk about things they are actually going through and we here at WMATA are that listening ear and are here to help in any way we can" - Jawauna Greene (Director of Marketing , WMATA)

There are some photos posted of kids working on what appears to be some kind of model airplane. It's unclear what that has to do with Metro.

One Metro source described the Youth Advisory Council as "very expensive day care."

Here are some other first-hand accounts:

And finally, here's a recording from a meeting.

Here's a breakdown of expenses associated with the council. Below is what Metro sent me.

As you can see, the vast majority of our money goes to "Chit Chat Media."

A search of Maryland businesses reveals Chit Chat Media is registered to Cassandra Vaughn.

After some digging around, I found out more about Vaughn.

Guess who's she's associated with?

Metro's marketing director, Jawauna Greene. Greene is the mastermind behind the swag store. She's also behind the Youth Advisory Council. She's pictured here above the AD in the banner.

Next Youth Advisory Council meeting is 11/8/2017! Register now to be a part of the movement: https://t.co/pjsFcwiyLj #wmatayac #wmata pic.twitter.com/nliVqwslTb
— Metro (@wmata) October 27, 2017

Greene famously called Metro customers "haters" on Twitter.

Is it just a coincidence that Vaughn, the owner of Chit Chat Media, and Metro's marketing directors are associated? These are screengrabs from Vaughn's LinkedIn.

Now, I'm not saying anything illegal is going on, but there's certainly a bad smell.

Especially when you find out that Cassandra Vaughn, also known as Cassandra Vaughn-Fox, was fired from channel 25 (CharmTV) in Baltimore for stealing over $12,000 from the city by abusing her city-issued credit card.

According to the Baltimore Sun:

During her tenure, Vaughn-Fox bought several cameras, camcorders and iPads that couldn't be accounted for, according to the report. She also bought multiple pairs of designer headphones, two seasons of HBO's "The Wire," $40 fountain pens, and books, including "I Want My Vagina Back" by Pamela Love Manning for $18.94, the report said.

Additionally, she purchased multiple e-books, songs and albums on iTunes and a dozen computer applications that cost between 69 cents and $13.99.

Here's Cassandra Vaughn-Fox in a story about her theft:

Here she is from her LinkedIn:

One would think Metro would want to make sure our money wasn't being funneled to someone with this background. I mean if I was able to find out Metro was paying Cassandra Vaughn, it seems like Jawauna Greene could've done the same before funneling tens of thousands of dollars of our money her way.

I emailed Jawauna and Metro GM Paul Wiedefeld. They both worked at MTA, and rumor is Paul refers to Jawauna as "JoJo."

Neither responded.

According to a Metro source, "This is just a drop in the bucket. With dedicated funding watch out for more boondoggles." Two sources at Metro told me the waste going on at Metro is "worse than ever" under the current general manager.

Another source asked, "where is the Metro board? They're supposed to watch this kind of stuff."

"What other contracts has Metro awarded without doing any basic research?" asked another.

Perhaps most insulting about this whole thing is Wiedefeld's claim that there's no fat left to trim. Here's what he said to WAMU:

At some point there is nothing left for me to go to, and we are fast approaching that,” he said. “We are tightening as much as we can. I have looked under every rock I can to find dollars, but there is not a whole lot more to go to.

Given the boondoggle of the Youth Advisory Council, how can any of us, including the Metro board, trust such a bald-faced liar who lets his director of marketing funnel our money to someone who appears to be a thief?

Update: JoJo is leaving Metro for the Port Authority in New York City. It was likely something in motion before this post came out. These are hanging in the Metro HQ:

Interpreting Metro Spin

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 20:28:00 +0000

So Metro released its own "customer satisfaction survey" today, and the media gave them a headline they were dying for.

OK. Let's break that down because NOTHING Metro says is the real story.

First, Metro is comparing the recent data to a survey that was conducted during peak SafeTrack. If people aren't a little happier after that mess, it would be shocking. (Also, SafeTrack is not over, it just doesn't have a name.)

Here are the two major SafeTrack events that occurred during the first three months of 2017. It would frankly be a huge disappointment if customer satisfaction was worse now, a year later, than it was then. https://t.co/JyAlrU96FA #wmata pic.twitter.com/IjzO4rKVYT
— James Pizzurro (@jamespizzurro) April 26, 2018

To be clear, the issue here is not whether Metrorail or rider satisfaction has improved, it's that #WMATA is saying rider satisfaction has improved because if you compare it now to what it was during SafeTrack, it's better. That's bonkers.
— James Pizzurro (@jamespizzurro) April 26, 2018

Metro said 76 percent of riders in the survey were happier. That's up from 69 percent during SafeTrack.

The punch line comes at the end of the WTOP article. Metro's goal is a B. Sad!

Larry Hogan Rides the Metro

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 21:59:00 +0000

Today, to sign up Maryland for billions in new Metro funding, Gov. Larry Hogan - R(!) took the Metro, and Metro created an experience for him no rider gets to see.

What a hero https://t.co/zdoWI1JcWM
— Unsuck DC Metro (@unsuckdcmetro) April 25, 2018

I mean, how bad does a system have to be to get kudos for managing two stops? #wmata
— Talya Green (@GreenTalya) April 25, 2018

Apparently, they rode in a "private" car on public transportation. WHAT THE ... ?? #wmata pic.twitter.com/LCpJUZDtJ8
— Unsuck DC Metro (@unsuckdcmetro) April 25, 2018

#wmata pic.twitter.com/hpmCjVH6KW
— Unsuck DC Metro (@unsuckdcmetro) April 25, 2018

Dear leaders deserve the best! https://t.co/DtfgGq0atP
— Anthony LaMesa (@ajlamesa) April 25, 2018

@StvBurns @GovLarryHogan it's almost as if they were running extra trains just for this publicity stunt pic.twitter.com/R1UqeIxtsT
— Dan Donnelly (@DanTweetedThat) April 25, 2018

That’s why they were cleaning up the trash along the tracks this morning on #wmata #Redline! It took @GovLarryHogan visiting to get @Metrorailinfo to clean up! https://t.co/zHP9Ccl4wV
— Jason Cottrell, Ph.D. (@DrJCottrell) April 25, 2018

From a Metro source on Larry Hogan's big day: "There had crews of wmata and contractors clean every corner between Bethesda and Grosvenor." #wmata
— Unsuck DC Metro (@unsuckdcmetro) April 25, 2018

It’s comical how much brighter and cleaner Bethesda station is just because @GovLarryHogan was showing up to shovel tax dollars into #wmata pockets. It’s never been this bright and clean. pic.twitter.com/sIWhQwpyyu
— E 💵 (@emlarsen) April 25, 2018

SICKENING https://t.co/wP8QF0iGAv
— Unsuck DC Metro (@unsuckdcmetro) April 25, 2018

Nothing says "we're doing this for the people" like a room full of empty seats. #wmata https://t.co/ir73OqLKxu
— Chris Barnes (@ChrisBarnesInfo) April 25, 2018

How tone deaf can one be? #wmata pic.twitter.com/sLc63qW9DN
— Unsuck DC Metro (@unsuckdcmetro) April 25, 2018

Nothing like a premature touchdown dance. Thanks guys. #wmata https://t.co/v30Ke9DCtb
— Unsuck DC Metro (@unsuckdcmetro) April 25, 2018

Metro deleted it.

These Metro Songs are Amazing

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 18:14:00 +0000

Metro is testing three safety songs.

They're pretty incredible.

Metro Offers Free Techno Music

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 16:01:00 +0000

To go along with your fare hikes.

From MA:

So last night while heading home from Friendship Heights Metro I thought someone had taken over the central PA system and started playing techno, but it turned out to be some sort of speaker error.

But it went on for a very very long time, at least more than 30 minutes since that is how long I was there.

Metro workers were just standing around. People found it amusing at first, but it slowly started to become very annoying very fast to have to listen to this blasting everywhere at the end of your day.

I wonder if this is also a safety concern since they wouldn't have been able to use the PA for any emergency messages or anything of the sort while it was blasting error tones.

Where are the Buses?

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 14:17:00 +0000

Wonder why it looks like Metro is only running 30 buses at rush hour? Here's the reason.

From Mike:

Metro provides an interface for developers for us to get data about the system: bus schedules, bus predictions, bus locations, train information signs, etc.

Every once in a while, some of the data goes stale, and we need to prod WMATA to reset something on their side so the data goes correct again.

Starting over a month ago, the bus position data that Metro provides us to see where all the buses are on the roads started to become less and less. 900 buses became 800, became 700, became 600, and now we’re down to approximately 30 buses at rush hour, or at least that’s what we’re being told by the system.

Obviously, more buses are out on the road, or this wouldn’t be the first time you’re hearing about it, but due to an “upgrade” on the bus position system, we have lost access to 97 percent of the buses out on the streets, and app developers have no way to show you on your smartphone, tablet, or web browser where the buses are.

Ironically, Metro contracts with NextBus to get this data, and the NextBus site still appears to show correct location data for almost all the buses in the system.

Third party developers are forbidden by WMATA from accessing the NextBus data because WMATA wants everyone to go through its own API, unlike many other transit systems which allow NextBus to publish the data for them.

So if you have any apps on your smartphone that are supposed to show where the buses are but isn't, it's not the developers' fault. WMATA just isn’t providing the data.

Oops! Another Wrong-Side Doors

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 14:22:00 +0000

Via @zestyteich: @wmata culture of safety (doors opened on wrong side) @unsuckdcmetro pic.twitter.com/rr8clLpi9J

From this morning. This really should never happen.

Here's another shot:

(via @willchong25)

Update from @willchong25: Doors were open for at least 40 seconds. It beeped & closed then reopened on wrong side for another ~20 seconds

'Absolutely Absurd'

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Here is perhaps an explanation as to why the new Dupont South escalators are among Metro's worst performing.

From Emily:

The Dupont South escalators presented me with a tough choice one night last week around 8 p.m.: Do I hobble down on crutches with all the risks entailed, or do I hobble through the circle on crutches to reach the elevator that may or may not be in service?

I hobbled down the still escalator stairs.

When I reached the bottom, I had a word with the really nice, and almost equally frustrated, station employee.

It turns out that when Metro contracted with a company to replace the escalators, the contract included a clause that said only employees of the contracted company can touch the escalator.

Since the Dupont South escalators had been replaced by this company, Metro personnel (including the engineer standing there during the conversation) are unauthorized to adjust them.

The station manager had to put in a request to the contracting company for them to send an employee to Dupont South just to switch one escalator's direction from up to down.

The station manager had been waiting for 4 hours for someone to come and make that switch.

Absurd. Absolutely absurd.

Metro finally "responded" obliquely to this post, which meticulously documents the problems with the "transit grade" Dupont South escalators. They wouldn't respond directly to the statistics based on their own data that bear the problems out, but a spokesman emailed WAMU:

"The escalators at the South Entrance are performing as designed,” the statement said. “We are happy with their performance, and so are the 20,000 people who use the station each day and understand how much better their experience is now."

Last week, when DCist approached Metro asking about the original post, Dan Stessel told them:

"I have a standing rule of not commenting on Unsuck."

Other items:
Metro veteran to lead "independent safety oversight" group (WaPo)

New, 'Transit Grade' Escalators Among Metro's Worst

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Photo via @DougCassaro

Metro recently bragged about how much escalator performance has improved under the pricey Metro Forward campaign. But a closer look reveals an ugly truth. Two of the major--and most highly touted--replacements under Metro Forward have yielded among the worst performing escalators in the entire system.

All three escalators at Dupont South, which were closed for months for a complete replacement, rank, on average, 387th in availability among Metro's 588 escalators. At Foggy Bottom, the three new "transit grade" escalators rank a collective 471 out of 588. One of the new escalators at Foggy Bottom has an availability of 79.7 percent - in 556th place out of 588 escalators.

For every 17 minutes that Metrorail is open, an escalator goes out of service.

"This is what Metro Forward is all about: delivering more reliable service and significantly improved escalator availablity [sic] for our riders," said Metro General Manager Richard Sarles in a press release.

Really? All this money is being spent for what exactly?

How could brand new escalators break so often? I think it's because of this.

Perhaps measuring escalator "availability" system-wide is not the most honest way to measure performance.

Since June 1, Lee Mendelowitz (aka @MetroEscalators) has been tracking escalator outages published through the WMATA API. Here, he uses this data to set the record straight on Metro escalator performance. All of the data used to generate this report is available at DC Metro Metrics.

Here's what he found:

Q: Is the Metro escalator availability for the second quarter really 91.9 percent?

A: Possibly.

Escalator availability is defined as the average percentage of escalators that are operating while Metrorail is open. Both unscheduled outages as well as scheduled maintenance and inspections result in a lower value for escalator availability. The escalator availability computed from WMATA data is 93.5 percent for June 1st through September 15th.

However, this value is a generous overestimate due to missing data. Since a station manager must manually report each escalator outage, some go unreported for several hours. On other occasions, outages are never reported at all.

For example, on Sunday 9/15, @MetrorailInfo reported that all nine escalators were out of service at Navy Yard station for 90 minutes due to a power outage, but these escalator outages were never listed on the WMATA website. This is the norm rather than the exception. WMATA never officially listed the escalator outages associated with power outages at Union Station (6/25), Bethesda (7/3), Shaw-Howard (7/8), or Clarendon (7/10). Escalator outages that go unreported have no impact on the escalator availability.

Q. Is system-wide escalator availability is a good measure of what Metrorail riders experience?

A: No.

The Metrorail system has 588 escalators, which means there are many reliable escalators that inflate the system-wide escalator availability average. In fact, 139 of Metro’s 588 escalators are operating at least 99 percent of the time that Metrorail is open. It’s the chronically underperforming escalators that frustrate riders the most, and these get “washed out” when computing a system-wide average.

In addition, riders frequently use at least four escalators for each Metrorail trip. An escalator availability of 92 percent means that there is a 28 percent chance that at least one of those four escalators will be out of service. Despite this fact, WMATA has set their target escalator reliability at just 89 percent.

Instead of looking at system-wide escalator availability, one can look at how frequently escalators go out of service. Since June 1st:

•   There have been 7,255 unscheduled outages.
•   For every 17 minutes that Metrorail is open, a new escalator goes out of service.
•   215 escalators (36.6 percent) have a mean time between failures (MTBF) of less than 7 days.
•   38 escalators (6.5 percent) have a MTBF of less than 3 days.

Q: True or false: "When an escalator is out of service today, more often than not, it is for scheduled rehabilitation or preventive maintenance," said Rob Troup, Deputy General Manager for Operations.

A: False.

Most escalator outages are due to unscheduled outages.

•    Since June 1st, there have been 10,443 escalator outages, and only 31.8 percent of these were for scheduled maintenance or inspections. Most scheduled outages are for preventative maintenance inspections that take place overnight while the Metrorail system is closed.

•    Only 9.2 percent of escalator outages that occur between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. are due to scheduled maintenance or inspections.

Q: True or false: “In service status is tracked as units are reported to the Metro escalator/elevator control center. Because this is a manual process, an out of service escalator may take up to an hour to be reflected in the computer tracking system; this margin of time does not significantly change the availability score.”

A: False.

I’ve already written a few blog posts detailing escalator outages that go unreported for several hours. See here, here, and here.

A very revealing plot is looking at the time of day when unscheduled escalator outages are first reported. The hour of day with the most escalator outage reports is always the opening hour:

•    On weekdays, 9.6 percent of unscheduled outages are reported between 5 and 6 a.m.
•    On weekends, 19.9 percent of unscheduled outages are reported between 7 and 8 a.m.

It is highly unlikely that such a large fraction of escalators stop working in the opening hour of business when very few customers are using the Metrorail system. Instead, these escalators stopped working at some point during the previous day and go unreported until a station manager reports them during the first hour when Metro opens.

Click for larger

Q: How reliable are the six new street escalators at Dupont South and Foggy Bottom that have been replaced during the Metro Forward campaign?

A: The Foggy Bottom street escalators re-opened in July 2011, and the Dupont Circle South street escalators re-opened in October 2012. Despite being Metro’s newest escalators, they are among the worst performing in the system.

Since June 1st:

•   The middle escalator, A03S02, at Dupont South has had 42 unscheduled outages – 11th most in the system.
•   The right escalator, C04X03, at Foggy Bottom has had 46 unscheduled outages – 10th most in the system.
•   The middle escalator, C04X02, at Foggy Bottom has an availability of 79.7 percent - in 556th place out of 588 escalators.

Click for larger

Conclusions:

While escalator availability may have improved in recent years, it is a misleading measure of what riders experience. The computed value for escalator availability is inflated by the fact that outages often go unreported for hours or are never reported at all. Escalator outages continue to mount at an alarming rate – one new outage every 17 minutes that Metrorail is open. The newly replaced escalators at Dupont South and Foggy Bottom are among the worst performing in the system. While Metro plans on replacing another 128 escalators by 2020, it may end up being just more of the same.

Metro Now Spamming Riders

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 22:08:00 +0000

Remember when you registered your SmarTrip card or gave Metro your email for MetroAlerts?

Bet you didn't count on being spammed after giving Metro your personal information.

Well, it appears Metro is making money off your email.

Here's the email that was sent out today:

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: SmarTrip Savings
To: xxxx@yahoo.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 4:44 PM
Subject: Show SmarTrip Card and Save

Enjoy a higher level of savings with SmarTrip®.
Metro has partnered with Madame Tussauds, Washington, DC to reward you with valuable savings just by showing your SmarTrip® card. Just present your SmarTrip® card at the time of purchase and receive $5 off an adult admission ticket. Bring friends and family, this offer is valid for up to 8 guests. Offer expires 12/31/13.
Take Metrorail to Madame Tussauds at 1001 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004
Red, Blue, Orange lines - Exit Metro Center - 11th and G Streets, NW
Red, Green, Yellow lines - Exit Gallery Place - 9th and G Streets, NW
This discount offer is not valid for advance ticket purchases and cannot be combined with any other offers. The Madame Tussauds may close for special events, so please call 1-866-823-9565 or visit their website for updates www.madametussaudsDC.com.
Enjoy Madame Tussauds and thanks for riding Metro!

Optout: http://w.v12.net/u2.aspx?e=xxx@yahoo.com&a=s

Is Rush+ Over on the Orange Line?

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Thu, 30 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

From Brian:

Just an open question from an Orange Line rider (East Falls Church station).

Over the past few months, it seems like the frequency of trains going into DC has slowed. I get on around 7:30 a.m. each day, and lately I've gotten onto an already crowded train that's 5-6 minutes after the preceding train, and the monitor shows another 5-7 minutes until the next one comes. Granted, there are other windows where a train might be 2-3 minutes behind, but all in all, it sure seems like WMATA has quietly reduced the number of trains coming through.

This link about the Silver Line says there would be 19 Orane Line trains per hour during Rush Plus. I really have a hard time believing that there are 19 Orange Line trains per hour right now.

I have a job and don't have time to monitor this, but I'm curious if anyone has the ability or wherewithal to simply plant themselves at one of the Arlington Orange Line stations (Clarendon, EFC, whatever) and simply count the number of inbound trains from, say, 7:00-9:00 a.m.

If WMATA is correct, then 38 trains should come through over that 2-hour period, give or take one or two. I dunno; just curious if anyone else has noticed anything, and I'm weary from being on one packed train after another.

Editor's Note: Posting is going to be hit or miss for the next little while as real life has been encroaching on Unsuck time.

Other items:
Ride Metro at your own risk (Examiner)
Ridership continues to fall (Examiner)

Dating Via Emergency Intercom?

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Photo via @nevermindtheend

From Jim:

I saw the STRANGEST thing this morning!

I was at the back of the very last car on a train from Silver Spring to downtown. At one of the next stops, a guy gets on, presses the emergency intercom button at the back of the car and starts chatting up the train driver.

"Hey, baby, this is Cooper. Remember Cooper? Yeah, so, how are you?"

He obviously knew her from somewhere and was "interested," but she didn't remember him as much as he thought she would.

The driver was clearly flabbergasted and said "What, huh? Who is this? Can I help you?"

"Cooper, baby, it's Cooper. How you doin'?"

Eventually, she just said,"OK. Hi. OK. Have a nice day" and cut off the conversation.

That was new. I've seen people use the intercoms to ask for directions to the museum or whatnot, but that was new.

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Does the Transit Subsidy Make Metro Worse?

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

From Steve:

I live in Arlington and commute to DC on Metro daily. So does my roommate.

I pay every cent of my Metro costs out of my pocket. No pretax discount, and my employer doesn't chip in a dime. My roommate, on the other hand, is a federal worker and doesn't have to pay a single cent of his own money for his daily commute on Metro.

Our levels of frustration with Metro are quite different as a result.

My question is whether or not Metro would be better if it couldn't count on 40 percent of its riders being heavily subsidized. Shouldn't Metro have to compete for all riders rather than just counting on a large chunk of riders saying "I know it sucks, but at least it's free." (Yes, I know Metro is not completely free for all federal workers.)

Another reason to question the subsidy is that it allows Metro to raise fares with very little grumbling from a huge portion of the ridership. I just don't think that's a fair system.

I ask this question in all seriousness. It's obvious that Metro needs some kind of fundamental changes at the very foundation, and I'd like to know what others out there think about this particular topic.

Other items:
False alarm evacuates McPherson Square (Examiner)
Metro workers lends helping hand (Fox)

Just How Safe are the Trains?

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

From Steve:

I experienced something alarming on my Metro train the morning of May 9 that I'd like to report.

I was traveling on the Red Line between Union Station and Silver Spring. Silver Spring was the final stop of this train, as it was reversing and going back into the District. I was in car number 4088, and it was the train the arrived at Silver Spring at 8:38 a.m.

Around Ft. Totten, a Metro employee who appeared to be some sort of an inspector entered the rear of my car from the last car and contacted the train operator on his radio.

He told the operator the last car had brake problems and that he needed to keep his braking "below B3." Further down the line, as we approached Silver Spring, the inspector contacted the operator again and told him, "Come on, man, I need you to hold that braking to below B3. I want to try to get this train back over the line."

The operator apologized and said something about "overspeeding." The inspector said, "Then keep your speed 5 miles below the limit to keep from overspeeding." The operator responds that "it just changed by itself."

The fact that the train was having some sort of braking problems that warranted the operator to drive below the listed speed, and that when talking about the train's speed the operator said "it just changed by itself," and that despite all this the train continued to carry passengers, are alarming to say the least.

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Happy Bike to Work Day from Metro

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

From Joseph:

I was riding my bike home on May 17 at 5:50 p.m. I was on M St. going straight near the Key Bridge. The D5 bus #2387 merged left and almost hit me.

The driver then looked out his window and began yelling. He used a lot of profanity.

He stated that bikes belong on the sidewalk and that I better get out of the road and on the sidewalk or he was going to hit me. This was while he was still driving.

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An Open Letter to Dr. Gridlock

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Washington Post reporters talk with Metro GM Richard Sarles during a Google+ Hangout. Via: The Washington Post

From Fake Dr. Gridlock:

Greetings,

I am writing as a reader and a daily Metro commuter who is fed up on two fronts. I'm fed up with the lousy deteriorating service provided by WMATA, and I'm even more fed up with the lousy coverage provided by Dr. Gridlock and the transit team over at the Washington Post. I'm not even sure I should even call it coverage, because it barely even scratches the surface.

On Tuesday, May 14, there was an mini-explosion and fire on a Red Line train outside of Silver Spring. After writing an initial story on the incident, there was absolutely no follow up in the Dr. Gridlock blog as of Thursday. After the Green Line meltdown a few month ago, Dr Gridlock said Metro needed to improve communications during situations like this. The Red Line incident was a perfect test for Metro to prove they were fulfilling their promise. Metro failed miserably. Not only was there a giant, restless crowd outside of Takoma station, but Metro's Twitter feed had the nerve to actually blame the fire department for the delays. Dr Gridlock decided it wasn't necessary to call out Metro for failing to fulfill it's promise of better communication. The Dr Gridlock team was able to write about important stories like a crosswalk opening and Captain America being filmed in town. Another mini-story that came of the Red Line fire that has been picked up by other local outlets (but not Metro loyalist Dr. Gridlock) was that Metro's Twitter (run by self-proclaimed Twitter guru and social media trailblazer) blocked prominent critic FixWmata for calling them out for thanking the fire department after blaming them for the delays at least five times. Both stories portray Metro in a negative light and were ignored for trivial matters.

Most of the articles regarding Metro (track work, etc) are eerily similar to press releases put on the Metro website. When there is an article "covering" an incident at Metro, most of the articles don't do anything more than report what happened through the eyes of Metro. They will report what happened, ask Dan Stessel, Metro spokesman, for comment and leave it at that. A good deal of the time, Stessel is not being honest (he has a terrible track record with the truth). Dr. Gridlock does nothing to ever follow up or pressure him when he's being dishonest. He just takes it at face value. This is not journalism. And this SHOULD be embarrassing for the Washington Post. This is the same newspaper that was instrumental in uncovering Watergate. Could you imagine if those reporters just dropped everything at "I asked Nixon's press secretary about it, and he said there is nothing to see here." If Dr. Gridlock and Dana Hedgpeth were pulling their weight, the LEAST they could do was develop a relationship with sources at Metro to find out what is going on. Dr. Gridlock is very supportive of weekend track work. What he fails to notice is the sections that are "repaired" over the weekend often cause problems the following Monday. Same goes for the escalators. There is a system of sheer incompetence at Metro that he fails to even address, let alone investigate. I don't think he's mentioned once the fact that there is almost no accountability whatsoever at Metro. Metro's union has a stranglehold over disciplinary measures, making it borderline impossible to get fired. Yet these problems are never brought up.

Furthermore, Dr. Gridlock's interaction with readers is pathetic. His Twitter consists of nothing other than promoting his articles and retweeting Metro. His weekly chats, which should have SOME value, are completely worthless. A week after some passengers were injured when an escalator panel fell off, Dr. Gridlock spent the majority of the chat discussing with riders how far apart cars should be spaced at a red light. I couldn't possibly make this one up. There couldn't be a more inconsequential, ridiculous, and irrelevant subject to discuss, yet Dr. Gridlock felt like this was more important than riders being injured by an escalator. In the last week, Dr. Gridlock offered a steadfast defense of Metro's out-of-touch decision to remodel the Bethesda Metro Station. Despite the fact that 67 percent of riders polled were against this decision, and the vast majority of comments reacted negatively to this decision, Dr. Gridlock and friends classified this as "some riders" being opposed to the idea. He is deliberately misrepresenting the feelings of the riders with this nonsense. And last weekend, Metro was unbearable. People would wait 30 minutes for a train if they were lucky. So were these items discussed? Of course not. Waze and I-66 message boards took priority.

I'm not asking Dr. Gridlock to be as negative as, say, UnsuckDCMetro or FixWMATA, but it sure would be nice to feel like he has the riders back once in a while. It would be nice if just once in a while, he'd do a better job following up, calling the PR department out on their misleading/dishonest statements, and doing some investigative journalism for once. As the newspaper industry is having financial troubles, I have to ask if you have considered the fact that Dr. Gridlock gets outdone on the reporting front by UnsuckDCMetro, who is an UNPAID BLOGGER. UnsuckDCMetro reports on Metro as a hobby, and has been able to break more meaningful stories more frequently than the Washington Post, has been able to develop relationships with sources inside Metro, without being paid a penny. Meanwhile, you are paying a full year's salary and benefits to a guy who does little more than parrot Metro PR talking points and discuss irrelevant topics such as car spacing at a red light. Not only should the Washington Post's journalism department be embarrassed, but their financial department should be as well.

I have to ask whether the soft coverage is the result of a cozy relationship the Washington Post has with Metro. In addition to the Post having an agreement in terms of The Express distribution outside Metro Stations, they have even teamed up to host events. The Post hosted a media event "Conquering the Commute" which was sponsored by Metro. Of course, nothing of importance to improving Metro was discussed, and notably absent from the panels was anyone who is critical of Metro. They had nobody to counterbalance David Alpert, a strong Metro Apologist, (who also writes articles for The Post, and has been given guest blogging duties by Dr. Gridlock) who has no background in transit or planning whatsoever. Of course, nobody can forget the Google + hangout with Dr. Gridlock and Richard Sarles, where he was, asked a series of laughable, softball questions, most notably "Why are some platforms on the center and others on the side?" This is unacceptable. This is not journalism, and you, as Dr. Gridlock's superiors, should be embarrassed. Metro is becoming increasingly unreliable and unsafe. If things keep going this way, its not a question of if someone will be fatally wounded by Metro negligence, its when someone will be fatally wounded. Dr. Gridlock does not represent the interests, safety, and wishes of Metro riders. In two months, Kytja Weir and Liz Essley will be let go from the Washington Examiner. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Examiner because I find their political writings to be extreme. But these two young ladies do a phenomenal job when it comes to covering Metro. They have sources, they acquire records and comb through them. They probably do more work in a week than Dr. Gridlock and friends do in four months. If Dr. Gridlock doesn't want to change his approach to covering metro, I'd be glad to recommend these two to replace him and Dana Hedgpeth. You would get a lot more value out of real journalism.

Sincerely,

Fire Dr. Gridlock

Related:
Fancy pants Washington Post

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Silver Line Sticker Shock?

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Photo via: wfyurakso

From Timothy:

Residents of Reston anticipating the opening of the Silver Line late this year, may be in for a surprise as the cost of the daily commute will jump significantly.

The first phase of the Silver Line will start at Wiehle Avenue. At present, Reston residents can travel from this area with free parking, a net bus fare of $1.10 (taking in account the 50-cent transfer discount) to West Falls Church and a train fare of $3.95 to Metro center or $4.30 to Union Station. The total daily round-trip communing cost to these stations is $10.10 to $10.80.

Once the Silver Line opens, free parking will vanish. If other Fairfax County park-and-ride lots are any indication, the daily cost of parking will be set at $4.75. According to Metro representatives at recent open houses, the train fare from Wiehle Avenue to downtown DC will be at the maximum rate of $5.75.

The round trip cost of commuting to people parking will increase to $16.25 – a jump of about 50 to 60 percent. For those who take a bus to Wiehle Avenue, it will be $13.70, an increase of 26 to 35 percent. Those who are able avoid parking and buses with a drop and roll at the kiss and ride will see an increase of 33 to 45 percent.

Anyway you cut it, the convenience of the Metro will come at a cost.

Other items:
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WMATA blocks Twitter user (WUSA)

'Fire Department Activity' Open Thread

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Seems like whenever I take some time off, Metro has a big meltdown or, in this case, a flame out.

Metro originally called the incident "fire department activity."

Here's the Examiner's take and here's the WaPo's take.

Were you there? Were you caught up in the post-fire mess? How'd Metro handle it?

See Something? Wake Someone Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Via: http://statigr.am/p/450987034573602188_23846086

I wonder if Metro will be able to identify this guy so he can be awarded a two-week paid vacay.

Unsuck will be off Monday and Tuesday.

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Metro Pooper

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

From Wes:

This past Friday, at 1:15 p.m., I encountered an unusual sight on the Farragut North Metro escalator.

As I was descending the second set of escalators to head down toward the trains, I noticed a station manager standing at the bottom of the escalator directing everyone to stay to the right. At the bottom of the moving escalator was what appeared to be human feces. It was moving.

The poo was caught between the steps and the comb plate, the poo was actually spinning due to the escalator's motion! It was strange looking, hilarious and stinky!! Anyway, I had to take a few photos of the spinning poo.

A few moments later the station manger stopped the escalator and placed an orange cone, marking the poo for any unaware travelers.

My train arrived shortly thereafter, so I do not know outcome of any of this crap!

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Doors Close with No Warning, Trap, Injure Rider

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

From Erica:

Last Thursday, May 2nd, at about 11:30 a.m. (Not rush hour), I was waiting for a train to U Street at L'Enfant Plaza. The platform was almost empty, and there were three others standing with me when the train stopped.

The doors opened, and they were open for about 30 seconds, just long enough for the three others to walk on (no one got off).

Then, as I was walking on, the doors slammed SHUT. WITHOUT WARNING! No warning chimes. No warning recording.

I couldn't get out. I was scared the train was going to start moving. Both my hand and leg were jammed and being squeezed so hard, I couldn't walk for a couple of minutes after the doors opened.

I have bruises on my hand and leg, and my hand was actually bleeding.

Of course, the guy driving the train didn't care. He yelled me.

The station manager didn't care, and merely threw a piece of paper at me and said, "If you have a complaint, fill this out and send it it." He wouldn't event talk to me. He walked away and shut the door of his cubicle.

Is there a reason why Metro employees are so miserable and surly? And what is Metro's responsibility in this situation? I want to know who that conductor was, and I want to see that he has been punished in some way.

Other items:
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Frustration Calling Metro Transit Cops

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

From Josh:

This past Friday morning, while passing the Naylor Road station, I noticed something was up.

Four, twenty-something ladies had another twenty-something lady encircled. It appeared they all knew each other, and their discussion was becoming more volatile.

As I passed the group, it became more physical with the women pulling each others' hair. Since Metro is always saying "see something, say something," I called the WMATA police on (202) 962-2121.

After 30 seconds of ringing, I hung up and checked the number.

I called again and waited for another minute before the operator finally took my call and sent an officer.

In the normal world, if you need help, you can call the police by dialing the universally easy to remember number--911. By calling 911 from your cell phone, the police can locate you using the enhanced 911 service.

In the WMATA world, you call a number that is difficult to remember. If WMATA bothers to answer the phone in time, they would not have access to your GPS coordinates because your phone does not know the number you dialed belongs to the police.

Other items:
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Copping Zs on the Job

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Via @smclean84: @unsuckdcmetro: @wmata employee sleeping on the job at Woodley Park Metro. pic.twitter.com/4mQZJkTXXp

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Unspinning Metro's Escalator Issues

noreply@blogger.com (Unsuck DC Metro) — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

1. 480 out of 588 (81.6%) escalators had an unexpected outage in April. #WMATA
— MetroEscalators (@MetroEscalators) May 2, 2013

@metroescalators is an interesting Twitter account that uses Metro's escalator/elevator API to provide insight into just how poorly run Metro's vertical transportation system really is.

The stat above is simply astounding.

Remember what ol' Danny boy told WUSA:

Dan Stessel says his statistics don't lie, "I can tell you that escalator reliability has improved 10 points in the last 18 months and it has, but if your escalator is out of service at your station, you don't care about that."

For the WUSA reporter "10 points" was apparently good enough, and then she launched into regurgitating Metro PR.

Oh, and remember that the guy formerly in charge of the elevator/escalator department is now in charge of the track department!