April 8, 2008
Metro Reports Improved Escalator, Elevator Performance
We've often joked in the past about the poor reputation of Metro's escalators and elevators. Rare is the Metrorail trip that does not include a loudspeaker announcement informing customers of all the latest elevator outages. Station escalators seem so often out of order, we've even suggested giving up and calling them by a more accurate name: stairs. But this morning, via the Examiner, Metro is reporting that its escalators reached a 95.5 percent performance rate in January of this year. That's a significant improvement over the low of 88.3 percent availability in the summer of 2006. Elevator service has similarly improved, reaching 97.1 percent in January.
The story quotes Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham as asking the important question here: But which escalators and elevators are constantly breaking down? Metro has compiled a list of the top 12 problem stations, which will be presented to a Metro board committee on Thursday. It includes Anacostia, which had a single escalator break 20 times in February, along with Cleveland Park, Congress Heights, Tenleytown and Dupont Circle. Columbia Heights, Waterfront, Cleveland Park and Brookland have the worst number of elevator outages.
Have you noticed an improvement in escalator and elevator availability at your station?
Photo by JamesCalder
|
"I like an escalator because an escalator can never break, it can only become stairs. There would never be an escalator temporarily out of order sign, only an escalator temporarily stairs. Sorry for the convenience." - Mitch Hedberg.
I honestly haven't noticed any improvements in terms of escalator availability. The two stops I'm at most are Columbia Heights and Gallery Place; and at least once per week I see an escalator that is shut down.
The Waterfront elevator was recently rehabbed. Sounds like something was not done properly there..
I can't help but think these numbers are sumpinspicious.. were some definitions changed so that escalators undergoing rehab were excluded? Or is it really just that they've gotten better?
McPherson Square's escalators seem to be in better shape than last year, but there are currently two escalators down at Court House. They have been down for over a week, and only today is one of them being worked on.
This just in: Jim Graham has shut down all Metro escalators until the matter can be investigated further.
I dunno if I believe this. Right now, according to Metro's website, out of 86 stations in the Metro system, 37 stations have at least one escalator not working. The worst station at the moment is the busiest, Metro Center with 5 escalators out of service.
How can they be at 95% performance with so many stations experiencing problems?
I have only had to walk up an 'escalator temporarily stairs' once in the past month(Tenleytown - only the top portion). I'm not sure whether that's an improvement, but it could be.
"...along with Cleveland Park, Congress Heights, Tenleytown and Dupont Circle. Columbia Heights, Waterfront, Cleveland Park and Brookland..."
Both Cleveland Park AND Cleveland Park escalators?? WEIRD. Sorry, shouldn't have been paying attention, it's not like me.
Totally, MikeB with the MitchH
I remember being in Metro one or more years ago and seeing on the sign:
ELEVATOR OUTAGE UPDATE:
NO ELEVATORS OUT OF SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It must have been a happy day for them. Hopefully we'll get back there.
Um, the escalator at Brookland has been out for at least six months. The only activity I ever see towards fixing it is that they change the sign indicating when the work is supposed to be complete. January 2008, March 2008, April 2008...you get the picture.
Interesting. What type of reporting metrics is Metro using? Hopefully the reporting is based on real science, unlike like its "on time reporting". "Metro is not reporting any delays over 10 minutes at this time".
i take the metro from cleveland park every day and while yes, occasionally one of the escalators is out (which is really only annoying if it's one of the top level ones, there's only one escalator on each side), i have NEVER seen the elevator out of service.
Ditto on Yonas' comment, I ride from Columbia Heights to Gallery Place every day, and there hasn't been a discernable improvement in escalator performance. The situation isn't terrible, but it isn't great, either.
Waterfront's elevator appears to be fine & dandy these days. The two internal escalators (mezzanine to platform) have been having some sort of maintenance going on for the past week or so (they've been alternating which one they're working on), which is mildly annoying, but not life threatening.
Escalators at the three stations I use the most - Dupont Circle, Eastern Market and Metro Center - are regularly out of order. It's not as big of a deal at smaller stations, but it can seriously back up foot traffic at Metro Center. I'm really curious as to what causes these escalator malfunctions. Anybody have any insight? I tend to suspect the 95 percent rate is due to some fuzzy math.
MacDad:
I could swear I typed something in there..
Anyway, you need to have a deminimis threshold for reporting delays, otherwise they'll be reporting tons of inconsequential items. 10 mins is the industry standard.
Sometimes the escalators ARE working, but some damn kid has decided to assert himself to his or her thug buds by pressing the Emergency Stop button. Seen it happen twice.
jstreet,
I hope so then we can stop the non-sense of putting elevator outages on the PIDS more than the actual train times.
The escalator at the King Steet metro was out of service the entire I time I worked at the USPTO. Did that ever get fixed?
The Cleveland Park escalator to street-level used to be regularly out of service every afternoon for several weeks, although it was always working fine in the morning. I thought it was just the gods telling me that if I walked up that escalator-turned-staircase, it was ok for me to go to Cold Stone Creamery to have some ice cream.
I can not believe they don't consider Potomac Avenue a problem station. Major overhauls on the street level aside, the escalators leading down to the platform will go out of service for 3-4 days at a time.
There was a recent Meet the Management Day and when I said the stations' escalators hadn't been fully functional since October, the rep denied it was taking that long. I told him I was sure because that's when I moved to the area. Then I was assured it was nearing completion.
an escalator can never break, it can only become stairs
Execpt when they get halfway through taking it apart, then abandon it for a week (a la Archives last week).
King Street is finally fixed. It was a loooong 6 months or so while they were "rehabing" it.
I'm surprised there is no mention of those elevator shelters they put up over many of the outdoor escalators. I think one of the main reasons for doing that was to protect the elevators from the elements and prevent them from breaking down so frequently.
I said "elevator" a few times when I meant "escalator." When my insightful comment gets comment of the week, would you please make those corrections for me? Thanks.
It really makes no difference to me one way or the other. I walk up and down every escalator regardless if they work. But then again, I am thin and can go to Cold Stone Creamery.
Why isn't Court House on this list? I work there and currently one down one is broken, the down from the mezzanine to platform is broken, and the elevator from the mezzanine to the platform is broken (has been for a month and according to Metro, won't be fixed until June). Of course, there are no signs on the street level elevator telling people the mezzanine is broken, so I've seen managers helping strollers and once a wheelchair get down to the platform.