Transit on Thursday: The Last 30 Days Edition
Unless you've been out of town for the last 30 days, you've been experiencing one of the busiest months in the history of the metro area's mass transit.
A majestic flurry of events - drawing large masses of people from the city, the suburbs, and all over the world - has barraged the area's public transportation this spring. In the last four weeks, we've seen the visit of the Pope, the beginning of the baseball season in a brand new ballpark, a run to the playoffs by the Capitals and the Wizards, the beginning of spring with the return of warm weather, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the Kite Festival, and the National Marathon, among others. Not surprisingly, Metro's been setting records left and right -- just yesterday the agency recorded its 10th highest ridership day ever, thanks to a Nats home game that was better attended than any game since opening day (32,780).
The reviews of Metro's performance over the last month have had one constant theme - adequacy. Dr. Gridlock of the Post gave Metro a grade of B+ during the Pope's visit, noting that Metro worker's sense of "calm" redeemed the fact that a train broke down at a crucial moment, while at least one of his readers seems to have fallen back in love with the system. Marc Fisher felt that the events revealed the gap which exists between everyday riders and those who crowd the trains on special occasions, while WTOP reported that with what seem like relatively small improvements, such as reducing choke points and effectively controlling crowding on platforms, one of Metro's busiest months ever could be considered largely successful.
If you had to give a grade to the area's mass transit system during the relative insanity of the last month, what would it be?
After the jump: door malfunction-o-rama, and your usual roundup of the transit stories you might have missed this week.
Photo by B Tal.
Dude, That Car's For C.H.U.D.s Only: Just a few days after Metro announced it's new policy of having Metro rail operators open doors manually, Dr. Gridlock reported on one car's very odd and frightening experience with the new system. In Rosslyn, the train doors of the last car on the track opened on the correct side, except that the car was still inside the tunnel. The train then continued to Foggy Bottom, where people got off to catch the next train back to Rosslyn. Metro says it is investigating the situation.
Just Graduated? How's Senior Director of Metro Sound?: Metro's got an issue with its labor force - WTOP reports that about 3,000 employees will be eligible for retirement benefits in 2010. The answer? "A move toward younger, fresher ideas." General Manager John Catoe outlined a plan for the next 12 to 18 months which could potentially elevate young people fresh out of college to director and supervisory positions through an intensive training program.
Engines and Cabooses: Metro ridership up 1.6 percent from March 2007 - but not as high as the 6 percent hikes in January and February 2008; April will likely be a banner month (see above)...Arlington County approves property tax which will provide $10 million for Metro station improvements and streetcar development...The Beltway will be intermittently backed up this weekend - check your traffic report before driving on it...14th Street Bridge lanes scheduled to reopen tomorrow morning......Gas tax maybe, possibly, could be not dead in Virginia.