Morning Roundup: Goodbye, Abe Edition
D.C. Police Seek Suspect in Series of Bank Robberies
Suspect in 9-Year-Old's Murder Found Dead in D.C. Jail
Photo of the Day: November 25, 2009
Listen to DCist on WAMU at Noon
As we noted in the Roundup this morning, WMATA is experiencing a major disruption of its electronically based services today after an overnight power outage. We just received a press release from Metro, however, which means that at some of the transit agency's services have come back online. Here's what's working as of 10:45 a.m., according to Metro:
- Metrobus fareboxes are functioning, although some bus operators had difficulty logging onto them earlier this morning. If that was the case, customers were allowed to ride without paying.
- The Bus Operations Control Center had early difficulty communicating with buses on the streets, however bus radios came back into service at about 10 a.m.
- All reservation and dispatch systems for MetroAccess returned to use at about 10 a.m.
- The MetroAccess call center and online reservation system returned to service at about 10 a.m.
But these systems are still not working:
- Debit card purchases at fare machines.
- Customers are limited to charge up to $20 only using a credit card.
- NextBus is still out.
- SmartBenefits is still out.
- The e-alert system.
- The public address system.
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if the PA system never works again, it won't be a huge loss.
"Excuse me, is that your bag? Such simple words can ..."
They don't work like elevator doors that you might be used to.
You'll notice that most people stand on the right side of the escalator.
Now if only they can get the station managers to work.
WMATA on a Whale Cake
ROFL MAO
my bike is crap and nearly as old as WMATA, but its so much more reliable
Please Stand By
Any chance they can augment the SmartTrip cards with RetardedMonkeyTrip cards soaked in liquid PCP? Because if you have to sit around and wait for the train, you might as well be tripping your ass off and running around naked and screaming at your penis.
Which metro exit is that in the picture?
Navy Yard
I may be going out on a limb here, but I'd hazard to guess this is where NYC does it right and WMATA, in it's desire to implement "high tech" solutions (well, relatively speaking), consistently fails. I'm not an engineer, but having read quite a bit of general writing on related subjects, I think I have a handle on this much: with respect to developing, implementing and maintaining large systems it's important to adhere to simplicity and redundancy as you scale upwards, rather than trying to figure out the most clever trick to achieve the goal.
It appears to me that NYC, whether an accident of history (private > public system) or a conscious choice, has stuck with simplicity and redundancy, while WMATA chose consciously from the outset and presently chooses to one-up everyone else with "modern technology". It's great when it works, but jeezus jiminy cricket it, when does it EVER work??? Complicated systems create complicated problems and cost craploads of money...
Also, @spookiness: this is why your bike is crap, but still works. It's a pretty simple system, and if I'm not mistaken, it is one of the most efficient machines (in terms of least amount of energy lost in the energy > work transfer) ever invented.
It's so comforting to know that all it takes is an overnight power outage at Metro HQ to bring the entire system to its knees. God forbid any real disaster should strike this piece of shit.
Dude, my bus ride was totally not free this morning.
John Catoe missed an email in his inbox this morning. It reads...
"YOURE FIRED!"
Signed,
Your customers.