Written by DCist contributor Colin Peppard

In the third installment of our ongoing feature to highlight the many things our Metro system could use, we turn to our beloved Nationals and the trains that get us to the game.

Evening baseball games and rush hour don’t mix terribly well. As fans flood the District to cheer the Nats on, commuters are just trying to get home for dinner. Area highways, local roads near RFK, and even Metro all experience a significant increase in traffic before and especially after games. As we pointed out the other day, four of Metro’s 10 busiest days coincide with baseball games. In an effort to bring some order to the problem, Metro has begun running what it calls the “Fastball Express.” Two Orange Line trains are designated express service between Metro Center and Stadium-Armory, stopping at only L’Enfant Plaza along the way. The six skipped stops almost cut the ride in half, and avoid much of the pushing and shimmying of people getting on or off standing-room only cars.

Reactions to the service have been mixed. Many riders love the service, saying it reduces the hassle of getting to the game and smoothes out their night. Others think the idea has potential, if only they could understand the conductors garbled announcement that the train was going express to RFK. There were also some who thought it was unfair to riders not going to the game. The system’s biggest obstacle is the structure of Metro itself. With only one track in each direction, express trains delay other trains on the line. As one rider said, “Patrons at the ‘proposed-skipped’ stations should not be passed by just to get the riders to the special events on time. It wouldn’t be fair to those already in a hurry.” Despite the controversy, Metro is considering running express service for other high-traffic events, and even during rush hour.

Without ridership and trip statistics from trial runs of the service, it is hard to evaluate the usefulness of this idea. So we are opting for the democratic solution and appealing to you. As a rider, a fan, or both, does express service on Metro make sense? If so, what lines would like to see run express service, and between what stations?

Picture snapped by andertho