Metro General Manager Richard Sarles is certainly not the most popular figure in D.C. right now. Lately, the Metro has been something of a mess as the severe weather in the past month has caused numerous breakdowns and delays, leaving riders as frustrated as ever. But that didn’t stop Sarles from joining the Post’s Robert Thomson for a live Q & A from readers today.
During the live chat, Sarles answered over twenty questions from readers—most of them frustrated Metro riders—in an attempt to clear up and explain why the Metro is always unreliable and when it will stop being that way. The short answers? Lack of funds and eventually.
A plurality of the questions focused on train congestion and lack of trains during rush hour—especially on the Orange and Blue lines—as well as the many problems and hardships that come with trying to ride the Metro on the weekend. Sarles frequently referred to Metro’s 2025 plan as the goal they’ve set for themselves to improve Metro’s services, which includes operating all 8-car trains during rush hour and making Weekend service more reliable. Of course, to make all of this happen, Sarles says “funding is key.”
Below, here’s a selection of some of Sarles’ answers to the more pertinent questions. You can read the full Q & A here.
Q: After the Rush Plus cutbacks, the Blue Line is often dangerously crowded during the morning and afternoon rush, which will only get worse when the Silver Line opens. For many of us, the Yellow Line isn’t a reasonable alternative (such as for the many Pentagon to Rosslyn/Foggy Bottom/Farragut West commuters, like myself). Will there actually be 8-car Blue Line trains (not perfect, but better than nothing)? How can you justify charging us for peak service when there is actually no difference in train frequency between rush hour and not?
Sarles: First, it is important to note that we are executing on a plan that was developed when the Silver Line was approved for design/construction more than a decade ago. That plan called for base train frequencies of 7 minutes during rush hours on Orange, Yellow, Green and Silver (instead of 6 minutes today), and Blue Line trains every 14 minutes. We have worked hard to improve upon this original plan by now running the Silver Line out to Largo Town Center. By doing this, we are able to keep OR/YL/GR/SV trains at every 6 minutes, and Blue will be a consistent every 12 minutes. We will make every effort to provide additional 8-car trains on Blue to accommodate riders, and we will continue to encourage those who can consider Yellow to do so.
We will need to advance power improvements (currently called for under Metro’s 2025 plan) in order to provide all 8-car trains on the Blue line.
Q: Why aren’t all of the OR and BL trains in rush hour 8 car? Often in Rosslyn you have to wait for 2-3 trains to go by before you can get on in the morning. It’s going to get worse when the Silver Line starts and OL service is cut.
Sarles: We would like to operate all 8-car trains during rush hour, and that’s the goal we’ve set for ourselves under the Metro 2025 plan. It requires more than just additional train cars, but also upgrades to the power system and additional storage space and maintenance facilities. Funding is key to advance this project. More info is available at wmata.com/momentum
Q: Why is it so hard to fix small things at Metro. The brand new station manager display at Dunn Loring broke within days of being installed (January 2013). I reported it, I tweeted it, I did everything I could to try and get it fixed but all I could get was a response that it was defective. It was finally fixed in January 2014! Totally unacceptable. It’s these small details that drive riders crazy. When there are small problems that are fairly easily fixed they really need to be fixed in a timely manner. 12 months is not timely. Thanks
Sarles: I wasn’t aware of this issue or the length of time for repair. I’ll be following up on it with staff. (Ed. Note: HA!)
Q: How do you justify increasing fares yet again when service is still regularly so poor? All many of us want is a reliable commute, yet Metro (at least on the rail side) continually fails to do this. And before Dr G says vote with your feet, many of us have no other options other than public transportation.
Sarles: We have been making progress on service reliability and on-time performance, which is reflected in our metrics. That said, I know that there is more to do. I also know that metrics don’t always reflect the experience of individual riders when there are service issues. Our goal is to reduce the frequency of delays. We’ve been doing that, and we recognize that there is more to be done.
Q: Metro 2025 sounds really great! But what are you doing RIGHT NOW to make WMATA the transit system this area deserves?
Sarles: 120+ new escalators, more than 500 new railcars that start arriving this year, station/lighting improvements underway now, 150 new buses each year, new MetroAccess vehicles, parking garage lighting upgrades, new fare collection system (contract awarded last month)… and most important, continuing to advance our rebuilding program to make the system safer and more reliable.
This evening, WUSA9’s Russ Ptacek will stage a Metro Intervention outside of the Farragut North Station entrance on Connecticut Avenue and K Street NW. He’s extended an open invitation for Sarles to join him and answer questions from riders. No word from Metro if Sarles will attend or not.
