Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld says the transit agency is currently offering “very good service.” This is despite nearly two-thirds of its trains still unavailable, and with those that are running, leaving the ends of the Red Line every 10 minutes and every 20 minutes on other lines.

“It is reduced from where we were, but it is still very good service,” Wiedefeld said during a D.C. Council oversight hearing on WMATA Tuesday. He noted that much of the system overlaps so average wait times are usually much shorter. “For instance, if you’re on a 20-minute headway, your average is 10 minutes (at a station with two lines).

“So that is very good service and service that I know a lot of bus patrons would love to have. It’s a very good service. I don’t see that as an obstacle for using us to come back.”

Pre-pandemic Metro ran trains every four to eight minutes during rush hour and every six to 12 minutes during non-peak periods.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Councilmember Christina Henderson posed a question about the “the chicken and the egg” scenario, where businesses are asking workers to come back to the office as the pandemic improves, but workers say the Metro system is too broken to be viable.

“One of the things that we often hear is the other employees will say, ‘well, Metro is not working. So it’s going to take me an additional 45 minutes for my commute because the trains are only running every 20 minutes or whatever,'” she said.

She asked what Wiedefeld was hearing from federal employers, and how Metro will be able to serve workers as its 7000-series trains, which make up 60% of the fleet, are still out through at least April.

Wiedefeld said he’s heard that federal agencies are making return to work decisions on a department by department basis and that some telework policies are allowing employees to return only two days a week out of a two-week pay period. Federal workers made up about 40% of Metrorail’s ridership pre-pandemic.

Still, Wiedefeld said he doesn’t think current headways are a deterrent for anyone returning to the office.

“I understand people would love to see it every three minutes or two minutes or whatever,” he said. “But I think, realistically, this is a very good service that we offer. And so I don’t think that is the obstacle…  I don’t see it as much of a chicken and egg issue. It’s more of just a new normal.”

Metro has said it is meeting the demands of the moment as only about 160,000 rides are happening each weekday, down from about 600,000 or rides pre-pandemic. Metro would not be able to handle pre-pandemic ridership levels without the 7000-series trains returning. The transit agency predicts it won’t see that level of ridership for another three or four years.

In an email, Metro spokesperson Ian Jannetta said Wiedefeld was saying it was “good service” in the context of pandemic ridership.

Still, those comments upset riders Tuesday, with some saying that Wiedefeld was trying to move the goalposts of what’s acceptable in the region.

“Good riddance to this guy,” Samer Farha said of the GM, who is departing in June. “Take accountability. This isn’t good service, and you need to own that or there is no urgency to fix.”

“This is why every time I’m in DC and want to take a trip less than 3 miles, I look up transit directions, then say ‘screw it’ and walk,” Elizabeth Irvin said.

“I am willing to cut WMATA some slack given that the 7000-series are still out of commission, but once they’re back I want peak service, off-peak fares, all day every day, for both rail and bus service. Realistically, it’s *not* a good service they offer right now,” Jeffrey Bennett said.

“As someone who had to wait 20 mins for an Orange Line train because I missed it by two minutes, I don’t think that it’s a good service,” Kalinsky wrote.

“Every 20 minutes on a heavy rail line is NOT GOOD SERVICE! I wouldn’t even call it frequent if it was a bus line. Local and regional leaders should not accept this bar-lowering talk,” Scudderwag said.

“A 75% reduction in trains is good service now? Metro systems should be running every 3 minutes or so at peak at the very least and every 5-6 all day on trunks wtaf is he talking about. The Board letting him walk away on his own terms is a disgrace,” Ryan Keefe wrote