Gerald Martineau/The Washington Post - A Metro rider rushes through the doors just in time at the Vienna station.
The doors on Metro’s rail cars are one of the most frustrating problems for riders and train operators alike.
Passengers complain that they are too quick to close. Someone jams an arm, a foot, a briefcase or a stroller into the space and it gets stuck as the doors snap shut. Worst of all, a door malfunctions, and, unable to fix the problem, the operator offloads the train.
Resources for your commute
Metro is updating its current map to incorporate the Silver Line. Which map do you like best?
The delays add up. Door problems were the leading cause of Metro weekday delays last year, followed by brake and power issues. But 18 percent of the time — a total of 455 hours — doors were the reason, according to statistics from Metro.
One source of confusion, especially for tourists, is that Metro’s doors don’t bounce back when they hit something. The doors are open between 25 to 35 seconds, officials said, depending on the station and the time of day. Any longer and it would delay trains, with impacts that could ripple along the lines, Metro said.
Operators have to push a button in the cab to open the doors after they stop at a platform. They are then required to look down the platform to make sure people move out of the way before they close the doors. That’s where their judgment comes into play.
Kids have been left on a platform, separated from their parents. Commuters have frantically pulled stuck coats and purses from the doors. And the dreaded offload is the ultimate headache.
It leaves riders all too unhappy, especially when the problems are compounded by endless track work and delays caused by other issues, such as broken-down trains and cracked rails.
“Metro needs to get their act in gear,” said Betsy Conway, who regularly rides the Red Line. “It’s one thing to have to walk up broken escalators or sit in a stuffy train, but when their negligence becomes a safety issue, that is when they have gone too far.”
Marc Shandler, a real estate broker who was aboard a Red Line train headed to downtown D.C. that was offloaded recently because of door problems, was sympathetic. Metro seems to be “doing their best to keep things running. Or at least with duct tape and spit,” he said.
But Chris Jewell, systems development director at Georgetown Law, blames the train operators, saying they “sow chaos and incivility.”
“I’m convinced train operators are driving to wherever it is they clock in, and their only experience riding the Metro is from the driver’s seat.”
It creates an air of uncertainty that just adds to the frustrations riders already have about Metro, Jewell said.
“You don’t know if the chime means it is going to close in one second or 10 seconds,” he said. “It creates a sense of you have to rush on the train. Civility goes out the door.”
‘The doors are closing’
Train operators aren’t fans of the doors either. For them, doors are like dogs to mail carriers.
“It comes with the territory,” said train operator Wilbert Ferguson, 59, who has worked for Metro since 1976 and has been a train operator since 1986. “You try not to close anybody up. You try to gauge it the best you can so that everyone is clear.”
Transportation tools
This interactive tool estimates the cost of a taxi ride between any two points in the D.C.
Find apartments and homes for rent by their proximity to Metro stations. Use the searchable map brought to you by our Real Estate page.
Contact us
Robert is Dr. Gridlock, the Post’s commuting columnist and an authority on all things roads and rails.
Ashley covers transportation, including roads and aviation. He is an avid cyclist and triathlete.
Dana covers Metrorail, Metrobus and other transit news. Follow her on Twitter: @postmetrogirl
Loading...
Comments