Not Again
Metro's troubles raise the risk of riders being turned off -- and turned away.

Friday, February 2, 2007

METRO RIDERS can be forgiven for feeling a little like the character in "Groundhog Day," given the deja vu series of service interruptions that have plagued the system in recent days. But unlike the movie character who was stuck in a bad situation, many commuters have other options. Metro officials must be mindful of that as they try to come to grips with these issues, or they run the risk of driving away people who only want a reliable way to get to work each day.

None of the incidents, all unrelated, were major: a newspaper fire; smoke from a short circuit; a bomb threat; a suspicious package; a false report of a fire. And no one was injured. But sometimes it is the little things -- like a missed business appointment or a costly cab fare -- that matter. That there were irksome delays on the busy Red Line for three out of the four workdays is significant.

So, too, is the apparent breakdown in communications that resulted in a two-hour delay in investigating a suspicious package at the Braddock Road Metro station. As reported by The Post's Lena H. Sun, Alexandria police didn't think to tell Metro officials why they wanted to know if a bomb dog was available and Metro officials didn't think to ask why the question was being asked -- twice. As a result, the station ended up being closed at the height of rush hour and, more important, the discarded luggage that might have contained a bomb sat unattended and uninvestigated. More than our commutes hinges on better cooperation between agencies charged with public safety.

John B. Catoe Jr., Metro's new general manager, probably would have preferred a less troublesome initiation in his first week on the job. But the string of problems underscores some of the issues facing the aging system, including the need for a dedicated revenue stream, and this week's woes doubtless have left him without any questions about the urgency of finding remedies. In the meantime, commuters might want to keep handy this number: 202-637-7000, Metro's new hotline on service delays.