Metro Seeks Better Ways To Get Word Out to Riders

Metro officials also believe they have created unrealistic expectations. They can't always diagnose problems right away. And simple logistics means that they can't rush another train or a convoy of buses to a scene. So instead of immediately directing riders at stations to "go upstairs and catch a shuttle bus" during incidents, riders should be told that the first buses won't arrive for 30 to 40 minutes and that each can carry only about 60 passengers, a fraction of the 600 to 800 on a full train, said Ray Feldmann, the senior manager in charge of improving communications.

There also needs to be better coordination between bus and rail operations, officials said. After passengers were stranded at the Pentagon, Metro dispatched shuttle buses to get passengers to working stations. But the bus drivers didn't know where they were going and asked riders for directions.

At one point, a frustrated passenger on one of the buses called his friend, who happened to be Metro board member Euille, who then called Catoe. Only then did passengers learn that the drivers didn't know Virginia roads because they normally drove routes in the District.

Under the new approach, Metro is considering creating station-specific brochures with information about rail stations within walking distance and bus routes that serve the station, Feldmann said.

The bottom line, he said, is that Metro needs to be honest about what it can do. The agency shouldn't be afraid to tell riders: "Avoid the Red Line because there is a major disruption," Feldmann said.

That might be difficult for an agency that has long led people to believe it was omnipotent, said Maryland board member and former agency executive Peter Benjamin. "We can't move all the people all the time," he said.

Riders should understand that being stuck on a train is similar to being stuck on the Capital Beltway, Benjamin said.

"Customers don't want to hear that we don't know what the answer is yet, but realistically, for a certain amount of time, nobody knows the extent of the problem until you get some people there," he said.

Metro also plans to give information even when not all details are known, officials said. In the past, employees' priority was fixing the problem. They were reluctant to share details too early because they didn't want to be blamed if the explanation turned out to be wrong.

Some train operators and station managers do an excellent job, officials said, but they should be the rule, not the exception.

District board member Anthony Giancola praised a thoughtful Red Line operator who alerted downtown-bound passengers to a delay. The operator said that he didn't know how long the delay would be but that customers could transfer to the Green Line at Fort Totten and "by the way, that we could also use the restrooms," he said.

The agency's technology also limits how much information can be sent out quickly. From its control center, which oversees all trains, there is no easy way for someone to talk to train passengers, said acting rail chief Dan Epps.