metro

Photo by PoPville flickr user Jordan Barab

From WMATA:

“Weekend service adjustments November 3-5 for scheduled maintenance

Highlights

Green Line trains will operate at regular weekend intervals
Red and Orange line trains will operate every 30 minutes
Silver, Yellow and Blue line trains will operate every 15 minutes
There will be no Yellow Line service between Fort Totten & National Airport. Use Blue Line trains for travel to/from Downtown DC.
On Sunday from 8:00AM until 2:00PM, a quarterly emergency drill will further impact Yellow and Blue line trains, see below for details. (more…)

From a press release:

“Initial Budget Reaction

‘It’s a sad day for transit riders when ‘we won’t proactively hurt you this year’ is considered a good headline for WMATA. Yet, that’s the spin dominating today’s brutal budget news. The fact is that the GM’s FY2019 budget proposal fails to address the most recent service cuts, fare hikes, inadequate safety measures, and daily disruptions that deny riders the safe, reliable, and affordable service they need to survive. It fails to offer those with transit choices any incentive to start riding again.

‘No fare hikes’ isn’t good enough when 11,000 riders signed petitions asking WMATA for a flat fare or free transfers between bus and rail. ‘No service cuts on the trains’ isn’t good enough when 11,000 riders signed petitions demanding shorter headways and restoration of evening and weekend service. ‘No evening or weekend service improvements’ isn’t good enough for small businesses trying to keep their doors open and their employees well-compensated. (more…)

UPDATE from WMATA:

“Metro has absolutely no involvement in the advertising that appears on them. The shelters are owned by DDOT and the advertising is sold by Clear Channel.”

“Dear PoPville,

Seems ironic that while even Twitter is now prohibiting ads from the Kremlin propaganda outlet Russia Today that WMATA is still willing to take their money for bus stop ads”

Ed. Note: Back in August we learned that the ACLU Sues DC Metro Over Rejection of First Amendment Ad.

Thanks to Ben Carver for sharing from DHS:

“Timelapse footage of the Washington DC metro rail system (and a short segment from the AMTRAK area at Union Station). Metro footage was captured in a single day at the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams-Morgan station and the Chinatown station. This footage is used as b-roll in the DHS video “Securing Surface Transportation”:

Surface transportation such as subway systems can be a unique security challenge due to the large crowds of travelers and the open, unstructured environment. Public safety officials (including mass transit Operators, mass transit police, state and federal law enforcement teams) need a capability to detect potential threat items on persons and in bags without negatively impacting the speed of travel. S&T is developing technology to meet this challenge with the Surface Transportation Explosive Threat Detection Program, helping provide a layered, integrated capability to detect and mitigate the explosive threat at the speed of the traveling public.”

From WMATA:

“Metro General Manger/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld today proposed a combined operating and capital budget of just over $3.1 billion for FY2019 (begins July 1, 2018) that requires an increase of $165 million over last year’s level of jurisdictional funding support. While protecting customers from fare hikes and service cuts, the plan calls for continued strict management cost controls and increased funding for safety and reliability capital improvements.

“This proposal builds on our success in investing capital to deliver projects that improve safety and reliability, which is critical to winning back riders,” said Wiedefeld. “This budget also doubles down on management cost controls to ensure we have squeezed the value out of every dollar that we spend delivering service to the region.” (more…)

Thanks to Mike the Mad Biologist for the sending around 8am:

“Observed this at Dupont Circle Metro. Chanting “F-ck it. Make it fair. Fix it.” Not getting a lot of love but it is the early commute”

It had been 35 days since our last heads up…

From AlertDC:

“WMATA reports delays on the red line at Farragut North (1705 K St NW) subway station due to fire activity. FEMS is on scene investigating and track inspections are being conducted.”

WMATA reports:

“Red Line: Expect residual delays in both directions due to an earlier track problem outside Farragut North.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user nevermindtheend

So much for stopping the bleeding.

UPDATE:

“Metro has completed its review of a safety concern raised by ATU Local 689 regarding inspection procedures for an electrical component on 7000-series railcars. The review, conducted with Metro engineers and engineers from the railcar manufacturer, found that the inspection procedures currently in place are appropriate and consistent with manufacturer guidelines. As such, mechanical inspections of 7000-series railcars will resume this afternoon following additional safety briefings with employees to reinforce these procedures.

“Part of creating a safety culture means taking immediate action to address concerns raised by employees. If a concern cannot be immediately resolved or requires further investigation, sometimes additional steps–such as a safety stand-down–must be taken in an abundance of caution,” said Metro Chief Safety Officer Patrick Lavin. “We encourage the reporting of safety concerns, and thank our customers for their understanding as we place safety first.”

Overnight, consistent with Metro’s position that “safety trumps service,” the transit agency voluntarily initiated a “safety stand-down,” temporarily suspending mechanical inspections of 7000-series cars until the union’s concern could be reviewed. The action resulted in about 18 percent fewer trainsets being available for service this morning.

The resolution of this matter means approximately 20 additional 7000-series trains will be available for the afternoon rush hour, and customers can expect a relatively normal afternoon commute. (The proportion of six-car trains versus eight-car trains may be slightly higher than normal this afternoon as Metro works to resolve the inspection backlog and place more cars in service.)” (more…)