Posts by Stephen Repetski — Editorial Board Alum
-
Metro Reasons: Mud and water problems are plaguing Metro tracks, new FTA reports show
Metro continues to deal with defects that remove tracks from service, and the agency is still working to get rid of standing mud and water from its tracks, according to new inspection reports released by the Federal Transit Administration. The report shows 1,095 of 3,364 defects which FTA inspectors identified since 2015 remain unresolved through May 4, 2018. Keep reading…
-
Metro Reasons: Metro will keep its short late-night hours for at least another year
Metro will keep its shorter late-night hours for at least another year, meaning trains will continue to run no later than 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays, 11:30 pm weekdays, and 11 pm on Sundays for the next fiscal year starting July. With this schedule, Metro has the shortest hours of any similar rail system in the US. Keep reading…
-
Metro Reasons: With weeknight track work, trains don’t come when Metro says they will
When Metro needs extra time to perform track work, the agency routinely uses late-night hours before the system closes to begin single-tracking. But on weeknights when rail service can be cut as early as 8 pm, the agency does not create and maintain schedules so passengers know when and where trains should be so they can get home on time. Keep reading…
-
Metro Reasons: Another train operator opened doors on the wrong side of the tracks
An Orange Line train operator opened the doors on the wrong side of his train on Thursday, May 3 at the Ballston Metro station. Such incidents still occur periodically, despite protocols put into place in 2008 to prevent them from happening. Keep reading…
-
Metro Reasons: With fewer track problems, Metro says more rail trips are on time
Metro says its rail system is becoming more reliable and improving after years of decline, according to documents presented to the agency’s Board of Directors on May 10. Metro hopes to use higher reliability numbers to show lost riders that the system is getting better and they can return. Keep reading…
-
Metro Reasons: Metro’s bus and rail ridership has taken a dive
Metrorail ridership is down 1.2% and Metrobus ridership is down a whopping 9.4% when comparing the first nine months of the current fiscal year and the last. This, according to newly-released documents, is what the agency faces as it closes out Fiscal Year 2018 and heads into 2019 which starts in July. Keep reading…
-
Metro Reasons: Yellow and Blue line shutdowns kick off a 20-station platform rebuild project
Metro announced on Monday, May 7 that the agency wants to rebuild the platforms at 20 stations over the next three years. The first shutdown will occur next summer between Memorial and Labor Days, resulting in a closure of all stations south of National Airport. Keep reading…
-
Metro Reasons: Why isn’t Metro mitigating service disruptions from track work?
With the cherry blossoms season over, Metro is back to its “normal” weekend trackwork schedule with a work zone disrupting each of the three sets of Metrorail lines. Unfortunately, Metro’s schedule includes things like 28-minute headways between Red Line trains with no attempt to minimize the service disruption area for the shrinking group of weekend riders. Keep reading…
-
Metro Reasons: Metro hopes to bring mobile and phone payments by 2019
Metro will soon allow riders to pay for their rail and bus trips by phone, the agency announced on Tuesday, April 10. As part of an effort to become “mobile ready,” Metro is planning to roll out a mobile app later this year and wants to install new fare gates throughout the system by 2020. Keep reading…
-
Metro Reasons: Foregoing major new features, Metro looks to buy version 2.0 of the 7000-series cars
Metro’s older railcars will soon reach their end of useful life and need to be replaced, but the agency might buy fewer new ones in the future than they have now. Current ridership trends indicate that the need for more cars might not be there and that Metro has more cars now than they need — or want — to maintain. Keep reading…