Metro launches new Web site

Metro just launched a new version of its Web site. The content is mainly the same; it’s just better organized. The front page ride guide now uses AJAX to give you suggestions as you type. More topics are now organized by transit function, such as “Rail” or “Bus”. I’ve been able to find all the hidden corners of the site that I use to get information.

Something interesting I hadn’t noticed before was Metro’s list of center platform stations, used by people with disabilities to get where they are going much faster than waiting for a shuttle in the event of a platform elevator out of service.

Overall, I like the design and the new site. It definitely fixed the biggest problem with the old site: organization. A new visitor to the DC region could easily get utterly lost on the old site. This one has the ride guide at the top left, the most prominent spot on the page, and then along the top the maps and stations page, a link to the PIDS system data for the next train arrival, and the new user’s guide.