Randy Clarke, General Manager and CEO of WMATA via Twitter

When Randy Clarke took the helm of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority as its general manager in July 2022, he wanted to get an insider’s perspective on the transit operation now under his purview. Clarke swiftly embarked upon a plan unusually ambitious for a DC-based chief executive: to actually ride the train.

Users of the long-beleaguered system have appreciated Clarke’s Twitter selfies and their sightings of him, but only a scant handful actually realize how deep Clarke’s commitment to this mission is. For the past nine months, thanks to track work, long headways, and that weird 10-second pause before the doors open, Clarke had been able to ride, literally, every single train.

“I thought it was so cool when I saw him that one time I went into the office. That’s the guy from Twitter!” said Indra Terri, 26, of Shaw. “And then, to see him on the ride home, I thought we must have the same commute. But, like, coming back from U Street to Navy Yard at 10:30 p.m. on Friday and he’s there again? Just sitting and staring. Uh, what?”

Clarke has styled himself a “hands-on” leader, and riding the train for 19 hours a day has given him a better understanding of how the system meets commuters’ needs and where it can sometimes fall short. He’s gotten to know train operators, station managers, and has developed a greater appreciation of the subtle variations of gray and brown that lacquer Metro’s 97 stations.

He also remains, to this date, the only passenger ever to have traveled to Ashburn on the newly opened Silver Lane.

But critics see a more nefarious side. “Yeah, he’s riding the train and that’s great. But you have to wonder: Is there really a problem with the Yellow Line or is it just shut down so Randy can keep up his streak?????????” tweeted @MetroCritic420. “And, you mean to tell me that the whole 7000 series being pulled had nothing to do with this? 🤔”

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, which has butted heads with Clarke in the past, said, “While there’s nothing particularly unsafe about Randy Clarke riding literally every Metro train since July, WMSC does believe it is slightly weird. We will continue to monitor the functionality of the general manager to ensure his leadership is meeting our standards for the safety of all of Metro’s users.”

Clarke insists his motives are pure, and that his desire and willingness to ride literally every train is an essential feature of his pursuit to make Metro frequent, reliable, and safe enough for all its riders. But his success with the latter might be inflicting his performance on the former. We caught up to him as he hustled to make a Green line to Red line transfer at Gallery Place.

“Streak’s broken,” he panted. That increased frequency, while good for the average rider, has simply made it impossible for Clarke to carry on. “The first time I missed one, I was really bummed. But the eight minutes until the next train passed by so quickly, I got over it. Ultimately, it’s for the best.”

Clarke has cut back his daily rides from literally all of the trains to only a few per day, which has enabled him to apply his lived experience to WMATA’s planning and operations. He has also reportedly seen his family during waking hours, on some occasions.

While Clarke does not encourage erstwhile regular riders to try riding literally every train, he would like them to remember that Metrorail continues to exist and that they can use it to get places other than the office two days a week. “It’s such a great transit system and can take you pretty much anywhere in the region you want to go,” said Clarke.

“Just pay your fare, though. We need the money.”