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» Focus on Metro (8/5/05) from noon to 1 p.m.

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Richard White

Good afternoon on another toasty Friday here in D.C. A lot has happened since we last chatted. There have been two terrorist attacks on the transit system in London; New York City has started random bag searches; and transit systems in the United States, including WMATA, are in an elevated state of security.

I’d like to assure you that since the attacks in London, we have taken several elevated security measures that have been well documented in the media and on our web site (see our home page). I want to emphasize that we are currently refocusing our training efforts on emergency-related training for our employees. These brush-up training sessions will ensure that all 10,000 of our employees will have a refresher on what they are to do in various emergency situations to ensure that you, our customers, are as safe as possible.

You may have noticed that our train operators are sharing a daily safety tip of the day. We hope you listen and take those tips to heart.

During the month of July, our Metro Transit Police responded to 165 reports of suspicious packages (most in the rail system, and only a handful aboard Metrobuses). Fortunately none were found to contain anything harmful. You probably aren’t aware of how often our rail and bus personnel, as well as our Transit Police force responds to unattended items and suspicious packages every day. It is a delicate balancing act of maintaining a safe and secure system and at the same time, not creating endless service delays for every unattended item.

If you spot an unattended item, please stop and ask those around you if the item belongs to them. If nobody claims it, please report it to a train or bus operator, station manager or a police officer for appropriate follow-up.

Not every unattended item is suspicious, as is evidenced by the 20,000 items that end up in our Lost and Found Office each year. Unattended items are handled differently than those deemed suspicious, and rightfully so. (By the way, if you’re the person who left a box with a fan in it on a Red Line train this week, you may need it before the summer’s out. It’s in our Lost and Found Office in Silver Spring waiting for you.)

Sometimes, however, you may experience a minor delay as police may be called to respond to an unattended item that, after reported to a station manager, train operator or bus operator, is deemed to be suspicious. Our police officers or other employees have been very quick to investigate all items reported as unattended to determine whether they are suspicious. We appreciate your patience if you experience a slight delay while we investigate because our number one goal continues to be to get you to your destination safely.

Random Bag Searches

Author	Message
jjhare	I commute on Metrorail each day, and I've been following developments related to the London Underground bombings with a great deal of interest for obvious reasons. Examining the response around the nation, I'm worried that Metro may jump to conclusions and adopt policies that are poorly thought out and ineffective. First, what is Metro's take on the use of surveillance in the London subways? While the subway cameras have provided grainy pictures of the bombers, in neither case were the bombers identified prior to their attempt, and the cameras did nothing to protect public safety. Since this shows cameras are, at best, less effective than originally believed, does this alter Metro's plans regarding further surveillance? Second, New York City has already taken the controversial step of random bag searches. There are many complaints about this idea, namely that it violates 4th amendment rights, leads to racial profiling and it is an unwanted and unecessary additional hassle to riding public transit. I have heard all of these arguments, and the one positive thing I've heard is that it might help us find terrorists. Well, no matter where you place a security checkpoint, there will be a group of people congregated around it during rush hour. A suicide bomber won't care where he blows up his bomb, and a security checkpoint is as good as on a train. I guess it'll protect the trains and thus the more EXPENSIVE things, but it's not passenger safety you're protecting. Honestly, I'd like to know why Metro is even considering this idea, and why money was wasted to send transit police to NYC to learn about a poor idea. Really, I see no positive side to bag checks. Are you aware of one (that's not covered by my objections)? Finally, would it be possible to put some kind of "Metro Etiquette" sign up in stations to inform tourists of the way we do things around here? I don't know what rules would be best, but it'd be really helpful for everyone if our less frequent riders had a better idea of how Metro runs. Just simple things, like if you want to stand on an escalator, please use the right side. I know it's nitpicky and prickly of DC to be that way, but that's our perogative. What are the chances of something like this? Thanks again, James
Richard White	Hi. First, on surveillance, yes, London’s Underground has surveillance cameras. We also have cameras in our stations that record. We have used our cameras to help solve crimes in the past, and expect that we will continue to do so. On the subject of random searches, it is something that we are considering. We have been doing our due diligence in that we have been looking into this option, finding out what is being done in New York, and looking at their process. If we decide to move in that direction, we will let people know.

Cameras on board Breda 3266 and 3267

Author	Message
SchuminWeb	Mr. White: I was riding on Breda 3266 on Wednesday evening on the Orange Line, and noticed four cameras mounted on the ceiling of the rail car above the double-ended seats. Is this a new program being implemented, or is this part of the seating configuration study? Ben F. Schumin
Richard White	Hello Mr. Schumin. You are correct, the cameras that you saw mounted on the ceiling of that rail car, and any others that you may see mounted inside rail cars are being used to gather information on the passenger flow into and out of our rail cars. As you pointed out, this information gathering is part of our study on interior railcar configuration and how we might be able to improve on the passenger flow in our cars.

Fare Increase Next Year?

Author	Message
skcomm	First, I think it's a disservice that these chats have been cut in half. Please go back to twice a month. I believe there are enough questions out there. I know I've asked some that haven't been answered. My question concerns how you go about preparing next year's budget. There are rumors that it will include a fare increase. Question: What specific steps are you taking to avoid a fare increase?
Richard White	Thanks for your comments and questions. As you know, we just recently moved our on-line chats from twice a month to once per month. If we find that it is inadequate to respond to the level of interest, we are flexible enough to go back to a twice a month format. As for your question, we did not have to implement a fare increase for our current budget year(Fiscal Year 2006), which began on July 1. For the next budget year, which begins on July 1, 2006, we are seeking guidance from our Board of Directors as to whether or not a fare increase is necessary or appropriate. We will be reciving this guidance from our Budget Committee at its September Budget Committee Meeting. So stay tuned!

Closing station restrooms during a "Level Orange" alert

Author	Message
SchuminWeb	Mr. White: Riding Metro as I do, I still have not come to understand the logic in closing station restrooms to customers during a "Level Orange" alert. To me, with the current policies in place, where a customer must ask the station manager for access to the restroom, it provides a built-in high level of security. Thus a station manager has the opportunity to size up the customer and decide whether to allow or deny access. Additionally, I presume Metro employees use the station restrooms on a regular basis, and thus there are more sets of eyes watching the restrooms than just the station manager. For that reason, I find the decision to close station restrooms during a "Level Orange" alert, as well as certain special events, to be somewhat odd. Is there any more reason to the closures than I'm understanding? Your help would greatly be appreciated. Ben F. Schumin
Richard White	Hi. Our restrooms are closed to customers during heightened alerts to protect our customers, employees and the system itself, from someone using those areas to leave a package that could do harm. The restrooms were not originally constructed as public places, so most are tucked back near machine rooms and should those rooms become damaged, that could cause significant disruption to our service. Our station managers are not permitted to search the bags of people who request to use the restrooms, nor do they “profile” people to determine who might or might not be a terrorist when pointing someone in the direction of the restrooms. I am hopeful that the heightened alert level will soon be lifted and we can resume regular access to the restrooms. In the meantime, you know that the restrooms are not open to the public right now, so please make alternate plans.

Pylon lights out at Mt. Vernon Square

Author	Message
SchuminWeb	Mr. White: For at least two weeks, the lights in the tops of the platform pylons at Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center have been out. This leaves the trackside lighting as the only lighting along much of the platform, which makes the station seem quite dark, particularly when a train is servicing the station. Ben F. Schumin
Richard White	Hello again. Thanks for the heads up about the pylon lights. I will pass that along to get it addressed.

Metrorail to Dulles

Author	Message
Metro Rider	I am hearing rumors that Metrorail may be expanding to Dulles Airport as well as Tysons Corner. Whenever I need to get to the airport, I take 5A. It is convenient, but very, very popular. Do you have any information on this project?
Richard White	Hi Metro Rider. Yes, the ultimate plan is to extend Metrorail past Tysons Corner to Dulles Airport and into Loudon County. The entire project is known as the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, which is part of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. They have their own web site at http://www.dullesmetro.com/, where you can get details of the project.

Farecard Bonus

Author	Message
Metro Rider	Why did Metro get rid of the 10 percent bonus for buying a 20 dollar farecard? I am fine with fares being raised, but i think Metro's most frequent customers should be awarded. Possibly it could be reinstated only for Smartrip cards?
Richard White	Hi. Three years ago when the Metro Board voted to increase fares after eight years of holding steady, part of the fare increase was to eliminate the 10 percent bonus.

Out of Service Trains

Author	Message
dpete47	Why are you constantly taking trains out of service instead of trying fixing it on site or closing one car?
Richard White	Thanks for your question. Just so you know, we do not always take trains out of service. Whenever we can, we do maintenance "trouble shooting" to keep the train in service. Sometimes we close off a specific rail car (we call that "isolating" a car) to keep the rest of the train in service. Our primary concern is to keep the flow of trains moving, so we are always making the determination as to how quickly a problem can be identified and corrected before it effects the overall of trains on the line. During the peak times, we operate trains every two to three minutes, so there are some times when we offload (empty) the train to enable us to keep trains moving. I hope this explanation makes our practices clearer.

Service Disruptions

Author	Message
dpete47	I like how you post yesterday's disruptions. What about Real-time disruptions? If you look on VRE's web site they have a system called "Rail Time" which shows in real time were a train is and if is late, it tells how long the delay is and the cause thanks to GPS aboard all of VRE's trains. Why does METRO not do this?
Richard White	We're glad you like the new service report. We do post rail delays of 10 minutes or more on our website. We scroll the delays on the top of the page. Also, you can sign up for e-alerts on our site, and the notice of delay will go to your cell phone, computer or pager.

Composition of Rails

Author	Message
Tom Fuchs	Does Metro use a different alloy for its rails than CSX does? I notice where the Red Line parallels the CSX Metropolitan Subdivision between Twinbrook and Shady Grove that the sides of the rails are a different color "rust."
Richard White	Hi Tom. We use the same rail steel as CSX does. What you are noticing are two different things. First is rust, because there is less frequency on CSX than on Metro. Second is rail wear, due to the type of geometry on CSX property vs. Metro.

"Sun Kinks"

Author	Message
Tom Fuchs	Does Metrorail ever impose temperature-related speed restrictions, as MARC and the VRE are often required to do?
Richard White	Yes, Tom, we do sometimes impose speed restrictions, but only where there is the potential for "heat kinks," or track buckling. We are very much aware of the high temperature variations from day-to-day, and we have plans to implement appropriate restrictions if and when we feel they're warranted. Up to now, we haven't had to do so. But there are still a few weeks of summer left to go, so we'll see what happens. Be assured, we continuously monitor our tracks when it gets this hot outside to look for this very thing.

Random Searches

Author	Message
SH	I'm in favor of the idea of searching bags as long as it can be done without being turned into an airport-type scene where there are long lines to get in. I'll drive before I have to wait 25 minutes in a line to get into the Metro. From what I've seen in NYC, the process is very quick.
Richard White	You’re right, the way it is being done in New York, there is very little delay in getting people into the subway system.

Nationals Games

Author	Message
SH	I take Metro to Nationals games and what surprises me is how many people need to buy farecards on the way home from a game. You should tell people that they don't have to wait in a line to buy a farecard on their way home if they're smart enough to put enough fare on the card that got them to the game to cover their trip home.
Richard White	That’s a wonderful tip for anyone going to a Nationals game or any other major event where large crowds are expected. I know our station managers encourage people to do just that as they exit Stadium-Armory station heading to the games.

Funding for Security

Author	Message
SH	Has Metro gotten more money from Congress to protect the Metro system since the attacks in London? If you got more money, what would you buy/spend it on?
Richard White	Hi. No, we have not received any additional federal funding for security since the July 7 attacks in London. However, we will submit a request for funds that we would like to recover for overtime pay for officers working overtime during the Orange Alert. We have identified approximately $143 million in security needs and have let the Feds know about it. Our first priority is to be able to fund a backup Operations Command Center (OCC) for our rail system so that if our current OCC becomes inoperable that we will still be able to run the train system. Some other urgent security needs include additional cameras for Metrobuses, enhancing our current weapons of mass destruction detection capabilities; acquiring additional decontamination equipment for weapons of mass destruction; improving security for our major overpasses and bridges, upgrading our public address system inside our rail stations; expanding the intrusion detection systems; and purchasing additional anti-terror equipment for use by our Transit Police.

Signs and schedules...

Author	Message
W McGee	I'm not too keen on some of the bus sign updates I've been seeing... For the 16 A and D, the front overhead sugn on some buses now read "Annandale via" (with nothing after the via). This is being rendered as two lines, thus making it incredibly hard to read the sign as the bus approaches. And it's strangely inconsistant with the side display which will typically say "Columbia Pike/Annandale". Likewise, the 16G misspells its destination as "Culmore Hgts West" (actually "Columbia Heights West"), and some of the 16 B which has beeen reprogrammed for trips to Annandale only notes Annandale on the side (as "Annandale via Culmore") -- the fronts read simply Culmore, confusing riders in the process. On to bus stop schedules, many in Annandale have not been updated yet to reflect the changes made to the 16 line. This is also where I note that I miss having a date printed on those schedules, so i can easily tell if those timetables are out of date.
Richard White	Thanks for providing the details concerning the destination signage on the Route 16 service. The suggestions, spellings, and destination wording you passed along will be reviewed and corrected by our operations planning staff. Thanks again for your input!

Redline 8/4/05

Author	Message
Redline	I was wondering if you could give me any information regarding an incident I witnessed yesterday 8/4/05 at what I believe was the Bethesda Station (it may have been friendship heights) at around 7:20 pm. I was on a red line train to Shady Grove and as we stopped in Bethesda I saw several uniformed police officers with their weapons drawn walking briskly through the platform. Another metro official was talking loudly saying everyone off the platform. Soon, the uniformed police officers also shouted, "everyone off the platform." The train I was on had the doors open during this time. To me, the doors seemed opened longer than a usual stop at a station. I soon saw the uniformed officers going through the train car on the other side of the platform with their weapons drawn, running through each train car, obviously looking for something or someone. The officers ran back and forth at least two times that I saw, and it looked like at least 3 or 4 officers were involved. The incident appeared to continue, but the train I was on finally pulled away from the station. I looked at the service disruption page for yesterday and I did not see anything regarding this incident. Can you shed any light on what happened last night? Does this type of activity occur often on the metro system? Thanks very much.
Richard White	Hi. What you saw were Montgomery County Police in the Bethesda Metrorail station looking for a suspect that they thought may have entered the station. They believed the suspect may have possibly boarded a Metrorail train, so the train was held briefly while the officers looked for the suspects, but nobody meeting the description was found and service resumed. Obviously situations like that are rare.

Ft. Belvoir Area -- Bus Service To Handle Base Realignment?

Author	Message
Steve B	What plans is Metro making for bus service in this area to accomodate the expected base realignment? Currently, almost all the Metrobuses through the nearby area (Springfield/Burke) are express routes to/from the Pentagon (which would become less relevant destination with the realignment).
Richard White	As you know, Steve, the final Base Realignment Committee recommendations are currently being finalized. We are closely monitoring this process, and based on the final conclusions, we'll work with the effected agencies and local governments to determine what bus route changes will be necessary.

getting to Dulles airport

Author	Message
Andrew	Hello, The original purpose of the 5A bus was to get folks from DC to jobs in VA. There's an opportunity to enhance this valuable service and also satisfy the needs of other travelers. We're heard hints that changes are in the works for the 5A. Can you give us any news on this? Where can I suggest ideas for improvements? I'll start by proposing minor route changes: The 5A bus should terminate in DC at the same location seven days a week. Costumers (and even some drivers) have been confused about this. I'd suggest terminating at 7th & Maryland Ave. SW. At the airport, the bus should terminate on the middle level at the main terminal. For people who need to get elsewhere on the airport grounds, a free employee shuttle bus also stops there. Other thoughts: How about a non-stop bus from L'Enfant Plaza to Dulles? Especially if it runs more often (about twice an hour) it would be VERY popular. The 5B can be modified to transport people from DC to Tysons and Herndon. What do you think of taking over the Washington Flyer bus to West Falls Church? The airports authority deserves credit for subsidizing that bus, but it's underutilized, overpriced, and inefficient. Perhaps WMATA could do a better job. many thanks! Andrew
Richard White	Thanks, Andrew. For bus stops at both L'Enfant Plaza and Dulles Airport, we believe they're at the proper location. However, signage at the airport site does need to be improved. Currently, there is nothing being considered for expanding the service on the 5A route.

Closing Doors

Author	Message
dpete47	Last week after we arrived at Federal Center Southwest, the operator begin to close the doors on people as they were still exiting the train. Tell your operators not to close the doors to fast.
Richard White	We are constantly reinforcing to both the operators and the riding public to be sensitive to our door operation. Train operators are reminded to be aware of dwell times and to be aware of customers trying to hold doors. Customers are reminded not to hold doors so our operation can proceed smoothly.

Middle Escaltor

Author	Message
dpete47	How does METRO decide what direction the middle escaltor should be going when their are 3 esclators? For example, at L'Enfant Plaza it is going down in the morning and either left like that all day or is going up in the afternoon.
Richard White	This is an excellent question. We've heard many customers' concerns about the flow of our escalators. We are currently reviewing all of our current procedures, station-by-station, beginning with our busiest transfer stations. This review and analysis should be completed and in place within the next few weeks, so watch for changes and let us know what you think in a future on-line chat.

Low Ink in Fare Machines

Author	Message
dpete47	When I exit Capitol South in the mornings the machine that we put our fare card in to get out needs more ink. I don't see any fare printed on the fare card. Also, check the L'Enfant Plaza ones exiting to the VRE trains.
Richard White	Hi. Thanks for the notification. We will dispatch the technicians to check out the faregates at both locations.

Bus Annunciation systems

Author	Message
H5 Rider	I have a concern about the voice annunciation systems on Metrobus. Although law requires the system be used on buses with this system available rarely is it used anymore on the routes I ride (Mostly routes from Western & Northern Divisions). I have complained for months on individual drivers who chose not to use the system but it seems they continue turning off the system. If I’m not mistaken, when the annunciation system is off or out of service, the driver is required by law to call out all transfer points and major stops and the destination of the bus since the signage rarely works. I have never seen a driver abide by this. I am curious as to why the lack of using the annunciation system is tolerated and how it can better be enforced. Please offer some incite Mr. White.
Richard White	Thanks, H5 rider. The voice annunciation system is not controlled by the bus operator. When service changes are made, updates are required to the voice annunciation system. These updates have been completed for buses at all facilities except for the two you mentioned: Western and Northern. These updates are scheduled for completion by mid-September. So the voice annunciation system on buses from our Western and Northern divisions should be audible in a little over a month.

Burned out light on Rohr's

Author	Message
dpete47	On the antique Rohr's I have noticed that the little red light under the Please Do Not Lean Signs on top of the doors do not work. This was also posted on a website. Only the Rohr 1000s have this problem/
Richard White	Hi. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I think what you may have observed is a lightbulb out. I do not believe this is a problem consistent to the Rohr fleet.

Multimodal Terminal at Silver Spring

Author	Message
Tom Fuchs	It might be better to ask MNCPPC (Park and Planning), but what is the status of the proposed multimodal terminal at Silver Spring? The plan is to replace the current bus bays with more bays and a stop on the Purple Line. Also, I keep wondering what will happen to the existing bus service while the new terminal is being constructed.
Richard White	We have been working in coordination with MNCPPC on the changes to the Silver Spring Bus Terminal. During the construction period, alternate terminal locations will be provided for bus routes at Silver Spring.

Idea for New Seating Configuration

Author	Message
queene1979	I THINK I may have the solution to the overcrowding in trains and the seat removal problem. My suggestion is to make one side of the train the "priority" style seating with the wind screen; they would make the aisle wider and potentially maintain the same amount of seating on that side of the train. The other side would be the current two seats configuration without the "priority" seating in the front; the middle “priority” seats would be converted to the two seats configuration. I think this would be the best way to configure the trains for maximum seating as well as increased aisle room.
Richard White	Hi. Clearly you've given this a lot of thought--perhaps while you've been sitting/standing on a train! I will pass your suggestion along to the office that is working on the project.

train problem

Author	Message
Andrew	Trains often pause for a while and then nudge forward before the doors open. What causes this, and are some trains more susceptible to this problem? thanks!
Richard White	There are two reasons why this happens, Andrew. When the operator stops his train short of the specific stopping location, the operator then pauses and slowly moves to the exact place to stop. Secondly, once the train has stopped, there is a "time out" circuit which governs door commands (open or close). This works the same way throughout our fleet of railcars.

Takoma -Foirt totten track work

Author	Message
BRIAN35	Is the work that has been going on for several weeks now taking a really long time to complete. It seems like a real disruption?
Richard White	I appreciate your concern, Brian. This trackwork is very important for this section of the Red Line. When completed, this section of track will have new welded rail, new "ties" and surface, and a smoother ride for our customers. This work will be completed within the next few weeks. This trackwork is very similar to roadwork: it's inconvenient while it's going on, but well worth it when it's done!