Letter to Sprawl & Crawl - Sep 08, 2005

How hard would it be for metro trains to hold for an extra 30-60 seconds at transfer stations, to give people on the platform an opportunity to get on the train?
Transfer stations always have more than their share of deboarding and boarding passengers, and sometimes not enough time is available to board because doors are blocked and/or too many people are exiting for the time allotted. The time can easily be cut from non-transfer stations where we frequently see longer wait times. It appears frequently trains pause here to get back on schedule, even during non-rush hours when the train in front has a 10 minute head start. I'm a frequent traveler from L'Enfant Plaza, on the Orange/Blue Line to Rockville. Nothing is more frustrating than missing my transfer to a Shady Grove train at Metro Center and having to wait for two more trains because not enough time was given to load everyone from the platform.

With the new use of 8 car trains that require perfect stops, can't the same magic be applied to all trains?
Why are the doors blocked you may ask? Well, it's hard to know where to stand in line for the door, as no two trains stop at the same spot. In London and other subway systems, they mark where the doors will be and people queue up for ease of boarding without accidentally block the doors.

Finally, why can't train schedule boards be posted at entrances to the station?

In my travels from L'Enfant Plaza to Rockville, I can take either the Green/Yellow line or the Orange/Blue line to the Red line, but I have to go to the tracks on both levels to find the arrival times for each train. Train schedule boards at the entrance could also help in trip planning and averting delays and train problems. As a user of metro to get around downtown, I would like to know if the bus or the train is going to get me to my destination faster. Without train schedule boards, I have to guess which mode will be faster. I also get the pleasure of paying an entrance fee just to find out that a fire has erupted at Woodley Park and I can't get from here to there by train at all.

I. Michael Snyder
20+ years on Metro and counting ... or waiting?

I. Michael Snyder
metro@imsnyder.com