Can Metro Mark Where to Stand on the Platform?

The Examiner January 6, 2006 Steve Eldridge Sprawl & Crawl (DC Examiner) Platform Position

Can Metro make up it's mind about telling passengers where to queue up to board the trains?

I wrote to Sparwl & Crawl (My Letter) and was published on Septemeber 8, 2005:

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.

Metro Responded:
The reason that won't work is that Metro runs a variety of train consists (yes, consists) and the "match-up" for the doors on the four-, six- and eight-car trains are different. If you had loading areas for each, the platforms would look like the pavement at an elementary school where the kids are playing hopscotch.

I wrote back again (My Second Letter) and recommended using laser lights or LEDs. But now they seem to be able to mark on the platform where the train doors will be located.

Did they change the "train consists"?

Did they make up the prior story?

Are they going to mark the platforms, but tell us to ignore the signs when the doors don't line up?

Are they going to switch to 8 car trains 100% of the time?

I guess we'll have to wait and see.

If Metro can pull this off, then it will be great for getting passengers on and off the trains faster, because we won't be blocking the doors when the platforms are packed!

At least those of us who do stand back from the doors. (;-)>

See my BLOG - Category: Communications for more on this and other communication topics.

I. Michael Snyder
WMATA Riders' Advisory Council
Council Member for Maryland - MetroRail