RAC Member "Taken for a Ride" - Red Line Disruption

I left my desk at L'Enfant Plaza at 5:30pm, and took my usual ride on the Orange Line to Metro Center for my transfer to the Red Line towards Rockville. But what should I find but a platform full of people.

Thank goodness I wasn't headed the other way, that platform had no more standing room. The sign said "train 2 min" nothing else. Then it changed to 4 min and then 6. An inauditable message over the intercom said something about “…Union Station …” . I worked my way back through the crowds to a very helpful Metro worker, who translated the message for me. Apparently a train broke down at Union Station about 12 minutes earlier.

I saw trains come to the other platform, but our sign kept going higher ... 8 ... 10 ... someone said sell at 12. I decided I'd try MARC and went to the other platform ... at least I'd be moving. I squeezed on the second train through. Neither one stopped so the doors where at the same spot (my personal pet peeve.) When I got to Union Station, a train with empty seats pulled in going back towards Shady Grove.

Ah well, I'm a creature of habit. I'll try MARC another day.I'm typing this BLOG on my ride. I arrived back at Metro Center, just about an hour after leaving my desk.

Gee, I sure would have liked to know about this before I entered the system ... I could have tried MetroBus to Rockville or walked to Union Station, or even tried the Circulator Bus.

I guess they figure what I don't know can't hurt me! Personally, I'd like to make my own choices. WMATA ... thanks for the ride.

---

Added later: Net time to get home 118 minutes!

As of 8:40am Friday, no record of Thursday's service disruptions on the Metro Web-site at: http://www.wmata.com/riding/viewPage_update.cfm?ReportID=215