InsideTransit

This guy makes hilarious videos – here’s his video about riding the Washington Metro – and he’s right – how long does it take to fix an escalator?

Amtrak has announced cancellations for Sunday February 7th due to the massive snow that fell between Washington and New Jersey. I can only imagine what a zoo Penn Station must be with all of the canceled trains! Here’s a partial list of the canceled trains – view all of the changes on the Amtrak website.

• Carolinian trains 79 and 80 will operate only between Raleigh and Charlotte with no alternate transportation between New York and Raleigh. 
• Palmetto trains 89 and 90 are canceled in their entirety between New York and Savannah.

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This past monday the worst subway crash in Washington Metro (WMATA) history took place killing 9 people. Today we have a couple of updates:

Superintendent Reassigned
The superintendent of the automatic control system that is supposed to prevent train crashes has been reassigned says the AP. Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said Friday that Matthew Matyuf has been temporarily assigned to a “special project.” Taubenkibel would not elaborate on what that project was, or how long the reassignment would last. Note that the WMATA is saying this is just a precaution and not a “negative reflection” on the superintendent.

ATO System Fails Test
The Washington Post is reporting, “A train control system that should have prevented Monday’s deadly Metro crash failed in a test conducted by federal investigators, officials said yesterday, suggesting that a crucial breakdown of technology sent one train slamming into another.”

ATO means Automatic Train Operation and basically means the train is operated by computer. Human train operators can still take over the controls at any moment – in the case of this crash, the train operator in the moving train hit the emergency brake but there wasn’t enough time to stop the train.

This is a breaking transit news alert…two trains have collided on the Red Line in Washington, D.C. this afternoon.

From ABC News 7 in Washington, “Metro confirms two trains have collided on the Red Line between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations. It happened close to the Fort Totten station, a Metro spokesperson said.

D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Alan Etter said one train was on top of the other train.”

5:45pm Eastern – CNN is now reporting that one person has been confirmed dead at the scene.

6:15pm Eastern – WTOP is reporting that two people have died. Crews are working to free trapped people in the trains.

8pm Eastern – “John Catoe, WMATA General Mgr., says a train was stopped waiting, and it was struck by the second train, moving at speed. They were both on the same track.” The operator of one of the trains has died.

9pm Eastern – updates are coming in that 6 people have died. CNN also notes, “Seventy people were treated at the scene — 56 with minor injuries, 12 with moderate injuries and two with life-threatening injuries, according to Chief Dennis Rubin of Washington’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.”

Some photos from the scene:
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It would seem based on reading the WMATA pricing page, that purchasing a ticket is easy on WMATA. But alas, each trip has a different price and there are no zones or areas, instead each station holds a different price. And to make it even more confusing, the machines have no signs posted about the pricing – you need to look for the “booth” which for me was always behind the machines. These booths will show you the pricing for all stations from that station.

To get pricing, visit this page and click the station you will start your journey from. Then select the station you will end your journey at and the price will be displayed. Remember to hold on to your ticket, you will need this to exit!

Based on this trip pricing, I believe you have 2 options for ease of use:

• When you get to the first station, just load a card with enough money for the amount of days you will be in Washington. For example, based on my calculations, the average trip price is $2.00. So I would suggest you put $4.00 per day multiplied by the number of days you will be in town. While there might be a little left at the end, this will avoid the hassles of trying to calculate the amount.
• Purchase day passes — these are $6.50 but will allow you to travel as much as you want with no headaches.

This section of InsideTransit will help you to understand how the Washington DC subway system works, pricing, routings, tips, and more.

Allen’s System Overview

This May I had my first opportunity to ride the WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) and learn the workings of the system for InsideTransit. The system reminds me a lot of Atlanta’s MARTA in its map design and station layout.

Some of the pros of the system:

• Excellent air conditioning – it was very warm and on each carriage I entered, the A/C was great
• Easy accessibility to the Ronald Reagan Airport – The Yellow and Blue lines stop at the airport
• Good signage in the stations showing next train and repair/maintenance work
• Excellent accessibility for handicapped/luggage – they claim that the entire system is handicapped accessible. This is the first system I have come across that makes this claim

Some of the cons of the system:

• Many of the stations are very dark – I would be a bit concerned to travel on this system late at night
• The system feels “old” — most of the cars appear to be at least 15-20 yrs old (though I admit they are in pretty good shape)
• Too many automated announcements – one on station entry, one on station stop, one on station exit
• and the biggest con — very, very confusing payment scheme