Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 04:39:38 -0800 (PST)
From: Drew Bittner <drewbitt at yahoo.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Metro is 30
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

--- Eva Whitley <eva.whitley at gmail.com> wrote:

> Keith F. Lynch wrote:
> > The Metro system turned 30 today.  It opened to
> the public on 3/27/76.
> >
> > It has not aged gracefully.  There were minor
> delays on the way to
> > work this morning, and major delays on the way
> home.  And it was
> > standing room only both ways.  None of which is
> unusual.
> >
> > They claim to have eight-car trains on the Orange
> line in the morning.
> > I've never seen one.  Instead, I've seen
> increasing numbers of four-
> > car trains, which are already packed when they
> reach Dunn Loring, the
> > second station on the line.
> >
> > Their main plan for dealing with the crowding
> isn't to run more or
> > longer trains, nor to build more lines, but to
> *remove* seats, so that
> > more people can be packed in like sardines.
> >
> > And they've just posted their track maintenance
> schedule for spring.
> > The first time they said they'd single-track
> several lines during
> > the next several evenings and weekends, I figured
> that's only to be
> > expected, and after those few weeks, the system
> would be good to
> > go for another three decades.  But that's not how
> it turned out.
> > Instead, it's apparently going to be in a
> perpetual state of
> > maintenance and disrepair, as if to ensure that
> the experience of
> > Metro is always as slow and unpleasant during
> evenings and weekends
> > as it is during rush hours.
> >
>
> But as bad as it is, it's still better than the
> Baltimore Metro. (And
> whose idea was it to have *no* connection between
> Light Rail and
> Baltimore Metro? If I could easily transfer, I could
> drive 5 minutes to
> the Owings Mills station of Metro, transfer to Light
> Right, and walk to
> my job at Airport Plaza in Linthicum...mutter,
> mutter, groan. Almost
> makes me miss Philly, where I didn't have a car,
> didn't need one.) --Eva
> Whitley
>
I'll second that-- Metro's much better than other
subway systems I've seen/ridden (and I've been all
over the country). While it is "showing its age" just
a bit, the NYC system looks its 100 years, believe me,
and the Tube in London is rough around the edges as
well.
It'd be nice if they'd make links to other regional
and urban systems; I think it'll happen in time but
it's frustrating that progress doesn't move in the
blink of an eye (the way it does in sf!).
best,
Drew

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