Look for Eight-Car Metro Trains

Metro will be running more eight-car trains today and Wednesday on all the lines as part of its continuing test for Inauguration Day.

Pay special attention to the electronic information signs on the Metrorail platforms. Half of all trains will be eight cars long during the peak periods, the transit authority says. During the off-peak hours, all trains are scheduled to be eight cars.

This is a continuation of the tests Metro has been doing to prepare for the heavy demands of Inauguration Day service. But I've noticed that on the previous test days this month, many riders got confused about where the trains would stop.

No matter how long they are, the trains will stop at the head of the platform on the test days. That's part of the test for the operators. But if the train is six cars long, the last cars will pass by the platform spots where many people are used to standing, so they have to run up to catch the train.