Bodily Fluids, High Water, Dead Animals: Why Your Train Was Late
Most of the time, when there's a delay on a Metro train, the muffled voice on the PA system comes on to explain that there's a train stopped ahead and we have to wait.
But a good number of delays go unexplained--until now. The Post's wizard of databases, Derek Willis, has set up a dandy tool that lets reporters check out every single delay on Metro trains and scan them by date, station and category. So what do we learn? Metro trains have suffered 3,269 delays since last July, and while the single largest cause of delays is Mechanical Problems, which account for nearly half the database at 1483 reports, there are some really strange reasons why your train is late.
"An inbound Green Line train was not dispatched from Greenbelt because bodily fluids were discovered in one car." Just for example.
Delays occur because a train hit a deer (one report), because someone reported unusual odors (four reports) or because of weird noises (six reports.)
I knew that street traffic is halted for presidential motorcades, but I had no idea that Metro stopped its trains to let the president's limo go by. "Orange Line trains at West Falls Church were held by Metro Transit Police to allow the Presidential motorcade to pass on I-66," reads one report.
The second biggest category of incidents is Train Overran Platform, something that has happened 510 times since the database started last summer. Almost all of the reports are variations on this: "An outbound Green Line train at Suitland overran the platform but was able to pull back and service the station."
Amazingly, only one train in the past year was delayed because of an intoxicated customer, though 18 trains had to stop because there was an unauthorized person on the tracks.
The balky doors on the trains only accounted for six delays, including this unlikely culprit: "An inbound Yellow Line train at Gallery Place was delayed because a newspaper was blocking a door. Service resumed after the object was removed."
Sometimes, the cause of delay is downright bizarre, as in this case from the Fourth of July, when Metro shuts down its Smithsonian station so it doesn't get completely overrun by fireworks fans. Apparently, one train operator didn't get the memo: "An outbound Orange Line train at Smithsonian serviced the station, which was closed due to Fourth of July events. Customers were picked up by the following train."
And then there's this one from last April, about which I wish I could offer more details: "An inbound Blue Line train at Addison Road was delayed because the operator was locked out of the cab. Service resumed after Metro Transit Police opened the cab."
Feel better about that delay now?
By Marc Fisher |
July 12, 2006; 7:53 AM ET
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Posted by: PQ | July 12, 2006 9:47 AM
Also, for a while there (at least a year ago) it seemed that there was always something happening at Rosslyn: either "sick passenger at Rosslyn" or "fire in the tunnel at Rosslyn."
Posted by: PQ | July 12, 2006 9:51 AM
'mechanical difficulties' is pretty vague.
Any indication of further categorization so maintenance could prevent these?
The idea of putting it all in a database is so metro can avoid repeating the past.
Posted by: sscommuter | July 12, 2006 10:38 AM
Metro's train service is reasonably good. What I'd like to know is why buses are not just late, but too often do not even show up at all. Those of us who require bus service to get to the subway often face delays of 30 minutes to an hour during off-peak service hours and Metro does a poor job of responding to complaints and inquiries.
Posted by: HEK | July 12, 2006 11:58 AM
Really? Well, I don't often ride metro (and one interview I actually rode to was reported as "20 minutes late" but really 2.5 hours late, and I ended up taking a cab the rest of the way), but I just saw a travel program on Tokyo, Japan, and you know how they have millions of riders daily? And you know how they have a superfast underground train system? Well, it said that the trains are _so_ accurate on time, that if one is actually late, you can get a _note_ from the station for your boss, because otherwise they won't believe you about the train delay.
That, people, is good. Metro trains crashing into each other even once, not so good.
Sigh...
Posted by: Reasonably good? | July 12, 2006 12:13 PM
Which bodily fluids, Marc? Do some reporting!
Posted by: Tom T. | July 12, 2006 12:58 PM
I thought this was surreal: With news already out about bombings on trains in India Tuesday midday, I saw an individual who was either asleep or passed out in a train marked "No Passengers" idled and with closed doors on the platform at Shady Grove. The next Metro employee I could find exited a train that had just come into the station on the other side of the platform. I alerted him to there being someone in the train. He didn't bother to investigate but kept moving along -- parallel to the idled train and in the direction of the person I was pointing out -- saying to me, "They'll sometimes come through and clean the cars." Geez.
Posted by: Miffed | July 12, 2006 1:17 PM
Marc, I'll wager most of the door problems are getting categorized as mechanical difficulties, as I refuse to believe I've been present for half the year's incidents (which also happen to be the only major delays I've encountered).
Posted by: fs | July 12, 2006 4:36 PM
Wait, let me get this straight--Metro *closes* its Smithsonian station, the most convenient for people coming to or leaving the fireworks, so it won't be "overrun"? What is the purpose of Metro, again--maybe something to do with servicing customers?
Posted by: subway enthusiast | July 13, 2006 1:55 PM
In Japan, it makes the national TV news when the shinkansen (bullet train) is running 10 minutes behind schedule.
Posted by: h3 | July 13, 2006 3:00 PM
I have just discovered Metro's Yesterday's Service Page; I love reading the Unusal Reasons for Train Delays. Hopefully I'll find some of my Own...
Speaking of the Smithsonia Station and 4th of July Service, does anyone know why they recolored some of the Lines? I'm Stumped and I don't get why they couldn't have left it the Way it is. Also, I was Surprised to read how Many People is serviced on the 4th: somewhere around 450k. I thought it would have been a Little Higher.
Posted by: VZH | July 13, 2006 6:18 PM
July 4 Metro decisions deserve their own special column, as I would love to know why in past years (did they do it this year? I don't know) they have switched Yellow and Blue so that Yellow starts at Franconia and Blue starts at Huntington on that day, and also had the lines end in different spots. Why confuse issues on such a busy Metro day???
Posted by: Sheila | July 14, 2006 2:31 PM
Also, the platform overhead sign at Huntington does not display the expected arrival of the next train, as it does in other stations. Metro says this is because it is an end of the line station (I spoke to Metro customer service on Monday), and that a decision was made not to give arrival times on end stations. So if you get on a train at the end, you just have to keep wondering about when the next train is coming.
I hope someone from Metro is reading these comments...
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Posted by: Judy | September 14, 2006 2:42 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
I'm obsessed with "Yesterday's Service" on Metro's website! Some of my friends and I forward the weirder ones to one another. I liked this one from Saturday, June 10, 2006:
......
"4:34 p.m. An inbound Orange Line train at Dunn Loring was delayed because of a smoldering cross-tie along the track. Service resumed after the fire was extinguished. "
Also, if you're signed up for the Metro e-alerts, like I am, you receive emails throughout the day letting you know how long various delays are (though not always why). Sometimes the length of the delays will be really amazing, like:
"Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2006 4:41 PM
To: METRO Alerts
Subject: Metrorail eAlert on the Blue-Orange Lines
A 1632-minute delay is in effect at Stadium-Armory in the direction of Vienna/Fairfax-GMU. "