Flashback: An outsider's view of Metro circa 2004

[Scrabbleship]

A special report from the old Bad (T)ransit website


Has Metro really fallen that far that fast, or is it a typical out of town view of Metro through rose-colored glasses?


At the same time, those with some time to kill could poke around the rest of it. Reading this years later makes the current crop of Metro hate sites sound tame in contrast.

[Tritransit Area]

Well, the escalators/elevators have always been a problem, but I think since the accident, the morale and the state of the Metro has tanked.  The stations, while never "bright", have become so dark and dingy - at least with the walls and such.  I definitely notice this at Union Station, a station I've used my entire life.

I do see penty of "rosiness" in the article, but I also believe that at the time any of the issues that Metro had were well hidden. The Red Line accidents (particularly the Takoma one) was the key that opened Pandora's box.

[Scrabbleship]

I do see penty of "rosiness" in the article, but I also believe that at the time any of the issues that Metro had were well hidden. The Red Line accidents (particularly the Takoma one) was the key that opened Pandora's box.

I think that in Boston T-bashing has become so ingrained in the local culture that any other city's transit system is better. An acquaintance I know there who doesn't drive is VERY fond of Metro and the fallout from the Fort Totten crash didn't change his viewpoint one bit. He also did admit that given the infrastructure in Boston the bar for the T is set far lower than the bar set for Metro in DC.

It's also interesting to see how much the T has changed for the better since that article was written. When that was written, the wave of station restorations on the Blue/Ashmont Red was just beginning, the Type 8 fiasco was at its peak, and a lot of equipment was in basket case stage (8000 series RTS's, 0600's, Boeing LRV's). Being put under MassDOT, giving it oversight, was the capstone and I hope the future is kind to them with the Somerville/Medford extention of the Green Line and the 01900's, new 01400's, and Type 9's on the horizon.