Poll: Metro's worst year ever?

[Scrabbleship]

Today marks one year to the day since Metro's ATO system went haywire outside Fort Totten, killing 9 and kicking off what many consider to be Metro's worst year ever. Looking at what has happened since that date doesn't yield much positives.

   
• 4 more deaths of track workers from assorted mishaps
• The track circuit Wee-Z bond debacle
• The lack of a backup system for when ATO failed and Metro getting heat for that
• Manual operation and its side effects (including how operators can't tell 6 from 8 apart)
• The Gallery Place logjam (especially towards Shady Grove) from the above
• An "emergency" fare increase with a crippling one just down the road and a greedy tag onto that after
• John Catoe being re-upped to the disconcertion of everyone but the Metro board
• John Catoe "retiring", probably due to the pressure of beign disliked by most, leading to no permenent leadership at a time of need for the agency
• The first true implemention of the post-2003 "shut down all buses and above-ground rail and run skeleton underground service" heavy snow pattern leading to rider backlash
• The February snowstorms paralyzing Metro for the better part of a week while peer agencies got back on their feet a lot sooner. When SEPTA calls you out for your policy and your riders envy SEPTA, that says a lot.
• Jim Graham's harming Metro at the expense of persons who couldn't care less. Vetoing a larger February fare increase, trying to keep Metrobus fares low, keeping the east-of-the-Anacostia subsidy, what help does he bring to Metro?
• Both storms and their reduced service increasing an already swelling deficit
• Bus drivers being reinstated, with pay, after hitting off-duty cops and after causing accidents that kill others
• ATU 689 trying to hijack Metro at the riders expense, first with the aborted "safety slowdowns" on Metrobus than the backlash of trying to limit Metrorail speeds to 40mph.
• The deteriorating state of the system's escalators, often at really deep stations (see Dupont Circle, Bethesda)
• Increased cases of trains randomly stopping, often for no reason at all, and of offloading (probably because the rolling stock wasn't made for manual operation)
• The Red Line headaches: post-crash fallout, the western leg's restoration, the schedules not being able to be realistically operated. At times in PM Rush, the system is backed up with a car at nearly every station. Metro isn't the MBTA Green Line or the SEPTA Subway-Surface.
• I'm amazed that the LFA's being a waste of money haven't made the press. The $20K or so for the LFA package per bus times 250+ buses could've led to a lesser fare increase for Metrorail. Put this in the hands of Dr. Gridlock or Katja Wier and this would lead to protest too.
• What did make the press was the fallout of moving the NH1 from Southern Avenue to Branch Avenue and the suffering of workers there who have to pay more for a longer commute. Metro's promise to move it back or create a new route gets bogged down by PG County dragging their heels.

The list goes on and on and on. Was this perhaps Metro's worst year ever? Or was there some positive that came out of what was a truly bad year? My cynical Chicken Little self can't think of any.

[Antozilla]

Yes until next year....

[Scrabbleship]

Yes until next year....

You mean the next year is going to be worse? What kind of worse? Cuts needing to be made because Graham single-handedly rejected a needed Metrobus increase? Sarles still on the job because nobody wants to GM? More deaths? Trains still in manual? Ridership taking a major tumble? Peak-of-the-peak failing? Another SmarTrip upgrade delay? Still no deal with Google (something I oddly forgot)? Jackie Jeter trying to hijack Metro further? Rumors that some stretch of Metro being closed to save money?

I can't see a much worse happening unless things got very bad.

[Antozilla]

Zimmerman as GM

[Scrabbleship]

Zimmerman as GM

How would that be all that bad? Would Zimmerman have signed onto peak-of-the-peak? Would Zimmerman have pitted Metrobus against Metrorail like Catoe did?

I think Jim Graham as GM would be infinitely worse than Zimmerman as GM. Jim Graham as GM would make Catoe look like David Gunn as he'd drive Metrorail further into the ground so those east of the Anacostia can keep their 75 cent fare.

[Antozilla]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

Its the Zimmie way or the high way

Chris would have no regard for finances.  His only mantra more money more money and no more service just more money

and yes he would have signed on to all of it and more, to include everything but service cuts. 

[Scrabbleship]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

Its the Zimmie way or the high way

Chris would have no regard for finances.  His only mantra more money more money and no more service just more money

and yes he would have signed on to all of it and more, to include everything but service cuts. 

I think you have a personal grudge on Zimmerman. I don't think Zimmerman would've spent $5 million+ on fancy bus styling like Catoe rushed through with the LFA's. I also don't thinK Zimmerman would've been as overly coddling of the very poor like Graham has been.

Graham as GM would make Zimmerman look like David Gunn.

[Antozilla]

Just how did those LFAs get passed the Metro Board.  Someone had to vote for them.

Not a Zimmiehater at all but I am am aware of his good and points.

[Scrabbleship]

Just how did those LFAs get passed the Metro Board.  Someone had to vote for them.

Not a Zimmiehater at all but I am am aware of his good and points.

Remember that the LFA order was made in somewhat better economic times than today. It'll be interesting to see if Sarles completes the last 150 hybrids as LFA's or saves a few million dollars and makes them LFR's.

[Scrabbleship]

Looks like Year 2 of WMATA's Decline has kicked off with a bang. ART may pull out of accepting the WMATA flash pass unless they get a cut of the revenues. Who made this a big deal? Zimmerman!

[MetroLinerXLZ]

I don't think that this was Metro's worst year. Trust me, things could've gotten a lot worse than what was posted in the first post.

Yes, there were some outright stupid decisions made by Metro (especially with the purchase of the LFA's), but at least they didn't have to resort to layoffs of drivers and mechanics. If that had happened, things would get SO much worse than what happened over the past year.

[WayneNYC]

I don't know if it's been the worst ever, but WMATA is clearly going through some hard times. 

Catoe wanted "buses with some curves" for WMATA and that's why the LFAs (and the NABI-60 BRT) are here.  I'm not a Catoe hater, but I see this as a huge waste of money and I hope they won't continue along this road.  Also, as nice as the new color scheme looks, I think this clearly was not a good time to pour resources into what has to be an expensive paint scheme.  In my mind, I think you work toward fixing the system before getting into cosmetics.  I'll take a plain looking C40LF that consistently operates on-time over a fancy looking DE42LFA that may be somewhat on-time here and there.

[Scrabbleship]

I don't know if it's been the worst ever, but WMATA is clearly going through some hard times.

I think these are beyond "hard times". I can't think of any other agency that is suffering as much as WMATA is suffering and the fare increase will be another nail in the coffin. Just read the reactions of angered riders who are deserting the system because of a fare increase coming among collapsing service. It isn't like WMATA is helping matters by doing things such as peak of the peak and letting felons back on the job.  Everyone in the DC area isn't making six figures or isn't extremely destitute, this will kill their middle class ridership outside the District for sure.

Catoe wanted "buses with some curves" for WMATA and that's why the LFAs (and the NABI-60 BRT) are here.  I'm not a Catoe hater, but I see this as a huge waste of money and I hope they won't continue along this road.  Also, as nice as the new color scheme looks, I think this clearly was not a good time to pour resources into what has to be an expensive paint scheme.  In my mind, I think you work toward fixing the system before getting into cosmetics.  I'll take a plain looking C40LF that consistently operates on-time over a fancy looking DE42LFA that may be somewhat on-time here and there.

These are two of the bigger things of Catoe's regime that didn't make the mainstream press. I think the fact that the LFA's were replacing really old buses led to a "look the other way" attitude on the matter. I think the money WMATA would've saved with DE35/40/60LFR's in the third scheme would've kept greed-of-the-greed from rearing its greedy head.

What was Metro thinking when they hired Catoe in the first place? I can't think of a single thing the man did that was good and didn't come at the expense of another agency (the Metrobus improvements came at the cost of neglecting Metrorail). Even going back to the Knight Rider light debacle, Catoe didn't know what he was doing.

I still think that the Feds will control WMATA in 5 years and will do some drastic move such as making Metrobus its own separate agency or having the jurisdictions operate paratransit to have them carry MetroAccess' burden.

[Antozilla]

Now I am no Catoe fan but they knew what they were getting when they got him.  Catoe is a bus man. Always has been a bus man.  Is a bus man today.  When he dies his coffin will be carried in a bus.  So no surprise there. 

The management set up for Metro is a disaster.  Run by politicians from three states with different constuancies and different needs and wants.

The Feds will run it and should have been running it. 

[Scrabbleship]

Now I am no Catoe fan but they knew what they were getting when they got him.  Catoe is a bus man. Always has been a bus man.  Is a bus man today.  When he dies his coffin will be carried in a bus.  So no surprise there.

I will admit, having lived outside of the area the first 18 months or so of Catoe's time as GM, that Metrobus needed attention and had been neglected for many years. I will admit that Catoe did some good things for Metrobus. Problem is that given WMATA's unique situation of having Metrorail and Metrobus acting as two separate agencies that all of his Metrobus love came at Metrorail's expense at a time when Metrorail needed attention in different ways (rising ridership and the fact it's more a urban subway now than quasi-commuter rail). Imagine having 2 kids 12 years apart then totally neglecting the 12 year old in a time of growth over the new baby. Similar deal.

If Metrorail and Metrobus were unified a la all of WMATA's peers minus BART, I think that neglect on both ends would've been lessened. If Catoe only was in charge of Metrobus, he'd have been a great GM. Instead Bus Man + Bus v. Rail setup = Massive Rail Fail. 

The management set up for Metro is a disaster.  Run by politicians from three states with different constuancies and different needs and wants.

Notice how none of the political board members are from further out. I'd think that if MoCo, Fairfax, or PG had members on the board, the fare increase would be a lot less but nobody goes to bat for their constituents. Imagine if someone from Rockville or Fairfax who also held political office went up against Graham/Zim. It'd balance them out.

The Feds will run it and should have been running it.

When the Feds come in, I think they'll pare WMATA down to the point that it solely operates rail and acts as a planning oversight agency. The DC routes would become their own agency under DDOT and inter-jurisdictional routes would be done by consortiums of agencies a la the All-Night Network and Dumbarton express in the Bay Area. MetroAccess would become a joint venture of all of the areas's agencies. I think the Feds would also overhaul the rail fare structure to something that is priced more like a urban subway in the DC limits and nearest-in suburbs.