If you could run Metro...

[C40LF_2464]

Idea just cam out of randomness but anyways if i could run metro for i would:

1)Create different general managers for bus and rail so they can focus on different issues.

2)Make a "Ride metro to work day" a opportunity for Metro board members,Employees and the public to ride Metro and see if it will be a better alternative then what they usually do. And because son Metro board members never ride there own system some say it is some trash when they never rode it before.

3)Put cameras in metro train operators cab area. I saw this train operator smoking in there on time who know if he was smoking "that stuff" and he just got out of his mind and put everybody in danger and as you know the texting and sleeping trend.

4) Make commuter bus and rail routes for service outside of Northern VA,DC,and MD or for express routes. Heh imagine a MCI or VanHool in the express scheme.

5) Provide express tracks for express trains like in NY but ill bet it will cost a fortune!

6)Provide more service on routes that get packed quickly like the F4 or T18.



Ok here's my transit fan side ideas:

1) Dont retire a bus because its to old (Like the Flxibes). Keep them just in case something happens like a bus breaks down,shuttle service is needed. Or for special events.

2)When a bus manufacturer makes a new bus contact them to bring 2-3 demo buses to try out for a month.

3) BRING BACK PAPER TRANSFERS! (I broke my SmarTrip recently so im stuck at home)

4) No shoes no clothes NO SERVICE! (You dont want to know what i saw in the past)

5) If a operator reports simebody photographing a bus they should be fired(LOL). They should make it so that if you take a picture of a bus it dosent mean your a terrorist or a snitch. (Some drivers get scared when i take pics of there buses because they think they did something bad) And tell there operators people like buses to.

Ill post more later.

[79MetroExtraMD]

Idea just cam out of randomness but anyways if i could run metro for i would:

1)Create different general managers for bus and rail so they can focus on different issues.

2)Make a "Ride metro to work day" a opportunity for Metro board members,Employees and the public to ride Metro and see if it will be a better alternative then what they usually do. And because son Metro board members never ride there own system some say it is some trash when they never rode it before.

3)Put cameras in metro train operators cab area. I saw this train operator smoking in there on time who know if he was smoking "that stuff" and he just got out of his mind and put everybody in danger and as you know the texting and sleeping trend.

4) Make commuter bus and rail routes for service outside of Northern VA,DC,and MD or for express routes. Heh imagine a MCI or VanHool in the express scheme.

5) Provide express tracks for express trains like in NY but ill bet it will cost a fortune!

6)Provide more service on routes that get packed quickly like the F4 or T18.



Ok here's my transit fan side ideas:

1) Dont retire a bus because its to old (Like the Flxibes). Keep them just in case something happens like a bus breaks down,shuttle service is needed. Or for special events.

2)When a bus manufacturer makes a new bus contact them to bring 2-3 demo buses to try out for a month.

3) BRING BACK PAPER TRANSFERS! (I broke my SmarTrip recently so im stuck at home)

4) No shoes no clothes NO SERVICE! (You dont want to know what i saw in the past)

5) If a operator reports simebody photographing a bus they should be fired(LOL). They should make it so that if you take a picture of a bus it dosent mean your a terrorist or a snitch. (Some drivers get scared when i take pics of there buses because they think they did something bad) And tell there operators people like buses to.

Ill post more later.

Part 1
1. They already have that. Look at the organizational file on the site.
2. The Board has their own discretion on whether they can ride Metro to work or drive.
3. Civil lawsuit I smell, plus the costs of installing cameras in over 1000 railcars just for operators. The cameras need to be in the main areas of the railcar, not the operators console. They have rail supervisors throughout the system that check the trains.
4. They already have that. It's called Amtrak, MARC, and VRE.
5. Definitely will not happen. Overly expensive.
6. Only can happen with better resources.
Part 2
1. They have to retire buses because the maintenance costs for older buses is higher than newer ones. Plus, parts for Flxibles are few and far between. They can only keep them as long as they have parts for them (which means cannibalizing retired buses for parts)
2. They already do that. They send in a demo model for them to see and test out to their specifications (hence 6301).
3. Will never happen. You have to take good care of your Smartrip card. Improper handling always leads to it braking. It's fragile just like a credit card or debit card.
4.
5. Ha. That's funny.

[C40LF_2464]

Ok now if you ran metro what would you change

[79MetroExtraMD]

Who says I wanted to run Metro?

[DCT S9Z4Z6]

If I ran METRO: Hmmmmmmm

1.) POLICE FORCE:
Increase the size of WMATA police force by 30%. Those extra officers would patrol the trains & buses & lots to deter crime, and the french fry eating & disruptive kids and adults.

2.) Construction:
STOP the SILVERVINE construction to Dulles. There are other projects that would benefit the region as a whole, instead of those going to Dulles Airport.
A.) Construct only as far as Tysons (cant stop what you built so far). BRT to DULLES from Tysons.
  B.) Increase the size of Roslyn Portal, or build another crossing, to include a stop at Georgetown, and build that line, connecting something uptown to include a Hospital Center stop, before continuing East.
  C.) Increase the 106 mile system to include a 3rd track. Whoever thunk of a 2-track system, didn't have the foresight to think of emergenecy's, or express trains.
D.) Escalators. . . remove some short ones, and build ramps, that are ADA compliant.
E.) Station Entrance Canopy's. .  Build something, so that rain/sleet doesn't fall into the hole of the station entrance. Why do you think there are so many escalator repairs/breakdowns? (D'oih)
  F.) BRAC. (Base Realignment & Closures)
     1.) Naval Medical
     2.) Ft Belvior
        With these 2 major military bases slated to expand with the next couple of years, the time to plan/construct the infrastructure to serve these bases is NOW!!
         Naval Med: Construct a leg of the Purple Line to serve the base.
         Ft Belvior: Build the Yellow Line south from Huntington to serve the base.

3.) Dedicated Funding:     Get the congress/local governments to budget funding for METRO expenses.
     Uncle Sam is one of the regions largest employer, he should foot some more of the bill, year to year & pay for its upkeep.
     State/Local Governments:
     Gas Tax: 1-2% per gallon tax for METRO
     Room/Motel tax 1-2% per room rented in all areas served by WMATA.
   (Local residents exempt from the room tax)
   Rental Car Tax: 2-5% on all rental cars rented in the DC/MD/VA areas.
   ADVERTISING: Put up more ad's to generate more revenue. (D'oih)

4.) Increase Service.
      Back in the day. .  There were bus routes that ran all night, and also operated along what is now METRO routes.
      Run some (NOT ALL) bus routes 24/7. Service doesn't have to be every 15 min, but like 1 trip per 40-45 min on major routes?
      Duplicate service. Have some bus service along the METRO line. If something happens underground, there is no alternative on the surface to get around.

I can think of more, but also, If *I* was running METRO, I would vote to give myself a bonus ONLY IF:
1 year w/ no passenger/worker deaths
I could show a profit at end of each fiscal year.
     

[79MetroExtraMD]

We need an all nighter system just like in the Bay Area. It's a shame only a few select routes, mainly in DC, sees all night service whilst Maryland and Virginia don't see as much late night service (especially PG county. To them, late evening service is anything past 8pm.).

My two cents
Create a Metrorail bustitution type system
Red Line
RA-Shady Grove-Friendship Heights
RB-Silver Spring-Union Station
RC-Friendship Heights-Farragut Square
RD-Farragut Square-Union Station
RE-Silver Spring-Glenmont

Blue Line
BA-Franconia-Rosslyn
BB-Rosslyn-Metro Center
BC-Metro Center-Capitol Heights
BD-Capitol Heights-Largo

Green Line
GA-Branch Avenue-Archives
GB-Archives-Fort Totten
GC-Fort Totten-Greenbelt
GD-Fort Totten-Greenbelt (alt route)

Yellow Line
YA-Huntington-Pentagon (stopping only at Eisenhower, King, Braddock, and Pentagon)
(Additional service along 9A for Jeff Davis Hwy portion)
YB-Pentagon-Mount Vernon Square
YC-Gallery Place-Fort Totten

Orange Line
O1-Vienna-Rosslyn
O2-L'Enfant Plaza-Minnesota Avenue
O3-L'Enfant Plaza-New Carrollton

[C40LF_2464]

Who says I wanted to run Metro?

It dosent mean you. I just dont want people to get confused.

[DCT S9Z4Z6]

CONSTRUCTION part 2

Make a walkway, hooking up Gallery Place (Upstairs) & Metro Center (Upstairs)

People suggested hooking up Faragut North & Faragut West to be able to walk between those 2 stations. Don't do it there!
Outbound on Blue/Orange line, after leaving McPherson Square there is a section of track, that you can move trains from there, to the RED line just south of Faragut North. It shouldn't cost that much to build a walkway, if there is already a set of tracks there, right?

PUBLIC RESTROOMS
You shouldn't have to ask/beg a station attendant to use a bathroom.
Shady Grove to National Airport is a long way to go, and if you went before you left your house, you will need to go again.

Build them on the OUTSIDE of the secured areas. Don't need to let everybody into the Fire Control Room, to use a 1 stall potty, that the station attendant would rather you not use anyways.

[Tristan]

You'll never get a bonus.  Transit in America, with the lack of density & car culture we have, does not exist for profit.  You want to make money, find a job at Japan Railways or just about any other railroad in that country, where the only non-transit vehicles in the big cities are taxis and delivery trucks.

[Scrabbleship]

1: Reform the fare system to something a little more realistic. I think bus fares could be a little higher ($1.50 smartrip, $1.75 cash for local buses) and rail fares a little cheaper (I think that far-out commuters on other systems get a lot more of bargain than DC). Unified passes would be a must, ditto monthly passes.

2: Forget the $70,000 and deal with Google Transit. WMATA's whole conflict with them is looking as embarrassing as our Cuba policy to the rest of the world.

3: Total overhaul of the corporate culture, this seems to be the greatest hindrance towards WMATA's growth. When SEPTA and MBTA look competent, you know something is wrong.

4: Find the funding to build the seperate Blue Line to unclog the inevitable Rosslyn clog that will happen when the Silver Line starts (the detour of the Yellow Line along the Blue/Orange Columbus Day weekend will be a good preview of that).

5: Possibly expand the area to some of the fringe counties. I know the compact is expensive to join, but there should be incentive for some of the fringe counties to join or for support to go in for a singular route (i.e. B30 or the old C18). I think there are a lot of opportunities that are open -- Shady Grove to Frederick, New Carrollton to Annapolis, Silver Spring or Greenbelt to Columbia, a second try of said C18 -- that WMATA could easily do if the counties gave some support for a singular route.

5.5: Loudoun County is in the WMATA compact and gets one stop at Dulles for the money it pays. Since their local bus services through VRT are near-nonexistent, they should get some more for their money pre-Silver Line. If West Ox could open weekends, I think running some routes with either Dulles North and/or Herndon-Monroe as a feeder point could work, maybe extend one down to WFC to keep them off of a clogged 5A.

6: Pressure PG to give more money!!

7: Stop treating the riders like children (i.e. no more "hi, welcome to Metro" announcements) and improve outside communications with riders.

8: Groom Chris Zimmerman to become GM in 2013.

[Sand Box John]

DCT S9Z4Z6
People suggested hooking up Faragut North & Faragut West to be able to walk between those 2 stations. Don't do it there!
Outbound on Blue/Orange line, after leaving McPherson Square there is a section of track, that you can move trains from there, to the RED line just south of Faragut North. It shouldn't cost that much to build a walkway, if there is already a set of tracks there, right?

How do you suggest getting people from the connector tunnel to the south end of the Farragut North platform? Have them walk across the track between passing trains. The A&C connector along with B&E connector were built for a reason. They exist to allow the movement of non revenue trains. WMATA has only 2 servicing facilities that are equipped to do major system overhauls on rolling stock (Brentwood and Greenbelt).

FYI, Both Farragut stations were built with provision to allow for the future construction of connecting pedestrian tunnel. There is a knock out on the opposite side of the K Street entrance of the train room in Farragut North, a similar knock out exists in Farragut West opposite the 17th Street entrance.

Scrabbleship
5.5: Loudoun County is in the WMATA compact and gets one stop at Dulles for the money it pays.

Loudoun County will get three stops, there 2 stops north of Washington Dulles International Airport.

[Scrabbleship]

By "one stop", I meant the bus stop where the 5A terminates at Dulles.

[Sand Box John]

Scrabbleship
By "one stop", I meant the bus stop where the 5A terminates at Dulles.

I would hazard a guess WMATA will create new routes that will serve Loudoun County when that line opens. The VA-606 (Morgan Road) station will have a 7 bay bus terminal, the VA-772 (Ryan Road) station will have 13 bays in 2 bus terminals, 8 in the terminal on the south side of the Dulles Greenway and 5 in the terminal on the north side. Mind you WMATA will not be alone in providing feeder service to these stations, hell they will likely be a minor player among the agencies that will be operating bus service into these stations.

[Scrabbleship]

Scrabbleship
By "one stop", I meant the bus stop where the 5A terminates at Dulles.

I would hazard a guess WMATA will create new routes that will serve Loudoun County when that line opens. The VA-606 (Morgan Road) station will have a 7 bay bus terminal, the VA-772 (Ryan Road) station will have 13 bays in 2 bus terminals, 8 in the terminal on the south side of the Dulles Greenway and 5 in the terminal on the north side. Mind you WMATA will not be alone in providing feeder service to these stations, hell they will likely be a minor player among the agencies that will be operating bus service into these stations.

Or it could become another Morgan Boulevard where there are lots of bus bays but virtually no bus service (nothing WMATA, 2 TheBus routes).

[Sand Box John]

DCT S9Z4Z6
Increase the 106 mile system to include a 3rd track. Whoever thunk of a 2-track system, didn't have the foresight to think of emergenecy's, or express trains.

A cheaper solution would be to increase the number of crossovers system wide. Build at least one double crossover between stations that now have none. Increase the number crossover between stations that are further apart.