Comments on: Something Going on At Gallery Place/Metro Center Metro Stations?

By: ontarioroader

ontarioroader — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:06:59 +0000

And WMATA wonders why ridership is down. The people are slowly but increasingly voting ‘no confidence’ with their feet…and WMATA leadership is so out of touch they seem to think Catoe is doing an ok job. All these problems that have been growing under his watch and and his contract gets renewed with big bonuses/perks? Absurd.

By: ShawRes

ShawRes — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:56:21 +0000

Metro’s in a sorry state right now. This city deserves better from its transit system.

By: The Centzon Totochtin

The Centzon Totochtin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:51:32 +0000

Why does the monthy C.H.U.D. cleansing have to happen during rush hour?

By: Steph

Steph — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:35:11 +0000

The people on my car were also pushing and yelling but everyone settled down pretty quickly, until we got into Metro Center where people started pushing to be the first off the train. I also find it upsetting that someone was directing people to get out of the Metro Center station immediately because mass hysteria never does anyone any good. It’s difficult to remain calm I suppose, but I agree with Samzen, when you live in a metro area like Washington, DC, you need to be able to keep yourself calm in times like this.

By: Adriane

Adriane — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:25:22 +0000

I am glad to hear that everyone is ok and there were no injuries. I can imagine how scary this is. Im usually sleep on the Red Line on my way to work. I just pray that Metro gets it together. It is not looking too good for them right now.

By: TonyS

TonyS — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:18:21 +0000

this makes me think… what is the plan for when a train brakes down in a tunnel and begins to get engulfed in smoke… I guess you exit the train and walk down the tunnel. Seems unsettling. Heavy smoke can kill.

By: brian

brian — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:08:38 +0000

SamZen, I’m sorry to hear about your experience. I was actually impressed with the camaraderie I witnessed in our car. No one pushed, no one really moved even. People were comforting and reassuring the few passengers that were crying. As soon as it happened a few of us were quietly directing everyone to “stay calm” and “not to panic”. I could definitely see it going the other way though; despite the pushing and stuff on your car, everyone is physically fine and we’re all a little more alert at work today.

Ideally, we’ll get a statement from metro but I’m definitely not holding my breath. They’re probably pretty eager to sweep this under their hideous, bulging rug of incompetence and lack of accountability.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:07:31 +0000

Glad to read that no one was hurt. Must have been very unsettling for those on the train and even in the station at such a busy time.

But in response to the question of whether it can get any worse for Metro, NPR ran a story this morning about how it may have to raise fares in response to lower ridership this summer, which was down 10%, presumably in no small part due to the massive delays that persisted for 2 months after the horrible red line accident.

By: SamZen

SamZen — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:58:16 +0000

BTW- my guess is that it was an electrical short that caused the “explosion”.

By: SamZen

SamZen — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:55:29 +0000

I was a passenger on this train and I was unpleadsantly surprised at how freaked out people were. Yes, there was an “explosion” outside of the train, fire/sparks and abundant smoke, but no one was harmed. It was scary, don’t get me wrong, but in challenging situations people, especially in DC, need to be a bit more rational. Freaking out and pushing to the exits doesn’t help.