Submitted by magredditbu t3_127ws11 in washingtondc
More than 10 minutes between trains at 4pm on a Friday in the green/yellow line. What is the purpose of this system, to encourage people to not take public trans?
Comments
Useful-Pattern-5076 t1_jeg7pgg wrote
This is why I often don’t take it
chouseva t1_jeg8mcm wrote
There hasn't been yellow line service in months. Until it returns, you'll continue to see 10+ minute headways.
DCmetrosexual1 t1_jeg8src wrote
There’s supposed to be a green line train every 8 mins while the yellow is suspended
jukeboxdemigod t1_jeg9p5t wrote
The metro is not run by the DC Government. It's a private entity. It does get money from DC, Maryland, and Virginia, and the states have some input in decision making but that's a fiasco.
chouseva t1_jeg9srh wrote
They are currently running every 8 minutes. Could have been a train malfunction or medical emergency earlier.
Evaderofdoom t1_jeg9vkg wrote
Still beats sitting in traffic on 295. 10 minutes is not that bad especially with the yellow line being down.
BPCGuy1845 t1_jegaghv wrote
Agreed, service standards are awful. They often talk about frequencies but it’s always for at like 8-9:30am.
SadieRadler t1_jegc1g1 wrote
just to be totally pedantic here, efficiency does not mean more frequent service. I would say an efficient metro is one that matches train frequency to ridership levels.
breadstickvevo t1_jegc7av wrote
My only issue is the bus wait times, sometimes it’s an hour between buses!
Msbirdperson t1_jegdx2r wrote
I mean, I don't remember pre-pandemic times being any better than half the time you are complaining about, but I suppose a 50% increase is pretty dramatic. But considering the pandemic and the 30 min wait times, I'd say 10's pretty okay.
onebigcube t1_jegei5b wrote
Maybe there is something happening on the line that is creating a delay. Man, people complain a lot about the Metro but almost every time I've ridden it I've found it to be pretty efficient. And 10 minutes between trains...every once in awhile (their timetable says 8 minutes between trains during most times) is not a long wait. Just try driving a few miles in DC, Metro is a pretty good deal. I think they do a great job.
orion2145 t1_jegex51 wrote
‘I had to wait ten minutes - all transit is bad’ is a take.
dynospectrum7 t1_jegf19j wrote
Green currently has 7/8 min headways. Sometimes service gaps occur. 10 isn’t terrible. Get an app and time your trips.
borg359 t1_jegf8fg wrote
If you have to use it every day, it’s a legitimate take.
orion2145 t1_jegfc0e wrote
If you arrive at exactly the point in time every day that hit max headways you have a whole different set of cosmic issues.
EternalMoonChild t1_jegfiq3 wrote
What does OP think an acceptable headway is? Every 2 minutes?
Docile_Doggo t1_jegfwcl wrote
My nuanced take is that 10-minute headways aren’t that bad and I don’t mind them, but I still want Metro to do so much better. Even getting back to pre-pandemic service levels would be awesome.
NoGovernment8587 t1_jegg2a9 wrote
Yea that would be an acceptable headway.
magredditbu OP t1_jegg3pg wrote
My frustration probably comes from living in other large cities with public trans. Once you have to time your trips, it doesn't really count as functional working transportation for me. It means that for important things, i should not count on public transportation. And it is not like the fare is cheaper than other cities .
squuidlees t1_jegg88x wrote
It’s been over two decades since I’ve left my small hometown that only had two stoplights and where cars were required. I will never take a 10-15 wait for metro for granted. Even when an hour metrobus wait is a pain, I’ll take that over car payments I wouldn’t be able to afford.
snortgigglecough t1_jegga29 wrote
Anyone else find waiting for an Uber 10x more unbearable than waiting for a metro? Even if I’m in the comfort of my home the wait and price is annoying as hell.
new_account_5009 t1_jeggq90 wrote
10 minutes really isn't that bad. If you get to the station randomly, you would expect a 5 minute wait on average, which is plenty reasonable. If the trains are packed elbow to elbow, it's a different story, but I haven't seen pre-covid packed trains in a while.
orion2145 t1_jeggyc8 wrote
In Tokyo rush hour
ButterPotatoHead t1_jegh65f wrote
I hate to say it but 10 minutes isn't bad. I've seen 15-18 minutes within an hour of rush hour.
I used to commute from the near Virginia suburbs to 4000 Wisconsin Ave. by bus and it was 50-75 minutes each way for a trip that was about 10 miles. The best part is when I went to take the bus home, I'd wait at the stop for 30-40 minutes and then see 3 buses (which are supposed to run every 10-15 min) all pull up bumper to bumper.
I'll take a 10 minute metro wait any day.
armyuvamba t1_jegj7bh wrote
This used to be normal during rush hour pre pandemic….trains would come every 3-5 mins it felt like. And if you had to switch lines, it wasn’t such an issue. Now you have to wait 10+ mins for one line and then another 10+ mins for the other line. All in pretty crowded trains during rush hours. More trains is a legitimate ask.
thekingoftherodeo t1_jegk6ar wrote
> Once you have to time your trips, it doesn't really count as functional working transportation for me
Sorry what?
OP: total first world problem. WMATA has its issues, but 10 minute headways aren't even on the first page of the list.
Ubik5000 t1_jeglco4 wrote
cant believe you'd bash public trans on TDOV
Daniels_Cafeteria t1_jeglvcr wrote
You’re sad
umd_terps_2012 t1_jegmaqj wrote
You must not take the red line during rush hour. Currently shoulder to shoulder at metro center lol
35chambers t1_jegnyo6 wrote
they never said all transit is bad
[deleted] t1_jego536 wrote
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Super_Ad_2578 t1_jegrbpb wrote
This is pretty far down the list of things to take issue with when it comes to WMATA. Pearl clutching over 10 minute lead times at 4 am is a bit much.
BrunettexAmbition t1_jegsxpv wrote
8 minutes isn’t reasonable either. When I first moved here, I thought how great the metro was by comparison to the subways in NYC & Philly. DC metro is newer and cleaner but with these waits and lack of train staggered for those that have to chain lines, I’m eating those words. I’ll take dirty, grimy, and never having to check a schedule again any day.
Macrophage87 t1_jegt0cm wrote
Because of the war with Russia, Kiev metro had to reduce the frequency of it's lines off peak to 6 minutes. On peak times without a war, the headways are 1 hr 40 minutes. It's not a first-world problem, it's a carbrained problem.
https://twitter.com/threestationsq/status/1572163173066706944?lang=en
BrunettexAmbition t1_jegtqvn wrote
Exactly, the idea that people around here think that 8 or 10 minutes is reasonable almost all other major cities worldwide have figured it out boggles the mind. Hell even with our crumbling infrastructure in the US this is way behind other cities like NYC, Philly, and Boston. I’m so sick of people saying be grateful for the crappy things we have when we’re trailing behind and paying a premium.
Feisty_Law_3321 t1_jegvykt wrote
It’s a government agency.
magredditbu OP t1_jegw8xk wrote
Definitely first world problems. My point exactly. Is this Washington DC or not? Seems like a lot of arguments here are " it could be worse, you shouldn't expect more" which i don't agree with. Other cities figured this out. DC can do it. DC should do it
Formergr t1_jegz9va wrote
But it's not.
late_snake t1_jeh0txn wrote
Yea you guessed it. That's exactly why it exists.
Feisty_Law_3321 t1_jeg6z3g wrote
Nothing that DC govt has its hand it runs efficiently.
Triple so for organizations that have the whole DMV’s governments involved.