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Jessie101gaming t1_j0yxd8j wrote

Probably crowding levels. Also one more reason the new displays are so good & useful

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solidrecommendations t1_j0z28ep wrote

It’s nice, but what am I supposed to do with the info? I’ll see how full the train is when it rolls into the station.

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sprint113 t1_j0zdn8o wrote

Way back when Metro would get to crush levels during rush hour, it wouldn't be uncommon to see one train absolutely brimming with people still trying to squeeze in, and then the next train be completely empty. If you saw the next train was 3-5min away and was not crowded, you may consider taking that gamble to wait for the next train for a more pleasant commute.

Also, someone who rides regularly probably knows which car to get onto that is closest to the exit at their destination and where that car stops on the platform. However, if the train is crowded, they may opt wait where a less popular car stops, like the first car since they tend to be further away from station entrances.

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__mud__ t1_j0z2hab wrote

It lets you know if you should wait for the next one.

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solidrecommendations t1_j0z2o4x wrote

I guess … though I doubt I’ll ever skip a train unless every car is literally brimming

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brodies t1_j0z3t07 wrote

In the old days of the Orange Crush and generally high levels of service, I could see it. A train pulls in and is packed, but you can probably wiggle your way on and suck it in just enough for the doors to close. But you look up and see that there’s a train just two minutes behind that’s not crowded at all. At that point, eff it, I’d wait.

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solidrecommendations t1_j0z4b1j wrote

That’s fair. In the old days the metro operators used to announce “there is an empty train just two minutes behind this one,” but I largely ignored that because I wanted to get home.

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Areia t1_j0zanvd wrote

I also mostly ignored them because they would often lie. When I lived in Chicago the bus drivers there were notorious for doing this.

I remember when the first transit apps became available, and you could actually see how far away the next bus/train was. No sir, there is not in fact 'an empty bus two stops away', it's still half an hour out and it's 10 below out here. I think I'll cram on your packed bus after all.

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es_price t1_j0zjj0l wrote

At least there are no more complaints here regarding etiquette violations on crowded trains

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Vio_ t1_j0zeupu wrote

2 Minutes by way of 20 minutes

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BabyBladder t1_j0z9iky wrote

Pre-covid it was a very worthwhile strategy during the summer rush hour commute for orange/blue/silver in the city.

Waiting an extra 1-2 minutes reduced the chance of being stuck next to sweaty stank by like 90%

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Milazzo t1_j0z5sr1 wrote

Or whether to abandon ship and get an Uber. The next train is often 15 minutes away from the full train which is also a 15 minute wait. People are trying to get somewhere!

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indecisive-ness t1_j0z7u6g wrote

I’d probably just walk down to the front of the train if I knew it was gonna be packed personally

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Obvious-Design8030 t1_j115mta wrote

Yeah on my old morning commute I'd just walk down to the front regardless. The spare minute or two weren't worth the hassle.

I hated my job, never scheduled a meeting before 10, and could avoid my boss until 11. It was actually pretty nice.

Evenings, though, I had the racing lines through the station down to a science.

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SluggingAndBussing t1_j11zib2 wrote

I always always use the front car, unless I’m running late and I’m just getting to the platform as the train arrives. In that case I just step in wherever. But the front car is rarely crowded, and often almost completely empty.

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Ericus1 t1_j10fsyv wrote

Was going to say it tells you to walk to the front or back of the train, since those cars are generally less full, but I saw someone else had already made the same point further down.

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BeerBoozeBiscuits t1_j0zc9de wrote

How do they assess crowding levels?

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hemlockone t1_j0znil7 wrote

I don't know if this press release changed, but according to them

>Metrorail crowding predictions will also be available in our data feedto third-party transit and mapping applications, however the predictions are based on historical crowding data, not real-time.

https://www.wmata.com/about/developers/crowding.cfm

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Oaktownbeeast t1_j0zdqsz wrote

There's a machine that takes your money at the entrance and counts how many people enter a station.

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born_to_kvetch t1_j0zeiqt wrote

Bold of you to assume the number of people entering the station is the same as the number of people paying.

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BeerBoozeBiscuits t1_j0ze042 wrote

Yes, but how does it estimate which train you're on, if there are multiple trains going through that station?

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Oaktownbeeast t1_j0zfjgh wrote

Likely an algorithm that calculates expected percentages, based on past ridership. They know that a percentage of riders entering the station go in a certain direction or train. Or maybe even easier, the train conductor communicates that there are lot of people on the train.

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JohnJohnston t1_j0zyx3p wrote

It records which station you exit and transmits that data to the past to calculate the ridership on the train.

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aj2000gm t1_j0za6fz wrote

What if we brought these to the underground stations and not just outdoor suburban stations?

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dsli t1_j100xj1 wrote

There are a couple underground stations with the new displays, they're just placed in more obscure areas (ie Ballston by the handicapped turnstiles/elevators)

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pizzajona t1_j0zo9tf wrote

I like the older displays better. They fit well with the brutalist architecture of the indoor stations

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EternalMoonChild t1_j0zwbye wrote

I’m a bit skeptical, too lol. There’s so much information on the screen and too many colors.

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