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kevin_from_illinois t1_j0yuwq1 wrote

How full the train is. One is "not very full" and three of them mean "very full".

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TheCarrzilico t1_j0z1ioy wrote

Does none of them mean it's a "g-g-g-g-ghost train"?

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Bigtsez t1_j108sni wrote

Me: "Excuse me, is this an Orange Line train to New Carrollton?"

Old Woman Rider: "On this very night, ten years ago, along this very stretch of track in a dense fog just like this... I saw the worst accident I ever seen. There was this sound, like a garbage truck dropped off the Empire State Building..."

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858 OP t1_j11g63b wrote

Tell ‘em Large Marge sent ya…

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thesabre t1_j11ii7u wrote

It sounded just like THIS *sound of screeching, ablaze Metro train*

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Stitchee t1_j0z7yc7 wrote

Indeed, it does. But no need to fear. They're all friendly ghosts, like Casper.

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TheCarrzilico t1_j0zemhc wrote

I'm sure that there are people that knew former Secretary of Defense Weinberger and view him in a friendly light, but I don't think the majority of the world view him so favorably. I definitely wouldn't want to be in a metro car with his spectral form.

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Smoothvirus t1_j0zz07k wrote

The ghosts only get on or off in Arlington Cemetery

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purpleushi t1_j12nl2i wrote

And they’re the only beings that get on or off at arlington cemetery.

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mddude t1_j0zgf8c wrote

Just like one of the Vindicators in Rick and Morty

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Docile_Doggo t1_j0z9bb4 wrote

Ok that’s actually a pretty cool feature that I didn’t even know I wanted until now

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kevin_from_illinois t1_j0zmknn wrote

Google Maps has been showing it for a while. I suspect it is based on localization data from smartphones.

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LoganSquire t1_j0zueb4 wrote

It’s probably the opposite - Google pulls the data from the WMATA API.

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Eurynom0s t1_j115eum wrote

I don't see how WMATA knows how full the train cars are though without seeing a bunch of phones moving together from station to station.

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mpyne t1_j11fuwe wrote

Embedded weight scale would probably do it. Or even a basic AI looking at a video feed. Doesn't need to be on-the-dot perfect after all.

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digitall565 t1_j11t681 wrote

Google definitely gathers at least some of the data itself, because it lets users input how crowded trains and buses are.

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reachouttouchFate t1_j10thvo wrote

How can the train tell how full it is versus 1-3? If it stops at a mixed line stop, there's no way to tell if people on the platform get on for that line or who gets off to leave.

Does it judge by overall weight?

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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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Frosty48 t1_j0z32gd wrote

How many yellow cards that particular train has.

If it gets three, one of the train cars will be taken out of service.

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techfinanceguy t1_j0yxbwq wrote

I mean, I’m not waiting for one with less people on it, but sure.

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No-Lunch4249 t1_j0yyl74 wrote

Depends on the situation. It I’m in downtown on OR/SV/BL and the train pulls up packed, but another one is coming in 3 minutes that’s nearly empty, I might consider just waiting the 3 minutes.

But yeah 9/10 I’m getting on that sucker

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An_exasperated_couch t1_j0z40xb wrote

This is the only scenario where if I see that orange car pull into Metro Center packed to the rafters and I’m only going to Foggy or something you bet I’m waiting for the next one. I don’t care how full that train pulling into Van Ness is though, you’re damn right im forcing my way in there - that next red line train could be 20 minutes away for all we know

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Macrophage87 t1_j0z5p91 wrote

People also use the Metro to carry bulky stuff, like bicycles, groceries, and Christmas trees. Knowing if you can get on a less full train in a couple of minutes would make sense there.

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dc_dobbz t1_j0z1bkp wrote

Who is? This isn’t Tokyo

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foreignfishes t1_j108ms7 wrote

Would’ve been much more useful like 15 years ago when trains came every 2 mins sometimes

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dc_dobbz t1_j10pbps wrote

They might get back to that if they get the automated system cleared for use again

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keyjan t1_j0zi5db wrote

🤷‍♀️ Six car train rolls in, SRO crush load, and the PID says an 8 car is three minutes out, then yeah, I'm waiting for the eight.

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ahmc84 t1_j0z421i wrote

https://twitter.com/wmata/status/1605201683461640195

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Pure_Contact5891 t1_j0z5ffr wrote

"We added estimated crowding info in 21 stations with our newest Next Train signs. Shown next to the car length, this info is based on previous trends of each train at a particular stop to determine if you get a seat, need to spread out, or wait!"

What is the source of the trend data?

Edit:

kevin_from_illinois mentioned above that "Google Maps has been showing it for a while. I suspect it is based on localization data from smartphones."

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JohnJohnston t1_j0zhcb4 wrote

If the station master wakes up and sees his shadow the train is crowded. If he doesn't see his shadow then the train is on fire.

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LoganSquire t1_j0zelb2 wrote

Take hand, extend finger, lick, hold up to wind.

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keyjan t1_j0zhr6s wrote

My question exactly. If the lead car is packed, and the rest of the train pretty empty, does the train operator say his/her train is “🧍‍♀️🧍🧍‍♀️“ ?

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kevin_from_illinois t1_j124n3o wrote

That may be for historical trends, it could also be from station entrances and exits. Interestingly metrobuses actually have a live indicator of bus capacity, it is explained here: https://www.wmata.com/about/news/Real-Time-Crowding.cfm

I've updated my previous comment accordingly.

Note that the article explicitly states that the tech is not installed on train cars, at least during December 2020.

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Texas_Rockets t1_j0yz563 wrote

It means that dogs are allowed to bring their people into that train

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bravochek t1_j101d78 wrote

"I fear change."

Hahaha. Love this. There are dozens of us, don't worry.

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erichinnw t1_j0zedmc wrote

A car with no A/C notification would be nice in the summer (other than being suspiciously empty)... That's always a slice of hell where you're trapped for a bit.

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rwebster4293 t1_j0z9o7e wrote

It shows how many people are available for summoning/invading at that particular bonfire.

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middlegray t1_j0zhdq5 wrote

Also, what do the sXX numbers next to bus routes mean on the electronic bus time boards at bus stops? Like bus 64 to federal plaza, s23 s55 etc.

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CatDiaspora t1_j0zlvjh wrote

The "s" stands for "scheduled." It means that, instead of giving you a real time arrival estimate, it's the time left until the bus should arrive according to the posted schedule. The "s" turns up when the tracking system has lost communication with the bus, or the bus has lost its GPS connection, etc., and so the system switches back to working with the old-school timetable.

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nothingspecialva t1_j0yzyyo wrote

number of people without arms or legs inside the cars... :)

j/l others have explained it, occupancy level.

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Kriegerian t1_j119f2d wrote

What fancy stop has these nice screens?

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Dry_Wish_4239 t1_j0zszlb wrote

It’s the number of cars on the train. So those are using the old ones with only 6 cars while some have 8 cars. It’s only on certain lines though

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keyjan t1_j10m87n wrote

Yes, those are the numbers. The question is about those little minimalist people emojis 🧍‍♀️

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vagrant_feet t1_j0zve4e wrote

Does this mean that the train to Carrollton is empty? Or is it a ghost train?

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ekkidee t1_j108i31 wrote

Oxygen canisters available on board.

Srsly, no idea. Revenue train vs. non-rev?

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keyjan t1_j10m3b0 wrote

Passenger load. (Although how they’re calculating that is still under debate.)

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JustinNTL1 t1_j12pe19 wrote

It means estimated crowding levels based on historical data. One is “not crowded” and three is “very crowded.”

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Good47Life t1_j13lxu4 wrote

…or the young woman who yelled “b*tches, wait for the next train and stop crowding me!”

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Key_Bed8921 t1_j13ljb0 wrote

exactly what it says...the number of cars the train will have.

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phi_ab13 t1_j0z76d2 wrote

I think one is operated by human and the other is self-driving. They were talking about automating the metro for a while

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blind__panic t1_j0zaa4y wrote

To be clear, they may in the future bring back ATC (automated train control), but the trains will still be operated by a person. ATC is more about the signalling mechanisms, and was actually in operation on metro from when it opened in the 70s until 2009 when the crash happened partly due to a fault in ATC. Drivers on metro won’t be going anywhere for a long time yet.

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