The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has, over the years, conducted various public relations campaigns to convince the public of how wonderful the system is. One of these touted the slogan “Metro Opens Doors!” Ironically, the Metrorail trains have doors that will close on you like the jaws of doom. I have seen families of tourists forcibly separated because they were unaware, or did not have fast enough reflexes, to avoid being marooned on a station platform while other family members were off on a voyage of discovery that they had not anticipated.
Besides all the crashes and derailments that have made the news over the years, there is the deteriorated condition of the rolling stock. I have on my desk as I write this, a screw that I found on the floor of a Metrorail train. It is symbolic of the decline of what was once a model urban transit system. (The Washington DC system is second only to New York's in size and ridership.) Often there are cars with no heat in winter or no air conditioning in summer; other cars have leaked to the point that the dampness has led to mildew growth. (I call these foul smelling coaches “Legionnaire’s Disease” cars.)
A recent event I experienced only serves to highlight the sad state of affairs. While riding the Blue line I had to wait for several minutes, oddly enough because the doors would not close properly. We finally got underway when the train operator made a desperate announcement: all passengers were to watch the doors as they attempted to close, and, if they were stuck, to shove them closed! I do not know which valiant passenger literally threw him or herself “into the breach” as it were, but we eventually departed the station without further incident.
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