Comments on: Public Transit and Pucks: Mortal Enemies?

By: David

David — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:13:32 +0000

I’m with Amy; nothing beats a good pre-game beverage, a matinee of puck, followed by a post-game meal. That said though, I have to wonder who has the gaul to bitch, gripe, and complain about the metro when their trip begins and ends in the People’s Republic of Montgomery County. Anyone idiotic enough to live there deserves the socialistic maner in which their customers are served. Stand in line my friend…

By: Victor

Victor — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:03:17 +0000

This weekend is shaping up to be just as bad, if not worse, with major rehab work going on at Metro Center:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/getthere/2008/01/major_rehab_at_metro_center.html
I’m going to drive this weekend…and this is from someone who tends to be a staunch supporter of Metro, as the lesser of two evils. I’m beginning to re-think my continued defence of them (of course, the highway-robberish fare increases haven’t helped me continue to defend them).

By: Cathy W

Cathy W — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 04:47:49 +0000

We take the Orange Line and were lucky going into the game and going home because we did not have to wait the full 12 minutes between trains that is the Sunday schedule. Going home the train was crowded but at least it was a 6 car train. Metro in its cost cutting wisdom is now running a lot of 4 car trains on the Orange line after games on week nights. One night,the train was so full that folks could not get on the train two stops after Metro Center. Metro’s website has a section to submit complaints about service. PLEASE DO SO, otherwise Metro can continue to ignore the problem. Enough people complained that Metro restored 6 car service to the mid-day weekday schedule. The Post also has a transportation guy, Dr.Gridlock. who has a blog “Get There” and an on-line chat on Mondays that Metro sometimes monitors. No one complained about the Red line service on today’s chat. So you might want to also submit complaints there.

By: ann

ann — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 04:02:15 +0000

let me chime in with a little car-free perspective.
i’m a season-ticket holder. much of the reason why i can be a season ticket holder is because the caps play in the verizon center which is accessible not only by metro rail, but by several bus lines. if the caps were still playing at cap centre, there’s no way i’d be able to attend half as many games.
last year, i ventured up to nj to watch the devils play the senators in continental airlines arena. the trip required a great deal of planning, in order to time the bus from the port authority correctly, and as i stood on the bus, devils fans hanging onto overhead rails for dear life, i thought to myself how great the metro was.
is the metro as good as ny’s system? no. it’s got fewer trains and more limited hours. i too have my metro horror stories, but on the whole, having the metro system in place enhances the game-going experience.
metro service could be better, but it’s a heck of a lot better than what’s available in other cities, including those that are noted “hockey towns.”
i’d rather have a slow metro and more fans that no metro and less fans.

By: NS2NOVA

NS2NOVA — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:16:06 +0000

Looks like this weekend will be just as bad or worse, as they have scheduled repair work at Metro Center Station, and Red, Blue and Orange lines will be down to 1 track.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:42:58 +0000

No problems for me on the yellow line. Of course I left three hours early to wait in line at will call..

By: amy

amy — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:00:13 +0000

Took the Metro in for the game yesterday too. Was a bit of a delay at New Carrolton waiting to board and a few stopping points until we hit underground. Put us a little past our usual time of 35 minutes but we were still there in plenty of time to see the puck drop. As frustrating as it can be at times, I certainly prefer it to driving in! Good move on our part? Went and grabbed a great post-game nibble to wait for the platfrom to clear out. Maybe should head in early for a few pre-game beverages next time? Certainly beats the annoyance of being late!

By: jdug

jdug — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:46:25 +0000

Don’t get down on Metro guys. It will get better. Just keep riding it and I’ll keep finding good free parking a short walk from the stadium.

By: Norm

Norm — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:07:54 +0000

We use the Orange Line frequently, and it usually isn’t bad; the wait for the return trip can be a little annoying. The worst part is paying $3.75+ for parking – and of course, sharing the ride with Penquins fans.

By: pepper

pepper — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:54:22 +0000

I can provide some perspective, being a current NYC resident and former Arlingon resident.
My commute to the game yesterday was about 7 hours roundtrip – blissfully swift and efficient NYC subway ride to NY Penn station, then to Amtrak down to Union Station, DC. However, I would guess that my overall stress level was lower than that of many local suburban fans.
My first reaction yesterday was one of surprise getting into town and onto the Red Line platform at Union Station at about 12:45p. The nice bright schedule noted a 15 minute wait for the next train. Excuse me? On a game day? Even during the most off of off-peak times in NYC, most lines run trains every 5-10 minutes.
If an oft-used line experiences delays for even one morning up here, its big news and generates huge outrage. Of course the volume of ridership is much higher in NYC, but Metro has always been brought out as this great symbol of local government pride – look how clean and efficient our subway is! Well, I’ll give them one of those. (And even then, I saw a PSA in the subway yesterday alluding to the rats in the NYC subway and the ban on eating / drinking in Metro. Well, I’d rather put up with a few rats and get to my destination swiftly and reliably.)
After the game, I recall waiting for the red line towards Glenmont, taking the two easy stops to Union Station. While I waited for that train (about 5 minutes or so) I observed the opposite platform teeming with humanity, ready to spill onto the tracks, with no trains in sight going that direction. Inexcusable. But I’ve never known any DC infrastructure to operate in any other way.