I’m not sure what to make of the recent issue at Metro involving the problems with the railcars. Frankly, I thought (hoped?) that this was something that we had put behind us; that the systems for oversight and management of these contracts on the new cars meant we would no longer have these types of issues. At the same time, I’m somewhat relieved that what could have been major safety problems were caught while the railcars were still up at the assembly plant in New York. Maybe I’m seeing the glass as half full, but if these cars made it into service here before the problems were discovered we might have had a real tragedy and, at least, might have an even longer delay in full implementation if the cars had to be sent back for repairs. No, these manufacturing problems shouldn’t be happening but I believe it’s better to catch them now so that we can keep the new cars when they arrive and before someone is injured.
The wait for smart cards
Marcus wrote in with several issues and I’ve picked out just one — for now: “The Fairfax Connector has been promising installation of the smart card technology on their buses for more than two years. With luck, maybe by the end of 2006 by their Web site [I won’t hold my breath — I choose to live!]. But I ask why don’t they in the interim just dispense with the dual fare at West Falls Church Metro and implement a one-fare policy that eliminates the need for transfers from Metro to bus to save 15 cents? After all, how many people really are riding buses to West Falls Church and catching a Fairfax Connector bus further west? It doesn’t make any sense to me, and they could avoid the frustration of having to remember to get a silly piece of paper every time you connect at that station. Only once has a driver ever even looked at them in the five years I’ve been riding the thing. It would also cut down on litter (can’t say we’d save trees but perhaps a few branches) and would cut down on the volume of transfers dispensed at the stations (leaving more for those where it actually might make a significant difference).”
The smart card rollout started on Montgomery County’s Ride On system earlier this year and I haven’t heard of any major problems so far. That bodes well for further rollouts. At this point, the end of 2006 seems a little optimistic if only because the installation of the machinery takes some time, but I would be surprised if it were much later. I’ll try to keep everyone posted as more information comes in.
Questions, comments, random musings? Write to [email protected].
