<p>As a resident of DC these days, and a commuter on the red line (the one affected by the accident) I though you folks might find an on the ground update useful.</p>
<p>The accident was on a portion of the redline that is not used by visitors very much - not many sites are in Takoma Park or Silver Spring, MD. However, the fallout from the accident is affecting all of the redline. Specifically, they have increased the spacing between trains so that during rush hour, less than half the normal number of cars are running. The trains are also running more slowly. This means that the effective capacity to move folks is sharply reduced. </p>
<p>For example, this AM, I boarded the train at Friendship Heights - first stop inside DC on the western leg of the redline. Because I was at the boarding point for the first train car, I was just barely able to squeeze in. Folks at the remaining stops down the line could not get on. A co-worker’s train went out of service at the zoo stop so everyone had to detrain. It took him 8 trains (and about 45 minutes - he’s patient) before he could squeeze onto another train. Normally trains run 2-3 minutes apart during rush hour. Today they were running 5-12 minutes apart. </p>
<p>What this means specifically is the following:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Getting to and from the National Zoo will be close to impossible during rush hours - roughly from 7 to 10 AM and 4 to 7 PM, especially if your travel is in the direction of the commuter crowds - downtown bound in the AM, outbound in the PM. Similar problems hold for people travelling to/from DuPont Circle, one of the busiest stops on the redline. </p></li>
<li><p>Mid-day and weekend travel should not be impacted in a big way because the trains are spaced 6 or more minutes apart under normal conditions. </p></li>
<li><p>this is a good time to be aware of the Metro bus system, which is not always the fastest, but is reasonably reliable outside rush hour and reasonably comfortable. Conveniently, most bus stops have schedules and route maps for the buses using that stop right at the bus stop! And the drivers are nice and willing to help. </p></li>
<li><p>folks at your hotel might be useful too.</p></li>
<li><p>whatever you do, don’t plan to drive downtown to the mall area to avoid transit problems. You won’t. 10,000 others will have the same idea, and the mall area just does not have the parking space - and you can bet that any commercial parking you find will be expensive. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>I have no idea how long this slowdown will continue, but my best guess is for several weeks - until the feds diagnose and fix the problems that led to the crash.</p>
<p>Thanks for this update. What a tragedy and it looks like getting around DC this summer will require patience and good timing.
I was just in DC on the weekend riding the Metro. I am planning on going back for a couple of day trips and I guess we won’t be getting the red line at Silver Spring.
Do you think getting on the Red Line at Shady Grove and going in and out of DC that way would be okay?
Don’t worry - I won’t even think of driving into DC.</p>
<p>My daughter commutes to her summer internship by taking the Red Line from Shady Grove into DC. </p>
<p>What you need to realize about that station is that even though it has five thousand parking spaces, they fill up rather early in the morning – and they may be filling up even earlier now because some people are going to Shady Grove rather than to stations on Silver Spring/Glenmont end of the Red Line. My daughter normally arrives at Shady Grove at about 7:30 and has no problem finding a place to park, but since the crash she has been making an effort to arrive earlier, at about 7:15, just to be sure to get a spot. I don’t know how much later you could arrive at the station and still be sure of getting a parking space.</p>
<p>Can you take a bus to Shady Grove or somewhere else on that side of the Red Line from where you live? That might work better if you plan to go into DC at a later hour.</p>
<p>Of course, this problem only applies on weekdays. If you want to take the Metro into DC from Shady Grove on a weekend, you will find an abundance of parking spaces available.</p>
<p>We will be in DC over the fourth. We will be staying with relatives in MD. S lives in Georgetown. I think his plan was for us to drive to him, then depend on public transport the rest of the time. We were going to the Farmer’s Market, the Braves/Nationals Game, and the mall on the 4th. Not sure how it is going to all play out.</p>
<p>I will have to remember to take my patience pills that morning!</p>
<p>DH commutes on the Red Line from Shady Grove. It is taking about 15-20 minutes longer than usual for his commute.</p>
<p>S2 has a number of friends who are doing research at NIH and UMD this summer and take the Red Line to the Green Line to get to campus/home (different ends of the Red Line, but he has friends on both sides of the county). He was very thankful to hear that none of his friends were on the trains that were involved. </p>
<p>Unfortunately it looks like it has taken a disaster in order to atart shaking loose the funding that is needed to maintain an aging fleet that gets heavy use.</p>
<p>The red line could well be running this weekend from Silver Spring in - we just don’t know. There will be some accident reconstruction this weekend, but they could single track. Who knows. </p>
<p>The bigger problem for most of us is figuring out when they will get back to full capacity. On my way home tonight at around 5:30 the Farragut North station was chaos. I only got on a train because I ran, literally, dodging waiting people, to the first door at the front of the train and barely squeezed on. So rush hour at the wrong station is still a mess.</p>
<p>I boarded the Red Line at Friendship Heights on Monday afternoon shortly after 4 pm, going to the airport. I love taking the Metro in DC, and I was thinking on this trip how civilized it is to be able to get right to the airport by subway. My sympathies to all the regular commuters who will have to cope with these problems all summer.</p>
<p>(ID 55796) Disruption between Fort Totten and Takoma. Trains are sharing the same track between Fort Totten & Takoma stations due to the ongoing June 22nd accident investigation. Shuttle bus service is available from Fort Totten & Takoma. Expect delays in both directions.
[Metro</a> - Rail - eAlerts](<a href=“http://www.wmata.com/opt_out.cfm]Metro”>http://www.wmata.com/opt_out.cfm)</p>