It seems we have a good number of people here on CC who are in the greater DC area. I know the subway has closed for weather - but shutting down for 29 hours NOT in weather (mechanical inspections apparently) seems like a nightmare!
Who’s working from home tomorrow and who will try other modes of transportation??
This turned up in my FB feed this evening. It sounds like an absolute nightmare. So glad to be in the Far North MidWest right now rather than at my place in Germantown, MD.
Sending deepest sympathies to all in the DMV!
This country needs to invest in its infrastructure. Things like this are not only a major inconvenience to many but an embarrassment.
I have drivers making deliveries to hospitals in DC. I really feel for them. We will try and accommodate for the traffic.
My daughters use the buses, but a fiance is having to work from home tomorrow. They didn’t announce it until 4:30, after many people had headed home and were not prepared to telecommune.
And this isn’t happening on a weekend?? Why? I know the metro gets a ton of weekend folks too…but really…the working folks rely on this.
I think it was a good call; 2 fires in 2 weeks from the same type of faulty wiring warrants prompt action. I like the that the new GM is putting safety first. Better to do a thorough inspection and address the issue when the tracks are empty than to have folks stranded in smoke filled tunnels.
Any chance they will be running extra buses?
Safety and faulty wiring sound pretty high priority to me. Glad they are being proactive.
The DC Circulator Bus (not Metrobus) is adding additional service; The Capital BikeShare is offering a free 24 hour membership MN tonight to MN tomorrow (usage fees still apply).
And Federal Government is open with liberal leave policy (telecommute or take leave without prior approval).
Not being able to use metro tomorrow is a bummer. I am expecting the traffic on the roads to be bad.
I’m in the Maryland suburbs and am once again grateful that I have a miracle commute of only 1.2 miles. My office actually moved that close after I’d worked there a year.
I used to commute downtown every day about 20 years ago, and Metro was much more reliable then.
Maybe there is more to this than they are sharing. Just saying… Be happy that thy are checking stuff out.
I’m sure traffic will be worse and those who can telecommute or chose alternate days may benefit from being flexible. I’m hoping things will speedily be repaired and Metro will be back in full service in no time.
There must be serious problems for them to shut down during the workweek. It’s good that many employers are being flexible. For all those people with long commutes…I feel for you!
My D’s company in DC is well set up for everyone to work from home in bad weather or emergencies IF they take their laptops home. They remind everyone if there is a storm forecast, but don’t know if they got word of this in time or not to remind people.
I think there was a fire this week that was like the one that killed a passenger last year – no injuries this time, but they decided they must inspect. Seems prudent to me.
I’m a transplant to the DC area from the New York area. When I read the news stories that said that this was the first non-weather-related shutdown of the Metro system ever, my first thought was “What? You don’t have transit strikes?”
I commute from one Maryland suburb to another, and I saw less traffic than usual this morning. I think there is massive teleworking going on.
Boston’s MBTA subway is over a hundred years old and not that well maintained. Its safety record is far better than the DC system which is less than 40 years old.
^^You’re going to jinx the T…
I am teleworking. My wife carpooled with a friend that has a parking permit