Metro Station Weekend Closing

  If you plan on getting around the city this weekend, you could be in for a little hassle...especially if you are planning to use the Ft. Totten Station.  WMATA has announced system maintenance taking place from April 20th through April 22nd that will result in the closing of the Ft. Totten Metro Red line Station, as well as Takoma and Brookland stations.  Busses will be running between Rhode island and Silver Spring stations all weekend, but you should plan to ad at least 30-40 minutes to your normal travel times.  More information can be found here.  Good luck and safe travels.

Violent Crimes and Neighborhood Watches

  Reports have recently come in of another mugging taking place in the park that seperates Galloway and Gallatain St's NE early Sunday morning, on the upper path close to the Magnolia Plumbing Facility.  An adult male was walking through the upper section of the park, and was attacked by two males with a 3' section of pipe and struck in the back.  During the altercation only his cell phone was taken, and he sustained fairly minor injuries.  Park Police are working with the victim, but this is yet another instance of neighbors being assulated or ambused (regardless of which they have definitely been targeted) while walking through the park to get home.  In the past few months there have been several robbery attempts, utilizing various weapons, in the park yet nothing seems to change.  Although there seems to be more police presence at the metro station itself, there is still a marked lack of police presence away from the station.  Many long time residents see this as a trend taking them back nearly a decade ago when violent crimes and rape were major problems in the park.  Some neighbors have commented on seeing police occasionally patrolling the paths, but acknowledge more needs to be done.   
  DDOT (d.), in partnership with Toole Design, is still in the process of finalizing their plan to improve the Metro Station and park area safety and accessibility.  Their plan to increase lighting, add new paths, better sight lines and safer sidewalks also extend to improving the paths and safety of the park access points. The d. and Toole Design Project Managers were contacted for updates on the project, but no response was received.  However, d. still broadcasts that work on this redesign will begin later this year, and cost just under $3M.  Information on the redesign and current status can be found here : http://tooledesign.com/forttotten/downloads/2011-08-04_1st-Galloway_ReportFINAL.pdf and here: http://tooledesign.com/forttotten/.
  In the interim, however, personal safety and increased vigilance is recommended.  With this in mind Samantha Nolan, Neighborhood Watch Coordinator for DC, will be holding a Community Watch Training Session at the Lamond Riggs Library on South Dakota this Thursday (April 5th).  Ms. Nolan has over 11 years experience with Community Watches and will be providing this training free of charge to all in attendance. Attendance is strongly encouraged!

Neighborhood Watch Training Session

Thursday April 5, 2012
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Lamond-Riggs Library
Street: 5401 South Dakota Avenue, NE
City State Zip: Washington, DC 20011
Phone: 202.541.6255
Web: http://www.dclibrary.org/lamond.

Ft. Totten in the News

Alot of peoiple have been worried about grim outlook of Ft. Totten in DCMud post a few weeks ago.  The post viewed Ft. Totten as a lost cause and floundering.  However, we were contacted by Andrew Siddons of Urban Turf right before the DCMud article ran, and had began talking with him on his neighborhood profile piece.  His article has finally ran, and it paints a much different picture of our quiet corner of the city.  Regardless of which position you side with, it is always interesting to see our neighborhood garnish a little attention.

Extreme Makeover: Ft. Totten Metro Station Edition

  As the construction traffic increases and multiple development projects prepare to permanently change the neighborhood landscape surrounding the Ft. Totten Metro, the residents are left pondering the question "what is being done to improve the neighborhood for us."  Well, DDOT has heard your pleas.  In fact, a little known plan has been in existence for quite some time that will totally re-invent the current pedestrian, cycle and motorized traffic patterns around the entire neighborhood.  The selected design concept for 1st Pl and Galloway St, NE will improve circulation in the area, improve the astetics of the metro station and make it more comfortable for all users going to and from the Fort Totten Metrorail Station.
  As a means of sharing this information with the neighborhood and getting your input and feedback, DDOT will be holding a meeting reviewig the proposed plan this coming Tuesday at the WMATA Police substation.  The presentation will not only review the changes to the station astetics, but also show proposed path locations (yes a cut through for the park between g\Galloway and Gallatain is in the proposal!), improved traffic signals/signage, improved lighting, improved bike storage/access and improved/additional cross walks (the below maps details areas and changes that were studied for the proposal).  If you live in the neighborhoods surrounding , or regularly use, the Ft. Totten Metrorail Station, this meeting is a must attend!



 CommunityWalk Map - 1st Place and Galloway Street NE Transportation Access Study and Improvement Plan

Ft. Totten Metro Station Transportation Access Final Project Presentation
Date: Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Location: WMATA Police Substation
5315 1st Place NE
Washington DC 20011
(next to the Fort Totten Metrorail Station)
Presentation Agenda:
1. Recap of the project goals & process
2. Present preferred design
3. Discuss next steps for the design

Find out more at: http://www.tooledesign.com/forttotten

NTSB Hearing on Red Line Crash Today

The NTSB is holding it's board meeting today on the horrific June 22, 2009 redline crash at Fort Totten.  Live streaming of the meeting can be found HERE, and is available free.  So far the findings indicate a scary mix of operator error (violation of operator policy), poorly executed track sensor maintenance and poorly maintained right of way.  A sad situation, but an interesting and somewhat scary look into our Metro System.
Also, the NTSB explanatory animation of the crash can be found HERE, and help understand what went wrong.

Update 07/27/2010 @ 3:30 PM

Findings:
The collision between trains 112 and 214 was caused by a a failure of the  track circuit module, causing train 214 to be undetected and allow train 112 to operate at full speed. This was caused by WMATA's failure to institutionalize their Enhanced Circuit Test created in 2005.

Contributing Factors:
1) Lack of safety culture in WMATA (safety is sacrificed over schedule)
2) Failure to effectively maintain it's track signal system
3) GRS/Alstom's  failure to supply maintenance plan to prevent signal failure
4) The Tri-State Oversight Committees lack of effective oversight and lack of authority to drive change
5) The FTA's lack of federal and safety oversight

Recommandations:
FTA:
1) Seek to gain authority to enforce safety track and equipment authority more effectively,and create review reports
2) Seek toxicological reports from employees fatally injured in accidents similar to that required by the Federal Railway Association's in the Code of Federal Regulation Part 49

WMATA/WTA:
1) Provide NTSB updates on recommendations and corrective action plans created by findings above
2) Establish a program to remove and replace all old audio track signals from metro system
3) Plan to Identify and remove any signals showing signs of parasitic oscillation int he metro system
4) Remove all WMATA wayside maintenance communication stations
5) Conduct safety audit of Automatic Train Control System
6) Upgrade Preventive Maintenance System
7) Review recorded operational data to identify possible operational and safety issues
8) Non-punitive safety reporting program across company
9) Periodic Review of all Safety Audit by WTA Chairman and staff
10) Remove all 1000 series cars from service immediately, and replace them with new cars that have crash and safety features equivalent to the 6000 series metro cars
11) All train cars operating in lead car service shall be equipped with event recorders

Alstom:
1) Develop Peridioc Inspection guidelines of all GRS Audio Track Signal modules
2) Conduct a comprehensive analysis of all audio track signal modules to determine if Parasitic Oscillations are present in other models

Mass Bay, Penn Metro, Cleveland Transit, Atlanta Metro, Caifornial Metro and Chicago Transit:
1) Work with Alstom to establish GRS Audio Track Signal module periodic inspection  standards to identify and remove all modules showing parasitic oscillation from service in their systems

Ding Ding Ding Goes the Trolly: Metro Streetcar Debut This Week

 One of the most anticipated plans in DC Transportation History, the modern streetcar system, is about to hit another exciting and major milestone tomorrow.  The new DC Streetcar will be on display starting  tomorrow (May 5th) at City Center DC (the site of the old convention center), and run through Saturday.Admittance to the Showcase is free, and the event schedule is as follows:

• Wednesday, May 5, 11am – 7pm
• Thursday, May 6, 11am – 7pm
• Friday, May 7, 11am – 7pm
• Saturday, May 8, 11am – 5pm

Citizens will thave a unique opportunity to get a hands on look at the Skoda-Inekon built street cars, which are very similar to the ones currently being used in Portland, OR. 

Want to learn more about the Streetcar program? 
Check out these links for some good information:
d. Streetcar Showcase Announcement
d. Streetcar Proposed System Plan
d.Streetcar Homepage

Rhode Island Ave. Metro Station: Construction Begins

The Rhode Island Ave. Metro Station's parking lot was closed this morning  indefinitely due to the start of construction of a new multi -level parking structure.  Commuters with parking passes for this station are allowed to park at any other metro owned parking lot.  The parking garage is part of a previously reported project which will add 274 apartments and 70,000 sq ft of retail space in addition to the parking structure. 
Details of the construction can be found HERE.

Riding on the Metro: WMATA Swimming Through Apologies

The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority, an organization in the throws of utter failure. The last year and a half has not been kind to WMATA...especially to it's most infamous and eldest branch, the Red Line. Most of the country is well aware of the June 22, 2009 accident just past the Ft. Totten Metro Station. This horrible crash that claimed 9 lives, however, was hardly the initiating incident for the Metro's woes. Poor management, even poorer maintenance practices and an aging/ignored system are the real culprits for the current state of WMATA.
Coming into 2010 looking to revitalize their tarnished image, WMATA had identified a significant $40M budget gap. As appaling as that initial estimate seemed, WMATA had a plan...a 10 cent fair hike across the board from Feb to June of 2010. However, only a few weeks after the first gap announcement, WMATA finally settled on an almost unfathomable number...$189M. A $189,000,000 dollar kick in the stomach to an organization already laying still and motionless on the ground. This forced a shift in focus from the system wide fixed and rolling stock issues to simply balancing their horribly off0kilter budget. Metro has come up with a new plan to balance their budget...Service Cuts, Fare Hikes (another $.10), Subsidy Increases and Staff Reductions. What this means to the everyday commuter is WMATA will make the metro more expensive, less accessible, lower staffed and demand it's partner states to use more of their taxpayer money. All this plan does is attempt to close the GAP in the budget, but does not provide any money for the capital improvements needed to fix and/or upgrade it's system. The second most used commuter system in the country outside of New York City.
Closing the budget gap is important, but it doesn't address any of the issues that arise from utilizing an aging system (WMATA Capital Needs Assessment). All rail transportation systems have two components, Rolling Stock (equipment that moves or "rolls" on the rails like passenger cars, locomotives and power units) and Fixed Stock (stationary equipment like switches, the actual rails and signals). The metro has been gradually phasing out older rolling stock, or reducing their service time. This combined with potential new maintenance practices could be addressed over time without a major investment outside the budget. The larger and more pressing issue is the age or the Fixed Stock assets. Much of the system, inparticular the Red Line, has been in place since 1976 (CNI Prioritization Slide 3) Now this is not particularly old or overused for a transit system. The bigger concern is the number of switch, signal or rail failures in the past few years. The need for a significant capital investment seems to be necessary, but unlikely to happen with significant budget gaps and state partners unwilling to foot the bill. In fact WMATA has published its Capital Needs Inventory (CNI), detailing more than $11 billion of capital improvements that are necessary over the next 10 years to maintain the transit system’s safety and reliability.
With a revolving door of General managers and Chairmen for the past few years, it seems to be a case of the right hand no knowing what the left hand is doing. A world class commuter rail system is a difficult animal to reign in, however, cities and countries all over the world manage to do it every day. Is there a case to possibly privatize the system or bring in an outside operator (similar to Cal Trans has done for it's commuter system in San Fran or Seattle has done for it's Sounder line) to run the system? Commuter rail was, is and never has been a for profit business. It is a service provided by a government to it's citizens, so raising money is always a challenge and a burden on the same people who pay to use it. This however does not excuse poor management and safety, putting the financial and physical security of the very people responsible for funding the system at risk.