Saturday Evening Metro “Service”

I made the huge mistake of taking Metro on Saturday evening to hear a band that was playing at a bar in Chinatown.

I will admit that I left my house late. I knew I would not be able to catch the start of their set. I had no idea I would miss out on more than half of it.

The reason was the ever unreliable and undependable weekend “service” of Metro. I waited at the Rhode Island Avenue stop for 25 minutes for a train going in the direction I needed to travel. In that time four trains going in the opposite direction came through the station. Four trains. I was so pissed off.

And the next train signs were of absolutely no help. All they showed were the trains going in the other direction. Then again I guess the sign was correct because it is supposed to show the trains coming into the station. It turned out all of them were going in the opposite direction I needed to go.

This is the type of service we get from Metro. I can’t believe it. Imagine if I’d had to switch lines. And the ride back was just as bad.

I had decided I wouldn’t drive to the bar because I was concerned I would not be able to find a parking place. That finding parking would take too long. But after this charming experience I will be driving from now on. I’ll just add some extra time so I can find a parking place. Sort of like adding extra time for the Metro ride.

The thing that really gets me is that this is the type of weekend “service” Metro is going to be providing for years to come. It’s part of their as Metro puts it “rebuilding” program. If you could actually see some positive results it might be worth it. But you don’t see any results. All you see is the weekend after weekend after weekend of disrupted service. For now on the weekends, at least at night, I’m driving.