I Rode on the New Metro Train

The other day when I was heading home from work one of the new trains pulled into the Bethesda Metro station. I decided to jump on and get a first hand look at what the new trains looked like.

I was impressed. Very modern looking. First thing you notice is there is an automated announcement of what stop you are at. No more garbled or incomprehensible  announcements from the conductor of the train.

No carpet on the train at all. There are several places that shows what the next stop is as well as the rest of the stops on the line.

The seats were very comfortable. They have a higher back on them which gives you more support. There are no arm rests any more so you can't catch a strap from a purse or back pack on one of them.

In all a very favorable impression. I will say that around the doors there doesn't seem enough things to hold on to. I know the idea is to have people move into the center of the car. But at some point, especially during rush hour the car will fill up.

It was a great look into the future of Metro.  The draw back is, of course, it will be years before this types of cars become the rule on Metro as opposed to the exception.

And as people wait you have the problems you had this morning. All the fancy new trains won't make up for what feels like delays all the time. Here's a little of what happened:

Updated at 8:27 a.m.

Metro said trains on its Red Line are continuing to share a track between the Grosvenor and Twinbrook stations.

There is a problem after oil spilled on the tracks, while another train was offloaded for a brake problem. Delays are up to 30 minutes for riders.

Metro said trains are bypassing the White Flint and Twinbrook stops.

Updated at 8:49 a.m.

Crowded platforms and delays remain on the Red Line for riders. Trains are sharing a track between the Grosvenor and Twinbrook stations because of an oil spill on the tracks near the Medical Center stop.

Riders are experiencing delays of up to 30 minutes.


Updated at 10:37 a.m.

Still, there are problems on Metro’s Red Line. Trains are sharing a track between the Grosvenor and Twinbrook stations. Oil got on the tracks, Metro said.

It is not known how the oil got there. Around 10:30 a.m., crews could be seen trying to clean up the oil.

It was not immediately clear how long the delays would last on the Red Line. But many riders had a rough — and long — commute in Wednesday morning’s rush hour.