Comments on 3 years after crash, Metro repair and funding is top priority - Greater Greater Washington

Comment by H Street Landlord

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 22:44:04 EDT

@Jacob - Source for this statement? "What little information does come out indicates financial mismanagement (stemming from a combination of incompetence and outright fraud) is a huge and growing problem at WMATA"

I know its cool to hate on WMATA, and they aren't perfect, but still...

And yes, RIP to those who passed. Very sad. Inexplicable, really, in a closed system.

It's still far, far, FAR safer than riding in a private vehicle.

Comment by charlie

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 13:07:12 EDT

I think the panel is basically right -- fix what we have already before worrying about expansion. That goes for streetcars and Silver Lines as well as outer beltways.

The chronic inability of any local goverment to do adequate maintenance is staggering. I suspect it is all a funding stream -- rather than putting a coat of pain on every year (which isn't a special budget item) they would rather let a bridge or road detoriate until you can apply for federal funding.

Comment by John M

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:48:33 EDT

Rest in Peace to the nine folks who lost their lives three years ago today on the east side of the Red Line by Ft. Totten station. (Could have easily been on that train as the Red Line is my home town line.)

The lost souls are gone but not forgotten:

Mary "Mandy" Doolittle
Veronica DuBose
Ana Fernandez
Dennis Hawkins
Lavonda "Nikki" King
Jeanice McMillan
Ann Wherley
David F. Wherley, Jr.
Cameron Williams

May you all not have lost your lives in vain. WMATA get your act together because it is, as we all know, a matter of life and death.

Comment by Jacob

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:23:46 EDT

Before WMATA "can show the public that it is managing repair funds effectively" it has to actually start managing repair (and other funds) effectively. What little information does come out indicates financial mismanagement (stemming from a combination of incompetence and outright fraud) is a huge and growing problem at WMATA. Can anyone name a single major initiative (of any kind) which WMATA completed on-time, in-budget and up to reasonable quality standards within the past 5 years?

"Communication and customer service has improved"
^[Citation Needed] The recent experiences of myself and others I've spoken to indicate little, if any, recent improvement in these areas.

Comment by Dizzy

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 11:03:39 EDT

David,

Why do you think it is that successive WMATA heads, including guys who seem to "get it" and are talented administrative and transit professionals, have all been unable "to reform the insular culture" and "show the public that it is managing repair funds effectively."

The only answer I can come up with is that they have all been afraid that greater transparency will reveal just how rotten everything is in the state of Metro - that Metro is not now, nor has it in a long time (if ever), been effectively managing much of anything. If you know that your entire organization is massively dysfunctional but also extremely resistant to change, how apt are you going to be to reveal that to the world?

Comment by jnb

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:48:29 EDT

I would be surprised if the money for the park came from Metro's budget -- Metro's compact language explicitly forbids Metro from operating anything other than for a transit purpose. Metro has danced this dance at Takoma and other places and anything to do with a park has always been verboten.

Comment by ksu499

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:36:54 EDT

What part of Metro's budget is giving up $1 million to build a memorial park to the Red Line casualties? I'd rather they spend it on system maintenance.

Comment by MJ

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:10:01 EDT

Wish we could shut whole lines down for 6-9 months at a time and get these major repairs done. Obviously, that wouldn't be popular, but metro is a ticking time bomb. In 20 years, the system will be outdated and over capacity. Now is the time (in the next 5 years) to make all repairs so that the 10 years after that can be focused on expanding the network.

Comment by Scoot

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:02:20 EDT

It seems like a top priority for everyone but Metro.

Comment by Michael Hamilton

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:00:46 EDT

This is some hard-hitting journalism.

My favorite part was the careful analysis of Metro's budget to see if repairs are actually a priority.