Comments on Weekend video: Can you outrun the train? - Greater Greater Washington

Comment by John Muller

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:47:00 EDT

Thanks for posting this cool video. Have to give it the guy. He stumbled and took a spill but he pulled it off very smooth.

This is kind on topic...

Benning Road (Blue) and Minnesota Avenue (Orange) are really not far from each other... a 15 min walk or so. You could bike it in 5 mins.

Comment by charlie

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:47:36 EDT

@ Falls Church, yep, I know that lady. On nice days I get off at City Sports, then walk down M st, and usually beat her to the four seasons. And that is NOT during rush hour or heavy traffic.

Comment by Falls Church

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:37:02 EDT

There's a driver on the Rosslyn-Dupont Circulator who drives as if her foot is off the accelerator and the only thing moving the bus is the transmission being engaged. I'm pretty sure I could walk backwards faster than that bus.

Comment by MLD

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:12:49 EDT

My reaction to this video was damn, those Paris Metro trains wait for a LONG time at stations.

Not counting any sort of delay (large crowds after events or the 10 minute transfer hold late at night) I think the only place you might be able to do this between one station and the next is Gallery Place (9th & G) and Metro Center (11th & G). I'm not even sure how feasible that is - as someone pointed out, even these stations are much deeper than the Paris Metro (which is basically right under the street).

Comment by BO

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:28:18 EDT

The downtown stations are close together, so you might think that with a 1 minute or longer dwell at each station you would have a chance. But the gotcha is, the serpentining exits mean that it will almost always be two or more minutes entering and exiting each station.

I'm with Will... Friendship to Takoma. That's a 35 minute or so train ride, and shortcutting the U while running could do it, it's 4.4 miles by my pedometer.

There's a metrobus that goes from Friendship to Takoma, but really, walking is about the same speed or a little faster at rush hour. I have walked that whole route in about 75 minutes, and I know the bus in rush hour can take more time than that. All those stops, all the traffic.

Comment by Will

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:09:27 EDT

I bet I could run between Friendship Heights and Takoma and make the same train, or even an earlier one. It's a little different challenge since it's taking the arc on a horseshoe route, and maybe what it illustrates is the need for the purple line more than anything else.

Another one would be running the blue line between Arlington Cemetery and Smithsonian, or Pentagon to L'Enfant Plaza. A fast runner could make the same train, or beat it, but it's again taking the arc of a horseshoe portion of the route.

Comment by Frank IBC

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:09:38 EDT

Has anyone else here run up a down escalator coming out of a crowded station platform?

Comment by Frank IBC

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:08:37 EDT

Another race between man and train.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbSMLa_aE-w

Don't worry, all ended well, except for a bit of yelling.

Comment by CoHi

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:33:24 EDT

I'm more impressed with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sMW-1vE4M4

Comment by aces

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:05:06 EDT

When I read the headline, I expected one of those videos where cars race trains to a crossing. (One of the few times when a tie is the worst possible outcome!)

Comment by rengade09

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 01:42:47 EDT

I think I'd have a good shot at beating an in-bound green line train from Navy Yard to Waterfront-SEU if I got off at the right place and timed it for maximum crush after a Nats game.

Also, I think the last red line train of the night might wait at Metro Center for 10 mins to allow passengers to connect from other lines. That should be enough time to sprint to Farragut North.

Comment by David F-H

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 00:07:05 EDT

I think the struggle that DC metro would have with this is the depth of the stations... this video shows that the Paris trains are shallower, more like NYC's subway... Gal Pl to MC would be tough because of all the hurdles to get to/from the platform. Which is why I'm going to try to do it with an inbound Red Line Train from Dupont to Farragut North. That'll be fun!

Comment by Xavier

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 23:31:16 EDT

Are we ignoring the obvious route of Gallery Pl to Metro Center on the Red Line?

Comment by Frank IBC

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 17:45:04 EDT

@ contrarian -

Wow, I had to read the timetable myself to believe it.

Like molasses.

Comment by contrarian

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 16:41:15 EDT

Walking is competitive with the D6 bus.

According to the timetable it takes 58 minutes to go from 7th and E to MacArthur and Q. Google Maps has that as 3.8 miles for walking. That's an average speed of 3.9 MPH -- a brisk walk.

The timetable is optimistic (or even fictional). The last time I rode that route it took 90 minutes. That's not even a brisk walk. The bus runs every 20-25 minutes at rush hour, so if you have to wait for a bus it's even worse.

Comment by Chris

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 16:38:52 EDT

I can walk to work faster than our University campus shuttle can get there. It's a mile-long walk, but the bus route is just too long to make it worthwhile, except when the weather sucks.

Comment by Urban Garlic

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 15:43:30 EDT

Bike version for Glasgow here.

It ought to be possible to find a bike-able one in DC.

Comment by Jasper

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:47:26 EDT

I bike faster from Georgetown to Crystal City than GUTS and metro can go.

Comment by Froggie

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:38:37 EDT

I dunno about outrunning a train, but I've been able to outbike the 9A Metrobus between Pentagon and Huntington. Beat it by 6 minutes.

Comment by Julien Williams

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 13:30:51 EDT

Farragut West to McPherson?
Federal Triangle to Smithsonian? (too many tourists)
Archives to Gallery place?

Comment by ah

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 13:14:32 EDT

How about Gallery Place-->Archives? Down hill, only a couple cross streets, and the trains go pretty slowly from one to the next.

Biggest hurdle two levels of platform at Gallery Place to get up.