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Metro collision - a rider's perspective
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Following this evening's horrible collision on the DC Metro Red Line, many of us are in a state of shock. We are thinking of those poor souls who were perhaps returning from work or on their way to meet someone oblivious to what lay ahead. So far, 6 fatalities have been confirmed and many others were injured. I will not speculate on what caused the accident but will only offer my point of view as I was riding on the Red Line during the incident:
5:30pm: I was inside the Dupont Station when an announcement came over the PA system instructing station managers to post their "severe delay" signs. I thought it was quite odd that it needed to be announced rather than just phoned in.
5:32: Several Metro cars were visibly in line behind the current one at the station and no trains were coming the other way
5:35: An announcement stated that Metro riders at Fort Totten and several other stations should exit the system but no reason was given.
5:48: I was finally able to board a train and headed north toward Shady Grove but I knew that trains were "single tracking" and there might be a delay.
6:15: By this time, our train had only managed to reach two stations. In between stops, we would wait inside the tunnel with the driver instructing us that the train would depart shortly. Again, no other information was given and my cell phone lacked coverage underground.
6:30: I managed to reach Bethesda and decided to abandon the commute there as I was very frustrated with the delay (I still had no idea what had occurred and no one else seemed to know either)
6:35: My wife picked me up and finally explained what had happened.
What I have learned as a result of the collision is that Metro trains operate on a type of auto pilot. I first had a hint to this when I noticed a driver peering out his window with the train advancing even with him not at the controls. Apparently, the entire system operates like this with drivers able to override the controls as necessary.
In some ways, this is comforting assuming everything works but obviously, something went horribly wrong Monday. But again, it is pointless to speculate at this time. We will know the cause soon enough. What is more important is to feel for those who lost their lives as one can only imagine what their families must be enduring.
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