Metro to operators: Remind yourself, 'This is an eight-car'

WASHINGTON -- Some Metro operators are having trouble remembering how long their trains are, so the transit agency is offering a suggestion -- talk it out.

Most train operators are accustomed to taking the helm of six-car trains, but some may be confused when they operate longer, eight-car trains during rush hours and special events.

Some operators haven't been pulling all the way into stations or have been opening the doors while rail cars are still in tunnels.

Now, Metro is encouraging operators to repeat how many cars are on their trains when they make announcements pulling into and out of stations. The agency has gone so far as to place placards inside the cabs, telling operators how many cars are attached to their trains.

For example, an operator would say, "This is an eight-car Green Line train to Branch Avenue" when pulling into a station.

The hope is that verbally reinforcing the actual number of cars on the train will trigger a mental note of how far trains should pull into a station.

The transit agency is considering having supervisors ride with operators or having supervisors stand on some platforms to direct trains to pull all the way into stations.

The problems with operators opening doors in tunnels popped up when Metro operators began manually opening and closing doors in mid-April. A mechanical malfunction necessitated the switch to the manual operation.

"You are now adding human error into the equation," says Metro spokesperson Lisa Farbstein. "This is a way operators can remind themselves.,"

There have been no reported injuries because of doors opening inside tunnels.

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