More on 5-second Rule

Memo



UPDATE: I've set up a Red Line meltdown thread on Facebook if you'd like to share your story.

Other items:
Nats, Metro still still at impasse (Examiner)
$5 giveaway botched (Examiner)

New Policy Builds in Delays

Via @FixWMATA: On the platform at Takoma. twitpic.com/avr50m #WMATA cc @kurtraschke

Several readers have reported hearing train operators announce a policy of waiting 5 seconds to open the train doors after pulling into a station.

Odd thing - on green line, operator keeps announcind "doors will open in 5 seconds". New practice @wmata?

— Styx River Gynoid (@StyxRiverGynoid) September 17, 2012

A Metro source confirms the new policy.

They said the policy was implemented after an operator opened the doors off the platform.

"Instead of dealing with that issue, the company made the new policy," they said.

According the source, operators are now instructed to stick their heads out of the window and, with their hands at their sides, wait 5 seconds to activate the doors.

"The operators are pissed," the source said. "I saw a new supervisor giving operators grief for having their hand on the wall of the train instead of at their side."

The source said the scheduled run times for the trains has not been changed.

Riders will likely be pissed, too.

There are 27 stations on the Red Line. If dwell time increases by 5 seconds at each, that amounts to 2 minutes, 15 seconds delay. #WMATA

— Kurt Raschke (@kurtraschke) September 17, 2012