Blue Line delays this afternoon

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An overhead wire issue between the Wardlow and Willow stations this afternoon is likely to cause 25 minute delays through the afternoon rush hour. Trains are single-tracking around the area where repairs are underway.

This is a separate issue from the one that caused delays this morning.

The best way to get service alerts is to subscribe to Metro’s Twitter feed, check the metro.net homepage or install the Metro app on your smartphone.

 

Categories: Service Alerts

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7 replies ›

  1. Steve, as a former Blue Line rider and now a happy Silver Line rider, I take issue with your comments that “Metro buses and trains sometimes have mechanical difficulties.” No, Steve. The Blue Line ALWAYS has difficulties. Like, several times a week. That is totally unacceptable. I’ve lived in places with dependable transportation (NYC) and they rarely break down and you ALWAYS know what’s going on because of the digital displays everywhere you go. I’ve literally waited at Willow for over 20 minutes with no announcements (the the screen displays are absolutely worthless – they tell you NOTHING). I converted to the Silver Line and, while it’s jam packed, it’s still much faster and more dependable than the undependable (and filthy I might add) Blue Line.

  2. Dear Metro,

    In a transit oriented city, people don’t check for service alerts everyday on the computer or check live twitter feeds before and as they travel around the city. They expect service to be running when they get to the station.

    I used to live in London for three years and I never at once had to fire up a computer each morning to see if there were problems on the London Underground. When I get to the station, I expect service to be running. If there are problems, I know it first hand right there with digital signs and clear station announcements that there might be delays. I had no need to fire up my Blackberry to get text alerts. The info was right there in the station environment.

    I mean what’s the point of checking “is the Blue Line okay today for me to go to work tomorrow or should I expect the delays again and leave home two hours early?”

    If that’s the level of service that is provided, people will just go back to cars or motorcycles. Keep that up for weeks and months, it’s understandable of the public being frustrated with this that it’s getting to a point that they see the Blue Line is worthless.

    Honestly, the Blue Line delays are really a mess these days and it is not an excuse that Metro can make that “oh it needs maintenance like everything else so the public should shut up and deal with it and fork over more tax dollars to fix it.”

    First and foremost, you are a service provider. And you’re NOT doing a good job at it. Bluntly saying “just check twitter” is an outrage. If I go to a restaurant and if I’m wondering why my steak is taking so long and the waiter’s response was “just check twitter” I’d never go to that restaurant again. That is what Metro is doing.

  3. Frank,

    Unlocked phones and prepaid SIM cards; Look into them.

    As for the Olympic$. Los Angeles has had them twice. Based on what we are seeing in London right now, I think that was enough.

  4. Frank, what’s a better way to disseminate information immediately into many people’s hands? Give all foreign tourists a “Metro-pager” device as soon as they land at LAX? Please, enlighten us…

  5. “The best way to get service alerts is to subscribe to Metro’s Twitter feed, check the metro.net homepage or install the Metro app on your smartphone.”

    And you wonder why LA keeps losing its bid to host the Olympics.

    Earth to Metro: foreign tourists have to pay expensive roaming fees. Yeah, really great way to impress IOC officials that LA has a superb transit system which breaks down all the time and Metro’s answer is “just fire up twitter on your smartphone.”

    • Hi Frank;

      I don’t recall the United States Olympic Committee citing Metro service alerts or roaming fees as a reason that Chicago was chosen a few years ago to bid on the summer games. Then again, I probably don’t recall it because it never happened except in your imagination.

      I’m unaware of any complaints from foreign tourists that they had to pay roaming fees in order to receive Metro service alerts, which are free to any computer with Internet access.

      Yes, unfortunately, Metro buses and trains sometimes have mechanical difficulties. Just as the buses and trains do in pretty much every other region where they run.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

  6. Poor Blue Line can’t catch a break. Can’t wait to see the new cars being ordered.