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Do you understand the difference between safety and maintenance?
The Metro escalators are old and poorly maintained. They're breaking down. It's got nothing to do with people walking on them, that's just something you've made up.
I'm still wondering why Wheaton and Forest Glen we're built so damn deep. No body of water is nearby so I don't get it. What in the world is underground between Silver Spring and Glenment that caused them to build them so deep. If can emergency we're to happen i'd take forever to get out of the station, Forest Glen has no escalators because its too deep but it does have 6 high speed elevators that'll take you to the surface in about 10 seconds. But if a power failure we're to happen and the tracks are inaccessible then people have to walk up flights of emergency stairs to get up 200 feet to the mezz. Then Wheaton on the other hand, those escalators just cant be walked up if stopped, you'd faint.
Metro tunnels were an engineering challenge. The system travels through soft soil, bedrock, and river sediment. I'm sure WMATA would not have arbitrarily designed those two stations (the deepest in the entire system). Taking a quick look at a geologic map of the area, it looks like there is a different rock formation just to the west of where the tunnel runs (Geologic Maps of Maryland: Montgomery County). I also found reference to the bedrock running particularly deep where the station is located (Metrorail Glenmont Route).
Other than shut down these stations because evacuation could be unsafe, what do you suggest be done about the situation? Either they rely on electrified means of egress, or folks climb some long stairs.
Metro... is full of it when it comes to the escalators..
how do you explain then that after they have FIXED them many even broke down MORE OFTEN... (Washington Post expose).
Simply put they put in garbage and either a) can't fix them b) don't know how c) have incompetent employees who screw them up d) all of the above.
I have ridden all over the metro system on every line and been to just about every station in my 10 years of living here. Do you know how many times I have seen the escalators in Pentagon City shopping mall breakdown????? or been out of service???
zero. and they get just as much traffic and walking on them per day as the metro escalators even the ones that have covers on them and breakdown...
It's flat out ridiculous with metro on the escalators... but in some god dang stairs and lots of them. I had no problem walking up Wheaton and did it many times when I was living in Maryland... others can't that I understand... but they shot themselves in the foot on this one...
Metro tunnels were an engineering challenge. The system travels through soft soil, bedrock, and river sediment. I'm sure WMATA would not have arbitrarily designed those two stations (the deepest in the entire system). Taking a quick look at a geologic map of the area, it looks like there is a different rock formation just to the west of where the tunnel runs (Geologic Maps of Maryland: Montgomery County). I also found reference to the bedrock running particularly deep where the station is located (Metrorail Glenmont Route).
Other than shut down these stations because evacuation could be unsafe, what do you suggest be done about the situation? Either they rely on electrified means of egress, or folks climb some long stairs.
Oh I see, thanks. btw this map is very interesting I forgot all about topography.
What they should have done (back when Metro was built) was not have any escalators at all, and just built at least 10 banks of elevators for each station. Elevators are much lower cost to build & maintain than escalators. But too late now--poor planning screwed the pooch.
What they should have done (back when Metro was built) was not have any escalators at all, and just built at least 10 banks of elevators for each station. Elevators are much lower cost to build & maintain than escalators. But too late now--poor planning screwed the pooch.
I suppose they could always start over again... Hello calling Otis... anyone??
Does anyone here bother to read URLs that people post in support of their argument?
Hey, I just read yours. Let's see what it said:
Quote:
Walking up or down an escalator is not only potentially dangerous, as Metro says, but it causes more wear and tear, according to "Mathematics and Physics for Programmers."
OK, seems like there is some evidence for walking causing wear and tear. Or...is there?
Quote:
"Subway operators often complain about the additional wear and tear on the machinery due to people walking up the stairs. If people choose to walk up the escalator, then the escalator has to exert the force necessary to propel them faster. This means it needs greater power. On the other hand, increasing the velocity decreases the time during which they are on the escalator, which decreases the total mass being lifted."
Furthermore, standing on the right causes additional mechanical wear and tear.
OK, so walking AND standing causes additional wear and tear. In other words, USING the escalator causes wear and tear. What a stunning conclusion that is. Thank you for posting a link that supports what we have been saying all along.
All of these escalator outages pose a major god damn safety threat. If there was a terrorist attack or a fire or anything bad really, a lot of people would die simply because they wouldn't be able to get out of the station quickly enough. Remember the Dupont Circle farce a few weeks ago? The floor of the station where the escalators were was completely packed since two were out of service... and that wasn't even an emergency situation.
WMATA needs to be sued, or maybe have an Iraq pulled on them. Take out every person in charge and put someone new in there, preferably with brains.
The 12 the G metro center exit has had both escalators working at the same time for a total of 2 weeks during the past 5 years. Not exxagerating at all. There was almost a 1 day period a couple weeks ago where both were working, this week, a few days where both were broken.
They'll finish the silver line before they have both of those escalators working at the same time for more than a day.
WMATA knows what they're doing and have things under control. It's really getting tiresome to see people on this thread second guessing their every move.
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