Paul Sableman/FLICKR
MetroLink has been running with a single car on some routes throughout the past month.
The public transit agency announced in late September that it would begin putting some single-car trains into service instead of its normal trains, which include two cars. Metro Transit framed the change as a pilot project that would allow "more flexibility" that "provides opportunities to try out new innovative options that may better serve the changing travel patterns of our MetroLink riders.”
But as the experiment has continued into its seventh week, with no end date publicly announced, some riders have grown fed up. A recent Metro Transit Facebook post apologizing for the lack of communication around the experiment drew 70 comments, not a single one positive.
Riders shared about how crowded the single-car trains have been and the stress of trying to load into a single car during all-too-brief train stops. One described being "packed in like sardines."
Wrote another, "I get on at Central West end around 345/4 p.m. And it's terrible. One of the drivers often says, 'This train is departing in 10 seconds' while people are packing into a train, down the aisles. Riders don't even have time to board the train! These one-cart trains are ridiculous! Trains are so packed wheelchair bound people can't even get on bc people can't move out of the way."
Even a driver weighed in on Metro Transit's post. "The single car train KILLS dwell time and any chance of keeping the train on time because you have an entire platform worth of passengers trying to squeeze into four sets of doors as opposed to eight," he wrote. "Central West End at rush hour is a prime example of it. And a lot of times that single-car train is already full before I get to Central West End and that adds to the problem."
Frequent public transit user (and former RFT proofreader) Evie Hemphill tells the RFT that difficulties with the single-car trains are particularly acute for people using wheelchairs or bicycles. A two-car train has three areas for bikes — at the back of the first car and then the front of the next one, as well as the back of the second car. A one-car train means everything on wheels is stuck in the rear of the car, which she's seen grow perilously crowded. She blames the one-car system for a broken fender on her bike. "I had to push my way in," she says.
Hemphill says the lack of communication has also been frustrating. At first, Metro Transit suggested they were doing this as an experiment that could help reduce wear and tear and be "more efficient" for security on patrol. She says she's skeptical of those reasons — and her attempts to find out how long the pilot will continue have gone unanswered.
"Be straight with us," she says. "Are the cars not in working order? Are there not enough mechanics? They can't blame it on the driver shortage because it's the same amount of drivers."
In a statement to the RFT, Metro Transit said it would make a decision on the future of single-car service by the end of November.
“Metro Transit launched a pilot program on October 2 to evaluate the operations of single-car MetroLink service," its statement read. "The motivation for this pilot program came from the pandemic, where limited resources and manpower affected our ability to deliver transit services in the region. We want to determine if single-car service provides any resource advantages or operational efficiencies that could be useful for future service planning or as a contingency in challenging situations. In addition, we also wanted to gauge any potential impact on safety and security on the system, as well as rider feedback."
If nothing else, they're getting feedback.
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