Metro in 2014
This week I took the subway (Metro) for just the second time since pandemic panic week zero. From 1997 until 2014 Metro was my daily companion though not always an agreeable one. My commuting times were more than 2 hours a day, well over an additional work day per week spent riding in and out of town. Not a total waste - I got a lot of reading down during those hours. There was time to decompress on my way home or, I guess compress, on my way to work. Getting on at the end of the line in the morning, I usually got a seat, though that was by no means a given.
Toward the later years, however, Metro strained under two big issues: One, the weight of ridership beyond what had been envisioned when the system first opened in 1976 (just in time for the Bicentennial of the U.S.). Second, the consequences of delayed maintenance beyond the boundaries of smooth operation and well into questionable safety territory. And in fact, there were a number of fatal incidences that rocked the DC area and eventually spurred officials to take action. But for me, it was too little, too late. My final years of commuting were extremely frustrating, with unpredictable delays multiple times a week, resulting in my sometimes being hours late for work or arriving home long after my family had eaten supper. Meanwhile the cost of commuting and parking at the metro soared to more than $16 per day.
So I was interested to see what progress had been made when I boarded Metro this week for the first time on a weekday and just the second time since March of 2020.
On the plus side, Metro, like the New York City subway, has implemented Smart Phone express pay. Before heading to Metro, I transferred my SmartCard to my iPhone and set up Express Transit. I am pleased to report that worked flawlessly. I tapped my phone to the target pad and without needing to authenticate with Face ID the gates sprung open. Unfortunately, I was not able to board the train at the closest station. My station and the next one on the line are undergoing major work and are closed for months. Metro is providing a bus to the third station down the line where I was able to board the train.
Trains are no longer packed. Admittedly, I was traveling after rush hour but the stations and the trains were nearly empty. Unfortunately, for all the repairs, my train was held for about five minutes because of a ‘downed train’ on the tracks ahead. Still five extra minutes sitting on a nearly empty train is a very different experience than 20 minutes standing with someone’s elbow in your eye. On the whole, the ride was pretty mellow.
Emerging at Judiciary Square, the stairs were entirely ripped out and undergoing repairs, but the up escalator was in place and was actually operating so that was a pleasant surprise.
Returning home later during rush hour, things were slightly busier but only slightly. The cars were still pretty empty and there was barely any wait for the bus detour around the closed stations.
Back at the end of the line, I was pleased to see that the parking lot gates were wide open. Metro was not charging to park. That kind of made sense since mine was one of the few cars in the lot, but it was still another nice surprise. The trip in and out cost $5.75, less than it would have pre-COVID.
On the whole, even with the delays and closed stations, I found the trip in and out of DC was more pleasant and less stressful than it used to be. (No doubt it helped that I was meeting a friend for coffee, not worried about being late for work.)
Still I felt sorry for Metro, my old nemesis. What is a transit system, even a broken one without riders? DC too, was unnaturally quiet for Tuesday morning, with government workers and so many businesses still working remotely. The Metro itself seemed sad and somehow longing for its dysfunctional and chaotic past.
My friend Karen and her husband moved into downtown DC in February of 2020 anticipating the delights of the city, from restaurants to theaters to bustling cafes. Yes, just in time to invoke that well-worn response from the deity to human plans – divine giggles. They are still enjoying life in a beautiful condo in the city free of the hassles of upkeep and yard work but it is not exactly the life they expected.
Riding home on in the nearly empty car it occurred to me that it is not the world but our expectations of how it should be that get us every time. If we could move into the city, if they would just fix Metro, if I could lose 20 pounds, if things would just get back to normal, I would be able to find joy, we think. But if those conditions should ever be met, there will be three more conditions that are unmet. We long for quiet but when it arrives, it feels wrong and we miss the noise and bustle.
The chance for joy is to somehow see that this present moment is the only time that ever was and will ever be. And as difficult as it is, the most important time to remember that is when there is a downed train on the track just ahead.