DC ParaTransit Info The Wheels are broken, but it's not our chairs …

WMATA’s Response On MetroRail A/C – Update

DC ParaTransit Info received a followup email this morning from Mr Glenn Millis at WMATA, regarding the ability of MetroRail operators to control the HVAC system:

the temperature of Metro's subway cars is pre-set by Metro mechanics. This is very similar to the thermostat in your house or apartment. A big difference though is that the thermostat is not accessible to Metrorail operators. Train operators cannot turn on a heat or cool mode or adjust the temperature. Keeping cars at the same temperature throughout a train trip can be a real challenge. Train doors opening and closing at stations allows cold air out and hot air in which on a very hot day can make an air conditioned car very warm. So on a train with frequent stops on a very hot day, it can often feel like the air conditioning is not working well. And as noted before, we do have an occasional car which air conditioning stops working and when that happens the train simply re-circulates the warm air already in the car. The heaters are not on.

This does finally settle the issue of operator ability to control a/c, but a couple of additional questions spring to mind.

We wonder if the windows on MetroRail cars are coated in such a way to reduce the heat transferred to inside the car from sunlight?  Yes, Metro runs primarily underground, but it has extensive above-ground track too - and the lines with that extensive above-ground presence seem to regularly be the ones with cars having excessively hot interiors problems.

Every local TV station in the morning has a weather report, which should give an idea of the heat and humidity for the day.  If it's going to be an exceptionally hot day (especially if it's going to reach Code Yellow or Code Red air quality levels, for example), wouldn't it make sense for MetroRail to dial the set temperature down on cars a few extra degrees before they're put into service?

During such days, it's not simply a matter of comfort, it's a matter of rider health too - the ban on eating and drinking on MetroRail trains makes it near impossible for riders, whether disabled or not, to stay properly hydrated when they're enclosed in the metal tube that is a MetroRail car, so it makes sense for Metro to adjust accordingly instead.

Pre-empting the effects Mr Millis noted above may be of benefit to the system in general - we would wonder just how well MetroRail cars themselves handle heat and humidity - for example, what would it do to the door mechanisms in a MetroRail car?  If high temperatures inside the car might affect the door mechanism, then turning down the temperature on the cars before they enter service would be a service preventative maintainable action in and of itself.

In neither response does WMATA explain what happens to a car when its HVAC system fails after it's put into service.  We suspect that it is just allowed to continue its assigned operations.

From DC ParaTransit Info's perspective, looking both at the efforts WMATA puts into reducing and minimizing HVAC issues on cars and the number of reports of hot cars we see every day, we're uncomfortable that disabled riders who are susceptible to heat may be forced into having to use the system in these types of situations after Conditional Eligibility is implemented.

To be honest, we feel that any MetroAccess rider for whom heat is a health issue should be considered able to use MetroAccess as part of their Conditional Eligibility - one of the scenarios that was specifically addressed at the public meeting a few months ago.  Regrettably, MetroAccess has not been more forthcoming about what they consider the threshold(s) for such Conditional Eligibility to trigger.

Given the responses from WMATA we had, it's easy to see that in many cases this is not a simple problem for them to address.  One suggestion we can think of is to ask if the design of the upcoming 7000-series cars can have HVAC registers placed above the doors instead of running down the centerline of those new cars, so they can act as partial barriers against incoming hot air.

A second is based on the answer to our question regarding window coatings above.  If there aren't any such coatings, we wonder how much adding them would save in the long run by reducing the stresses on MetroRail HVAC systems?

It's not good enough for WMATA to sit back and say "This is what happens" - what's needed is trying to think of ways to fix or reduce the effects of problems.

If WMATA can slam the ridership with draconian fare hikes, reduce services, and effectively disenfranchise disabled riders from the legally-mandated paratransit system, then they can start using some of the money to improve the simple deficiencies in the system.

Resolving the heat issue is one of those areas where the needs of the disabled ridership and the needs of the able-bodied ridership are in synch.

We think it's a brilliant idea, and will be tracking the results on http://icanhaz.com/hotmetro.