More News on the Metro Tragedy

The Washington Post continues to carry more stories of Metro's lack to communicate with riders home, particularly the massive amounts of alerts that were sent off yesterday (my Palm is proof of this) that carried little to no relevant information. Many riders said they got information about the crash not from Metro, but from friends and family calling them on the phone.

Metro is also revealed to not have made upgrades suggested by the NTSB, and that the train that crashed into the other train was overdue for brake maintenance, all thanks to the Post, which has done a superb job with their team, from Dr. Gridlock to reporters, on keeping Washingtonians updates and

All in all, it looks like some major introspection (for lack of a better word) at the WMATA is due. From telling firefighters it was a "small incident" to calling the worst accident in Metro history a "mechanical difficulty", WMATA has epically failed in a city that should be excellently prepared for a small or large scale disaster. Metro failed to upgrade trains, maintain trains to be working in a safe manner, and couldn't even be honest with first responders or people stuck at Metro stations wondering what in God's name was going on. I think Metro owes the DC Metropolitan area a lot of answers and it's policies for emergency situations should be overhauled. As a former Orange Liner, I remember when the tornadoes hit and nobody could get past Ballston for an evening- it was an absolute mess, but still, it was better handled than this. While this is far more of a severe sitaution, it shows that WMATA was not prepared and that the heads and people in play at the organization were unable to make solid decisions, or even show critical thinking skills, in the light of an incredibly serious situation.

The Post has also released the names of six victims. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those lost, and the victims of this terrible tragedy.

Finally, FamousDC had this post to Unsuck DC Metro on ways to get home while the Red Line continues to have major delays. If you're affected, check it for alternate routes and hopefully, we'll have a smoother ride home tonight.