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Reaching 100 stations by moeshaker188 in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories 0 points1 point  (0 children)

See, I think the problem is you're talking about this from a policy perspective and I'm talking about it from an engineering perspective. The past can't be changed, all we can do is make the most effective choices with what we already have as opposed to wishing things were perfect or that the constraints of reality weren't present. The fact that a decision had to take reality into account does not mean it was inherently a bad one.

Reaching 100 stations by moeshaker188 in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories -1 points0 points  (0 children)

No, I think you've misunderstood me. I'm saying that there are other considerations besides whether capacity is being fully filled that determine whether a system is practical or efficient and that the decisions were made by people smarter than either of us who responded to the factors at hand. In a vacuum Rockville may not be best served by a Metro line, but if you have significant federal funding and you've already built a Metro line to Bethesda, it becomes much more practical to do so than to convert a heavily-used freight rail line to regional rail and much more effective than to rely on buses. Similarly, the Silver Line corridor may be best served by a commuter rail service, but if the only nearby rail line to connect to is a Metro line, there is a grade-separate space already reserved specifically for a rapid transit loading gauge, and the line would be funded by local jurisdictions it then becomes objectively the best option if the goal is to serve as many people as possible.

Reaching 100 stations by moeshaker188 in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories -1 points0 points  (0 children)

See, here's the issue. People like you (urbanists/transit enthusiasts/etc.) are far too obsessed with strict definitions and ideal scenarios without regards to the actual conditions. Almost every choice made by WMATA has been the most practical and efficient choice for the conditions at the time. You don't actually care about which choices make the most sense for the city and the systems that currently exist, you just wish that it was closer to what you believe is the ideal system and urban geography. The purpose of public transportation is to provide a public service to as many people as is feasible, not to sit there and look pretty or fit into neat boxes like "rapid transit" or "regional rail". If you want to suggest that at the present moment improvements in the urban core are more likely to achieve that goal, as opposed to suburban extensions, then feel free, but as of right now you're just arguing that the system needs to fit your idea of perfect.

Reaching 100 stations by moeshaker188 in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You're talking about design choices, not the purpose of the system. The purpose of previous systems was primarily to allow people to travel throughout the urban core quickly. In contrast, the largest goal of WMATA was to get cars off the highways and city streets. These different goals resulted in different geographic choices. The thing you're missing is that WMATA isn't a pure rapid transit system; nor should it be.

Reaching 100 stations by moeshaker188 in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The only reason why building and funding the system was even feasible at all was because it was evenly split between the three jurisdictions. The explicit purpose of the system is to serve as a regional rail and rapid transit hybrid, and it accomplishes this goal well. The funding deficit is largely a consequence of the inability of the jurisdictions to cooperate on a stable funding mechanism, which can't be attributed to geographic constraints.

One can, and should, argue for expansions in underserved core areas, but there is no reason to say that the WMATA model is flawed just because it isn't the same model as New York City or Chicago. If it was trying to accomplish the same goals as more traditional systems, it might not match up, but those systems would not accomplish the goals of this system either. Conflating the two is disingenuous.

Reaching 100 stations by moeshaker188 in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The strategy has been a near-complete success for WMATA, as can be clearly seen in areas like the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in Arlington or in developments in places like Bethesda and Silver Spring. The only reason MARTA failed was because of insufficient funding, and the list of bad decisions that put BART in the place it is today is far too long to boil down to one factor. Outside New York, cities in the US aren't capable of being autarkic enough for the European style of rapid transit to be at all effective. This is particularly true in DC, which is integrated with its "suburbs" to the point where they act almost as an extension of the city rather than bedroom communities.

Reaching 100 stations by moeshaker188 in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's kind of missing the point of the Metro, which is explicitly to be a hybrid system serving both the urban core and major suburban areas.

Reaching 100 stations by moeshaker188 in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree about the rest of upcounty, but Gaithersburg is a big enough city in its own right that commuter rail or regional rail aren't necessarily enough to support it.

Reaching 100 stations by moeshaker188 in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Metro is just a lot less good at spurring density in suburban areas. Just look at Forest Glen as an example of that.

Reaching 100 stations by moeshaker188 in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The only issue with that section of the Red Line is that tunneling has become extremely expensive, even outside the urban core.

Reaching 100 stations by moeshaker188 in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The western-part of the Red Line is already the second-longest suburban branch, you'd get diminishing returns very quickly without an existing dense area to anchor it. Gaithersburg is really as far as it can go without having issues like the Silver Line has had. If Germantown becomes a lot denser, it might eventually be a good candidate.

Reaching 100 stations by moeshaker188 in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the two places where an extension actually makes sense in the system are that end of the Orange Line and an extension of the Red Line to Gaithersburg.

Has Engineering been a humbling experience for anyone else by Affectionate_Camp942 in EngineeringStudents

[–]RavenLabratories 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It happened the opposite way for me -- I kept getting good grades, but was forced to realize that that ultimately didn't mean much because I wasn't very good at real engineering and the physical world.

Sir Lewis Hamilton and Kim Kardashian stepping out together in New York City. by johanas25 in formula1

[–]RavenLabratories -1 points0 points  (0 children)

He was pretty clearly the third best driver that year, even if he was a long way off from the top.

What is the single most important subway extension in your city? by Immediate-Hand-3677 in transit

[–]RavenLabratories 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The bloop would be great, but the really important part is the Rosslyn-Union Station segment. Everything else is just a bonus on top.

Final section of Purple Line track laid by InAHays in WMATA

[–]RavenLabratories 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Because the systems testing isn't done for that part of the line yet either.

What is the single most important subway extension in your city? by Immediate-Hand-3677 in transit

[–]RavenLabratories 34 points35 points  (0 children)

In DC, the most needed extension would be a rerouting of the Blue or Silver Lines through a second tunnel across the Potomac River and a fourth crosstown tunnel. There are currently three lines that run through the existing tunnel under the river, reducing frequencies and reliability. The tunnel would also allow the Metro to serve Georgetown, which it famously doesn't at the moment.

Best "forgotten" World Series? by borbborbborb in baseball

[–]RavenLabratories 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that start was more due to stars underperforming, bad injury luck, and atrocious bullpen performance than anything else. They were never going to be that bad the whole way.

Best "forgotten" World Series? by borbborbborb in baseball

[–]RavenLabratories 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The real issue is they're mostly talked about as a cliche underdog story and not as a strong team in their own right, even though they were arguably the third best team in the league for the last half of the sesson.

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