Washington Metro
(L) Metro system maps distributed to a train passenger free of cost (R)
Map of Metro System drawn to scale
The Washington Metro, officially Metrorail, and commonly called Metro,
is the rapid transit system in
Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs of Maryland
and Virginia. Since opening
in 1976, the network has grown to include five lines, 86 stations, and
171km of track. Metro is
the second-busiest rapid transit system in the United States in a number
of passenger trips, after
the New York City Subway. There were 215 million trips, or 727,684 trips
per weekday, on Metrorail
in fiscal year 2008.
L'Enfant Plaza station, the major intersection, at which the railways of
redline, Yellow Line, Blue Line, Green Line
and Orange Line are crossing.
(L) Ronald Regan Washington National Airport station is connected with
the airport facilities.
(R) Underground plateform of L'Enfant Plaza station
An emergency-help system place at the platform of Branch Avenue metro station
Metro planners designed the system with passenger safety and order maintenance
as primary
considerations. The open vaulted ceiling design of stations and the limited
obstructions on
platforms allow few opportunities to conceal criminal activity. Station
platforms are built away
from station walls to limit vandalism and provide for diffused lighting
of the station. Metro's attempts
to reduce crime, combined with how the station environments were designed
with crime prevention
in mind has contributed to Metro being among the safest and cleanest subway
systems in the
United States.
A longstanding policy, intended to curb unlawful and unwanted activity,
has to allow employees
to use Metro restrooms. Station managers may make exceptions for passengers
with small children,
the elderly, or the disabled. Metro now allows the use of restrooms by
passengers who gain
a station manager's permission, except during periods of heightened terror
alerts.
Source: Wikipedia
Gallery Pl-Chinatown station
A colored-sign route and station information column placed at a railway
plateform is very valuable
to know that you are at the right place.
(L) Sliver Spring is an urbanized area is a major business district that
lies at the north of Washinton, DC.
(M) Many Metrobus routes serve the Glenmont Metro station, the north terminus
of Red Line, which is in Maryland.
(R) New Carrolton is a suburban residential community, located just inside
the Capital Beltway.
Interior of Metrocar
(L) Intersection of ceiling vaults at Metro Center station, one of the
major transfer stations
(R) A platform of Branch Avenue metro station, the southern end of Green
Line
(L) Newyork Avenue-Florida Avenue Station of the Red Line service
(R) An escalator of Glenmont Metrostation, in Maryland, is the northeastern
terminus of the Red Line.
Metro rail service is now improving its 588 escalators, and we can see
that many of them are not functioning.
Navy Yard station of the green Line ( Red flushing light on when a train
is approaching )
New Carrolton Metrostation is located in Marylland. It serves as the terminus
of orange Line, is connected
with the Amtrak station on the Northeeast Corridor.
(L) A Metrocar is crossing the Potomac River during the heavy rain. The
bridge next is for the Amtrak train.
(M) Metro train is arriving at the Landover station.
(R) Double-deck Amtrak train runs along the Orange Line of the Metro rail
system.
Video-photography was taken at the New Carrolton station.
Several collisions have occurred on Washington Metro, resulting in injuries
and fatalities,
along with numerous derailments with few or no injuries. WMATA ( Washington
Metropolitan
Transit Authority ) has been criticized for disregarding safety warnings
and advice from experts.
(L) On November 3, 2004, an out-of-service Red Line train rolled backwards
into the Woodley Park-Zoo
Adams Morgan station and hit an in-service train stopped at the platform.
No one was killed,
but 20 people were injured.
(R) On June 22, 2009 at 5:02 p.m., two trains on the Red Line collided.
Nine people were killed.
Source: Wikipedia
Information on the Train Ride
Riders enter and exit the system using a stored-value card in the form
of a paper magnetic
stripe fare card or a proximity card known as SmarTrip.
(L) A standard self-service vending machine for passes and fare cards located
at each station
(R) An automatic fare adjustment machine near the exit
(L) The front and back faces of the fare cards
(R) One-day Metrorail Pass is valid for one day of unlimited Metrorail
travel on a weekday after
9:30 am, or all day on Saturdays, Sundays or federal holidays. The pass
expires at 4:00 a.m. on
the day following first day of use.
Fare cards are purchased primarily at vending machines in each station.
A minimum fee is $1.60.
A mid-range fee is $2.75, and $2.75 for a maximum fee. Fare cards can hold
up to $45 in value
and are reused until the value of the card reaches zero. If the card contains
the exact fare
needed to exit, leaving the card at a zero balance, the card is not returned
by the exit gate.
ワシントン・メトロは首都ワシントン市を中心にメリーランド州とバージニア州に広がる広域公共
輸送システムである。1976年の開業以来、乗客数は増え続け、2008年には月間、約2千万人に
達している。ニューヨーク地下鉄に次いで全米で2番目に利用者の多い公共輸送機関である。
鉄道はロナルド・レーガン・ワシントン・ナショナル空港に直結しており、市内各地及び郊外への
アクセスが大変便利である。ことにイエローラインはポトマック川を跨いで市の中心地へ短時間で
直行する。街の地下を走る地下鉄の駅は大きなドームに覆われて一目で線路の端まで見通せる。
これは防犯上の観点も加味して設計されたとのことだ。多くの駅のプラットホームには緊急連絡
用のインターホンが設置されている。
鉄道の乗車券はすべて自動販売機で購入する。現金の場合は釣り銭が出ないので高額紙幣を
使用すると損をする。クレジットカードは最低料金の1ドル60セントでも使用できるのでよい。
購入したその日の夜中まで乗り降り自由の一日券は9ドルである。ヨーロッパなどで使用されて
いる24時間券ではない。
現在エスカレータなどの修復、改修工事が進んでいる。しかし、東京のように多人数で敏速に
行っている気配はない。修理の途中のままの状態で人の気配もなく放置されているところが多い。
故障しているわけでもないのだろうが、朝夕のラッシュアワー以外は下りのエスカレータの電源を
切ってしまっているところが散見される。しかし、乗降客のほとんどいない駅の上下の
エスカレータがフルに作動しているところもある。日本の様なきめの細かさはアメリカ人には
苦手なのかも知れない。
Computerized motorman's panel
メトロの車内は時折、汚れているが概してきれいである。ホームにはゴミは見当たらない。電車が
到着した後、日本では直ちにドアを開けるが、ここワシントンでは少し待たねばならない。その理由は
運転手の動きで分かった。メトロに車掌はいないので運転手は駅のホーム到着後に先ずブレーキの
作動状況を確認し、車両が確実に定位置に停車したことを確かめ、それから、始めて運転席の窓から
ホームの状況を目で見て、ドアの開閉スイッチを操作する。この間、約15秒かかるのである。
Washington, D.C.
Arrival to Washington, D.C. The U.S.capitol Metro railway Union Station Museums
Socioeconomic aspect Smoking ban in Washington, D.C.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
All railway trains should be completely smoke -free.
海外鉄道紀行
イタリア鉄道旅行記 Italia Rail: Trenitalia
アイルランド鉄道旅行記 Rail Travel Ireland
ニュージランド鉄道旅行記 NZ Rail: Tranz Alpine/Scenic
オーストラリア鉄道旅行記 Brief Journey by Australian Rail
米国鉄道旅行記 Amtrak Acela Express/Boston_Newyork
シカゴCTA鉄道 Chicago CTA Rail
マイアミMETRO鉄道 Miami Metro Rail
ストックホルム・アーランダ急行 Stockholm Arlanda Airport and Express
ストックホルム地下鉄・近郊鉄道 Stockholm County Railways
Ｘ２０００の旅 X2000:Stockholm_Copenhagen Express
コペンハーゲン地下鉄・近郊鉄道 Greater Copenhagen Railways
パリ鉄道ターミナル Paris Rail Terminals
パリ地下鉄・近郊鉄道 Paris Metro_RER_Tram
バンコク・スカイトレイン・地下鉄・タイ鉄道 Bangkok Mass Transit/Thai Railways
台湾高速鉄道 Taiwan High Speed Rail
フィンランド鉄道、路面電車、地下鉄 Railways in Helsinki, Finland
インド鉄道・地下鉄 Indian Railways and Dehli Metro
ポルトガル地下鉄・鉄道 Portugal Metro, Railways
アムステルダム鉄道・市電 Amsterdam Rail
スペイン高速鉄道 High-speed train in Spain
バロセロナ都市交通 Barcelona Railways
ワシントンDC地下鉄・ユニオン駅 Washington DC Metro/Union Station
フランス国鉄の旅 Railway Travel in France
ドイツ国鉄の旅 Railway Travel in Germany
バンクーバー・スカイトレイン Vancouver Skytrain
カナダ・エドモントン地下鉄 Edomonton Metro
カナダ大陸横断鉄道・VIA Trans-Canada Railway, VIA
高速鉄道建設の国際競争激化 Market Booms for new High-speed Trains
鉄道全面禁煙化は世界の常識 Smoking ban in the railway trains of the world
2010年10月執筆
禁煙席ネット主宰 医学博士 宮本順伯
★引用部分以外の記事、写真の無断転載禁止
著作権は宮本順伯に帰属
★ 「禁煙席ネット」へのリンクは自由
The article was written and photographs were taken by Dr. J. miyamoto,
in October 2010.
