Metro's Track Record
In the last three weeks, a tree fell over a
metro track at Falls Church, a train derailed at
Rosslyn, and a track caught fire near a tunnel
in Metro Center. Fortunately, none of the
incidents caused any major injuries to
passengers.
The last mentioned incident affected me today morning. I was stuck in the train near Friendship Heights for over an hour because of the fire at Metro Center. Somehow the incident did not affect me or anyone around me. I continued to read my book and people around me read their newspapers and within an hour we were where we needed to be.
When I got out the train, the metro station was dark and running on emergency light. It so happened that the fire was not the only exciting event of the day. There was a major power outage at Pepco substation that cut electricity in several metro stations in downtown DC. 10,000 customers (offices and residences included) suffered as a consequence. With the escalators not functioning, I had to walk up 150 stairs, all the while wondering how the older folks I saw in the train would manage the hike. After I got out of the metro, I began to walk the usual mile to my office. What should have been normal outside was chaotic too. The road was full of ambulances and fire engines rushing past the station. I wondered if they were on their way to attend to people in need of aid due to the fire or if they were attending to some other unknown emergency. I hear sirens from cop cars, ambulances and fire engines everyday at Dupont, and fire alarms in buildings go off every other day. But, these sirens I heard today didn't seem like a drill. There was something going on.
I wondered what kind of chaos such an incident would have caused in India and if a track on fire would be considered minor or major. Here, even in the middle of a tunnel, I felt assured that everything was being taken care of. There are cameras everywhere and lots of security guards, the train driver was making announcements periodically and keeping us updated on the progress. I realized today that I was not alone in resting my faith in the system (and in technology.)
When you live in the capital city with cops everywhere and with every nook and corner being monitored, you may hear some whining about the lack of privacy, but there is no denying that it feels safe. There's an overall sense of safety , and orderliness in the way things are handled.
The two incidents in the previous week did not bother me either. When a tree fell on the track, my colleague was forced to get out of her train and walk three hours to get to her place, but she didn't seem bothered by it. Just amused. When the train derailed too, there was no paranoia. Life went on.
