Monday was the first big commuter day where riders hopped aboard fully automated trains on Metro’s Red Line. As they went about their busy morning with heads down and earbuds in, most riders didn’t even notice the transition.
“I didn’t know it was automated,” Bland Butler told WTOP, as he was riding toward Shady Grove on the Red Line.
“It’s still the same to me. I’m not sure maybe later on, but right now it’s the same,” he said.
As riders boarded, no new announcements were made. Just the same “doors closing” that most riders have heard thousands of times rang out to commuters.
“Everything is the same. I came from Union Station, everything was the same,” another rider said.
A keen-eyed rider may notice that the trains are running a little faster, especially on long uninterrupted stretches.
The top automated speed is 75 mph. When a train operator is driving, the top speed is 59 mph.
The Red Line went fully automated on their redline starting Sunday and reported very few issues.
It had been around 15 years since a Metro train was not manually operated.
The transit agency paused operation of automatic trains after a deadly crash in 2009 that killed nine people and injured an additional 80.
Later investigations determined the automatic operation wasn’t the cause of the crash but rather a defect in the track was.
Metro said automatic operations of their trains will provide for a smoother ride and customer experience.
Train operators will have the option to resume control of the train if there is inclement weather, track issues, or if they are single-tracking.
“Automatic train operations represent significant advancements in safety and efficiency for Metro customers and employees,” Principal Director and Chair of the Board’s Safety and Operations Committee Don Drummer said in a release. “ATO also offers numerous advantages that contribute to an improved trip experience, increased reliability, cost savings, and more environmentally friendly train operations.”
Automatic operations will expand to other lines in 2025.