This picture of D.C.'s Metro platform is the reason you can't complain about SEPTA today
Complaining about SEPTA is as Philly as soft pretzels or "youse guys" or not winning Super Bowls.
This picture of D.C.'s Metro platform is the reason you can't complain about SEPTA today
Mike Bertha
(Susan Walsh, AP)
Complaining about SEPTA is as Philly as soft pretzels or "youse guys" or not winning Super Bowls. But, today, January 16, 2013, is the one day that Philadelphians aren't actually allowed to complain about public transportation because ZOMG LOOGIT ALL THE PEOPLE ON THAT PLATFORM.
Seriously, for all of SEPTA's cash-only, exact-change, sorry-that-machine-is-broken failures, the only days that platforms in Philly look like this is the morning of the Broad Street Run and when the Phillies win the World Series. That picture (of D.C.'s Gallery place, via @ssullivan228) is insane.
The delays on Washington, D.C.'s Red Line were caused by signal problems. Service has reportedly been restored, but residual delays of 40 minutes or so are expected. Suddenly, the Regional Rail doesn't seem so bad. [HuffPo]
Comments (32)
I have lived in DC and rode the Metro, SEPTA is better hands down. This is just more human nature - people ALWAYS think something they don't have is better.— war vet x4- more folks with somewhere to go, more folks with jobs in DC than in Philly— advantasux
- In Washington, Metro is an acronym for "Monumentally Expensive Transit Rip Off." Of course, SEPTA still stands for "Swiftly Eliminating Public Transit Altogether."— rhawnhurster
- I've taken the DC Metro. It is 100x nicer and cleaner than SEPTA stations. The trains are cleaner, and there are little to no bums living in the stations. SEPTA will always be terrible— theeman1
- to phil80: Your comment ("DC's metro barely leaves the city. How many MARC lines are there in DC? one? two?") illustrates that you don't understand the DC region very well. All Metro lines (Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Green) have at least one terminus outside of DC city limits, either in suburban Maryland or Northern Virginia.
MARC has *three* lines, and a more apt comparison for MARC would be to SEPTA's regional rail.
The majority of Metro funding is federal, but local jurisdictions (Maryland, Northern Virginia) have to contribute as well.
Oh, and Metro stations *are* generally air-conditioned in the summer.— cameralady - I have ridden DC Metro subways and for the most part, the subway cars are a little shorter at the top than SEPTA subways. You sweat a lot inside the station as you wait with the zoo all around you. Body heat adds to the discomfort.— Aces high
- Please compare Apples to Apples and Oranges to Oranges. I have ridden all three lines mentioned and they can all use some improvements. DC is like our Regional Rails and probably smaller. They get extra funding from the Federal Government--why? It's DC clueless. The Capital. They need new trains as well. Philadelphia just updated some of their lines, specifically the "El". They have ordered new trains and need to address the crime issue on all lines. New York has plenty of work to do in updating their trains. Their platforms are always crowded but that is because their are over 5 million citizens in a very small geographic area. They need to spend more money on their lifeline. Cars in NY do not make sense. Mass Transit needs more money--plain and simple.— A. Martinez
- Cars is NY make sense. Mta blows. — tynol10
- Transit needs more money yes but it needs to be banned in ny and DC and Chicago where it all gets pocketed and stolen. Plus those places have the worst systems whereas we have the best. — tynol10
- No you scum. DC HAS NO RAILROAD. NO TROLLEY. NO HIGH SPEED OR TRACKLESS. DC has light rail like our route 10. That's it. We have a far more advanced and large system. Any person with a brain stem can see that. DC metro is a piece of garbage that uses light weight cars that they don't even own. It's trash. Our system was better engineered, better thought out, but we can't even send a dem to Harrisburg to maintain it. So it comes back to you. You have no right to complain. — tynol10
- What I started to post, before this fine website froze and posted before I was finished .... Metro is 1000% more efficient,cleaner, and reliable than SEPTA. Hell, PTC was better than SEPTA. When they say 'no eating or drinking on Metro platforms, they mean it. I've seen Metro police give tickets and remove people from platforms for eating. Maybe that's how they keep the stations clean -- of course, they have on-site porters,too.And no graffiti. The Red line is the oldest so they have more maintenance problems. I'll take the Metro over SEPTA any day.— iggles_rock
- SEPTA wishes it had that kind of ridership.— citylumberjack
- all things considered,the Metro is 1000— iggles_rock
- Perhaps the dumbest article ever. The crowd explains DC Metro's popularity.. b/c it is WELL-RUN. Septa is not, sir.— Nezhy
- DC is smaller and poorly run and 2 modes. SEPTA is massive a d insanely well run and 7'modes. You pathetic dolt — tynol10
- And how much in FEDERAL funds does the DC metro get? It is heavily subsidized in many ways including hundreds of thousands of federal jobs worked by people who need to get to work. Septa regional rail is far superior-Downingtown to Doylestown-probably one of the longest commuter rail lines in the country. DC's metro barely leaves the city. How many MARC lines are there in DC? one? two?— phil80
- The writer has obviously never seen Suburban and 30th Street Stations on those frequent occasions when SEPTA is having technical problems also. It is worse than this.— Philly Born
- Yall keep saying DC metro is newer but the freakin Rail Cars are older than Philly, Philly has done tons of renovation (El Train) and I always felt safe on Septa, where all these cowards coming from talking about safety, where yall facts and numbers to support the notion that Septa ain't safe and that DC is safer????? As a City, Dc is just has violent as Philly is, btw!— LOVEMYCITY
- Any transit system can have a bad day. This just happened to be a bad one for DC. I have never lived in the DC area, but used the Metro there a couple of times as a tourist...which is more than I would say for SEPTA. And at least the MTA in New York has made an attempt to improve in recent years...which is more than I would say for SEPTA.— len p
- Mta is two modes. BEYOND BANKRUPT AND INEFICIENT. Needs to be bulldozed. Septa is far more efficient. Always will be. — tynol10
- I used to live in D.C. - Metro might have old cars & that's fair, they could use an update. But its a TON safer than SEPTA. Which is my only complaint here w/ our system.— kennedy2
- SEPTA is safe. Kick out Corbett in '14 and it'll be even better. — tynol10
- Comparing Septa to DC's Metro system is a joke. It's like comparing an old beat up Yugo with trash in the back seat and syringes on the floor to a new Porsche - and that is not overstating it. DC has the best subway system in the country. You need to get off the couch once in a while...— topwonk
- WRONG. Septa has the best system. Way more multimodal. Metro is a dead old man and SEPTA is young strong boxer with 8 arms. One for each mode of transit they have. — tynol10
- I wonder if they have panhandlers roving from car to car on DC's metro trains like on SEPTA?— phljoe1
- I have never noticed any homeless panhandlers on Metro, and I rode Metro for three years (and the Red line for 1.5 years) when I lived in the area.
I'm not surprised to see this kind of crowding on the Red Line due to signal problems. It is a heavily traveled line and it does not share tracks with any other line, so riders cannot simply just transfer to another line. When Metro is good, it's good. When there are any hiccups (like the Metrorail collision on the same line in 2004) occur, mayhem ensures.
Metro is generally cleaner than SEPTA (and for further comparison, the NYC subway). Metro also has a rule against eating in the system which is supposedly enforced and riders seem to take it seriously.— cameralady 
Comment removed.- Less dank, more ridership. Cameras help, so does pride.— Same ole same ole
- DC subway system is the 2nd busiest in the country next to New York— standc
- how can you tell if there are homeless people or "potential criminals" you moron?— AbeVigoda
- no homeless people or potential criminals... and going to go out on a limb & say no urine smell... still looks better than septa to me— main liner
- More homeless down there. Crappy system too. Light rail. Two modes. Poorly run. We have 7 mods amazingly well run. And we aren't bankrupt like NY is. — tynol10
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