December 6, 2017
From: Rail Transit OPS Group
RE: WMATA 7000 series railcar announcements
Status: Open-No Action Taken (12/6/17)
Recommend that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) immediately require train operators, operating 7000 series rail cars manually announce station arrivals in order for passengers to be aware of the side of the train in which the doors will open, until such time as a software upgrade will permit the automatic announcement of door operations.
Currently the automatic station arrival announcement is as follows: “This is [Station]”
This announcement does not inform unfamiliar passengers, and visually impaired passengers as to which side of the train the doors will be operating.
The recommended announcement is: “Arriving at [Station], Doors will open on the [Side], Transfer to MARC, VRE, Amtrak etc.”
Along with the addition of the door location to the announcement, Rail Transit OPS Group is additionally recommending that the dwell announcement (announcement that plays upon door opening) be modified to the following:
“Step Back Doors Opening – This is an [Color] Line Train to [Destination], the next station is [Station]; Please move to the center of the car and stand clear of the doors”
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