Can Metro Survive Without Carpeted Cars?

2 Jul
2007


Metro style, originally uploaded by 3rd Coast Chick.

It’s one of the changes coming to the nation’s second busiest subway system. Metro’s new top executive is trying to hold down costs and wants to replace carpeting in some of the older cars with vinyl flooring. If you believe some critics, the world is about to come to an end.

Carpeting isn’t the only thing that could vanish. The dim lights in stations are already being replaced with brighter, more energy-efficient bulbs. And as I noted several months ago, stations are switching to red lights on the granite platforms to signal arriving trains.

Some people don’t like the changes — what else would you expect in Washington? — but I could really care less. As long as Metro gets me to where I need to go, it’s clean and it’s safe, I won’t waste my energy worrying about the color scheme of seats — yet another possible change that’s drawing criticism. Give me a break.

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