A deep dive into the DC Metro challenge
On Saturday, Aaron Landry and I completed the Metro Challenge. It entails passing through every single station in the Metro system in a single trip. This is an extremely detailed explanation of what it's really like to attempt and finish the DC Metro Challenge. It's also probably more than you ever wanted to know about the Metro Challenge, but here goes.
A Washingtonian writer did the challenge recently, which is how this idea got in my head. Here's an earlier preview post with some of my thoughts about the challenge prior to attempting it.
All in all, it was an adventure. Though some people may not find the concept appealing at all, doing the Metro challenge may be of interest to those who like transit. It's an interesting day trip idea and rather doable with the proper planning and execution.
Here's a current map of the WMATA/Metrorail system (PDF), for reference. At best, the challenge can be completed in around eight hours. Our final time was 7 hours, 30 minutes and 38 seconds.* The clock started the moment the doors closed at Shady Grove and ended the moment they opened at Wiehle-Reston East. See our tweets about the challenge here.
*Note: Four Red Line stations were closed, so we decided to skip them. See more details below.
In short: [start] Shady Grove > Glenmont > Fort Totten > Greenbelt > Branch Ave > L'Enfant Plaza > Huntington > King Street > Franconia-Springfield > Largo Town Center > Stadium Armory > New Carrollton > Vienna > East Falls Church > Wiehle-Reston East [end]
You can see a longer, geographic explanation of the route in my previous post. Due to track work this weekend for Purple Line construction, the last four stations on the eastern (Glenmont) side of the Red Line were closed, so in the interest of time and practicality, we decided to turn back at Takoma and simply omit visiting the other stations, even though there was shuttle service available.
In the grand scheme of things, the track work wasn't terribly disruptive because it didn't cause delays and was easily avoided by omitting the four closed stations. Though we did not see all 91 stations, only 87 of them, we traversed the entire system as it existed in reality at the time we did the challenge, as Aaron put it.
Strategizing the route: Time spent riding the various legs of the route is pretty static (assuming no/minimal delays), so the best route minimizes doubling back and also tries to optimize transfers (not having to wait a long time for them), which is where the opportunity for the biggest time savings (or not) happens.
Aaron: [regarding our route] "it really boils down to transfer speed luck at L'Enfant, Fort Totten, East Falls Church, Stadium-Armory, and King Street. We didn't have luck at L'Enfant, but got fantastic luck at East Falls Church."
At L'Enfant, we missed an early transfer by a minute--the train we were on had arrived but not opened the doors while the other train was just about to leave the station. However, even if we had been able to make that earlier transfer, it may not have had any effect on the final challenge time because it's possible we might've just ended up waiting longer at some later station and ending up back on schedule, negating any time saved by one early transfer in the middle of the trip.
The best part of the trip to catch an early transfer is the final leg, because that guarantees a faster time since there are no other remaining trip legs to complete where transfers would have to also be early to have an impact on the final time. In other words, one early transfer in the middle of the challenge does not necessarily mean catching earlier transfers for every subsequent part of the trip, which is what would need to happen to decrease the total trip time.
User error (missing a scheduled transfer, accidentally going in the wrong direction, falling off the platform, etc) could also cause a worse time... Being able to complete the challenge faster is also dependent on whether Metro's system is running with minimal delays, which is out of your control for the most part. (I mean, theoretically you could cause a delay by intentionally jumping onto the tracks and needing to be rescued...)
Once you have a route that is solid regarding the places you'll transfer and the sequence you'll do each leg of the trip in, you also have to consider other factors like weather, day, scheduled track work/closures, and crowds, among other things. Since you'll have to wait outdoors at some stations, dress for the weather, or choose to do the challenge on a day with mild(er) weather.
Severe/bad weather may have a negative impact on Metro service and cause the challenge to take longer. WMATA's website notes that "Metrorail can operate very close to a normal schedule in snowfall of up to six inches. However, once snow reaches about eight inches, above-ground service may be suspended."
Doing the challenge on a weekday allows you to potentially take advantage of shorter headways during peak times, though this may be a scheduling conflict with work or school obligations. That being the case, consider attempting the challenge on a weekend as we did.
Also consider crowds. Although Metro sometimes runs extra service on days with large events taking place downtown, the additional crowds brought on by those events may end up hindering your challenge by making it harder to move through stations for transfers, as well as trains being more crowded. A less-crowded system means more space to spread out on the trains (you'll be riding them for most of the day) and easier-to-navigate stations. Considering crowds also applies to peak times on weekdays.
Account for any scheduled track work in the system. WMATA's website has a list of upcoming scheduled track work. Ideally/if possible, choose a day where there will be no disruptive track work and/or station closures.
Consider the time of year. Spring or fall typically offer milder weather. Midwinter days have the shortest amount of sunlight. Summer, among other things, means more tourists and inhospitable humid heat. It may also entail major shutdowns of parts of the system.
Our theory is that one of the best times to attempt the challenge would be on a rainy weekend day during cherry blossom season (it's coming up!) because Metro tries to minimize track work then. Rainy weather should theoretically decrease the number of people riding Metro to go see the cherry blossoms, but you get the benefit of fewer service disruptions due to track work. If you ride during cherry blossom season, you can also get the chance to buy a special edition Smartrip card.
Making an itinerary: Using the aforementioned route, plan out in Google Maps (or other trip planner of your choice -- Citymapper is a good alternative; it sometimes will recommend the most ideal section of the train to board based on escalator/exit placement at a given station) the times for each transfer/leg. Additionally, note which lines you'll be taking and in which directions.
A portion of my itinerary looked like this:
Leave Branch Ave 10:44 Green line to Greenbelt. Arrive L'Enfant 11:05 (21 min)
At L'Enfant: TRANSFER to YELLOW line to Huntington. Need to switch platforms -- same level, but opposite side.
Making a detailed itinerary beforehand technically isn't absolutely necessary, but I found it useful because I wanted to have a clear idea of how the challenge should actually go, assuming everything went according to schedule. This also helped us be acutely aware of where the trickiest transfers fell, logistically speaking. My itinerary was flawless -- Aaron even arrived back at Dupont after the challenge exactly at the time I predicted according to the schedule (4:51 p.m.).
When creating an itinerary, if there are any same-minute transfers, don't count on making them and instead use the next scheduled train to base the subsequent portions of the route on. It's better to allow for more time rather than less. 2 to 3 minutes is generally enough to make a transfer, though it partially depends on station layout and whether trains are running pretty close to exactly on schedule.
When doing the challenge, pay close attention to the itinerary so you can anticipate the transfers you'll need to make. Be prepared and gather your belongings a stop or so in advance so you don't potentially miss a transfer. I thought that making and using the itinerary (in tandem with MetroHero, which allows you to track trains in realtime) made things go so much more smoothly than they would've without the itinerary.
An alternative route: As we did the challenge, Aaron pondered about a route alteration involving a transfer at Rosslyn. This change occurs after you return inbound from Franconia-Springfield, instead of going all the way out to Largo Town Center on the Blue Line.
The Rosslyn transfer eliminates some of the doubling back on the Orange/Blue/Silver Lines that occurs with the route we actually took. The resulting alternative route ends at New Carrollton. This Reddit post has a good diagram of the route with the Rosslyn transfer (look at step number 10 onwards).
When I got a chance (after returning home) to calculate how the route would've gone with the Rosslyn transfer, it turned out that it actually indeed would've resulted in a faster time. At best, it would save 17 minutes, though this hinges on being able to catch a same-minute transfer (train you're on and train you need to transfer are scheduled to arrive at the same time), which may not necessarily be possible depending on the exact timing of the trains' arrivals, which is impossible to predict far in advance. If you miss this same-minute transfer and have to wait for the next train, the route still saves five minutes.
However, we decided not to make any changes to the scheduled route on the fly while doing the challenge, since in the moment we didn't know how those changes might cascade and affect the rest of the challenge (either positively or negatively).
How it went: All the trains ran pretty much on schedule (surprisingly enough) and we were able to make all of the planned transfers at the times specified on my itinerary. There were no severe delays or other problems we encountered during our trip. We were even able to catch an early transfer to the Silver Line for the last leg of the trip out to Wiehle-Reston East. Due to that transfer lining up perfectly at a critical point of the journey, we shaved off about 10 minutes.
Our planning for the challenge involved a bit of research into trying to find accounts of other people who had done the challenge previously, of which there are a few. There were decent bits and pieces of information out there, but some of it was outdated (such as being from pre-Silver Line times) and there was nothing totally comprehensive. I'm hoping that this post here can serve as a thorough, comprehensive guide to the intricacies of attempting the Metro challenge.
Water: Since riding trains isn't particularly strenuous, plan to be mildly dehydrated during the challenge, especially since it's advantageous to not need to use a restroom. Bringing one bottle (a size of 1L is more than enough) of water is fine, but do not drink all of it during the challenge. Especially do not drink something caffeinated during the challenge, as caffeine is a diuretic.
Though this may vary a bit by individual, limit your water consumption during the challenge to about 150 - 200 mL. This works out to taking one or two average-sized sips after a platform/escalator dash, which is when it'll feel the most refreshing. Once you near the end of the challenge at the newest stations on the Silver Line (or are making the return trip to your home station), you can drink more because those Silver Line stations have public restrooms.
From what I've read, all stations have restrooms, but aside from McLean and points west, you would have to ask a station manager, who may or may not allow you to use the restroom. And of course, taking a restroom break would most likely add to your total time to complete the challenge. So it's best to minimize the chance you'll need one.
Entertainment:
Done with a companion, the challenge is actually not too boring and even pretty entertaining since you can make conversation during the challenge. I highly recommend finding a (willing) friend to attempt the challenge with -- it's much more fun that way.
If you're attempting it by yourself, it may be a good idea to bring something to keep you entertained. Phone service can be spotty in the tunnels, so don't count on it. Something that's portable, enough to hold interest but not so engrossing that you get distracted and miss a transfer is best. I would actually recommend against bringing a book, though maybe a newspaper or magazine would be suitable -- think light reading, nothing too absorbing.
The ideal entertainment is something that won't distract you too much and that you can easily put away for when you need to get up and make a transfer. Crochet or knitting might be a possibility here as well -- in which case I'd recommend a simpler project. Or maybe a book of crossword puzzles?
Aboveground, you can watch the scenery outside the train's windows, and even underground, some of the stations vary slightly in design/architecture. Plus, you can also people-watch.
Where to sit on the train: This is partially down to personal preference, but we gravitated towards the ends of the cars, where some of the seats face the center of the car on 7000-series trains, or in the little nook (also at the ends of the cars) on older trains. This placement also generally gives you a good view of the system map. We spent a lot of time staring at the map.
For transfers, depending on the station layout (split platforms and/or multi-level stations), it can potentially be useful to sit in a certain section of the train so you're closest to the appropriate escalators at the transfer station when you exit. If you attempt the challenge in rainy weather, sitting in the center of the train ensures you'll be under the platform covering if you need to exit at an outdoor station.
Supposedly, the ends of the train are less crowded, so if this is something you care about, perhaps sit in that section of the train.
The fare:
My theory before attempting the challenge was that an eight-hour trip throughout the entire system in one go just breaks the fare calculations and your final fare will be $3.85 (the maximum off-peak fare) instead of $6 or even $12 (some systems enact a penalty for super-long trips like such, assuming you jumped fare gates at some point), even if you do it on a weekday and you enter and/or exit the system during peak times.
Though the Washingtonian article says the total fare for doing a Metro challenge is just $3.85, that seems to be incorrect. I was partially correct--upon finally exiting the station after the return trip, the fare gates didn't open, instead showing an error message saying "stop--see station manager." The station manager then does something to override the error, and it turns out the final fare was just $2.00!! What a deal!
Thoughts on the scenery: Some of the most boring scenery was probably the western end of the Orange Line, where the trains run in the median of I-66. Not much to see there. It was also dismaying to pass through the underground painted stations on portions of the Blue/Silver/Orange lines east of the Capitol.*
Some of my favorite scenery was probably the Yellow Line bridge over the Potomac, view of National Airport, and the aboveground western side of the Red Line, which I'm most familiar with.
*Painted stations tangent: Some of the underground stations have been painted, which is a crime against Brutalism as far as I'm concerned. You wouldn't slather gray paint over marble flooring, would you? The whole point of Brutalism is that the nature of the material (raw concrete -- béton brut) is emphasized and allowed to shine (metaphorically speaking). Additionally, if the paint isn't maintained, it just gets dirty and looks unsightly. Bare concrete disguises the dirt better.
We passed through the defaced (i.e., painted) stations with dismay and were relieved to see the unpainted, raw concrete stations again. In the unpainted stations, you can sometimes observe subtle differences in the condition/appearance of the concrete. In one of the Arlington stations, I noticed that larger aggregate was visible in the concrete compared to other stations which seemed to appear smoother.
Overall, I personally like Metro's Brutalist architecture. The high, vaulted ceilings in the underground stations lend a grand and airy feel to them, even though they're underground.
Further reading: WAMU / Citylab / Curbed
Rolling stock: I thought it would be interesting to keep track of how many 7000-series trains we rode compared to older trains. For the first portion of the challenge, we only rode 7000-series trains (car numbers 7216, 7128, 7526, 7526, 7637, 7032) though during the rest of the challenge we encountered 3000-series trains.
After the challenge was completed, at Metro Center we transferred to a 7000-series train (car 7238, chosen due to escalator positioning at Dupont and the fact that I thought 7238 was a more harmonious number than 7239: 7+3=10 and 2+8=10) to return north on the Red Line.
Quotes:
Additional suggestions for those who want to attempt the challenge:
Be prepared. Know the route you're going to take and when the transfers fall. For transfers through certain stations that are more complicated because they involve changing platforms, know the specific way you'll need to navigate through the station for the transfer.
Do not do this challenge on a whim. Well, you could, but it'll probably take over eight hours and will not be the most efficient.
Dress for the weather. You will be waiting on outdoor platforms for some of the transfers. If it's raining on the day you attempt the challenge, prioritize getting on the middle of the train so when you exit at an outdoor station, you'll be underneath the covered portion of the platform.
Use the MetroHero app. It's great for being able to track trains and transfers in realtime. This allowed us to see if we'd need to rush for a given transfer, or if we could be more leisurely. It also allowed us to track delays.
Other assorted thoughts:
What would be an equivalent driving challenge? Driving around the entire Beltway and then going around the Baltimore beltway too? Driving every road in Montgomery County/Arlington/DC/etc? And so on...
What about a bike challenge -- ride every single (navigable) road in the District (or other location of your choice, such as Rockville)? And/or ride all of the state-named roads, as in WABA's 50 States Ride? Visit every single Capital Bikeshare station by bike?
What about trying a MARC or VRE challenge? Though I've definitely not worked out all the specifics, a MARC challenge may have to involve camping out at the western end of the Brunswick line in West Virginia, among other things.
There are about 15 stations through the Metro system that people could theoretically share (part of) a first name with. Such as: Addison (Road), Georgia (Ave-Petworth), Rosslyn, For(r)est Glen(n), (Twin)brook (for people named Brook[e] who are twins), (Prince) George('s Plaza), Dean(wood), Crystal (City).
We approximated various timepoints of the Metro challenge with the equivalent distance you could travel in the same amount of time from Union Station. At the 30 minute mark, around Woodley Park/Dupont Circle, we could've been in Baltimore. At the challenge's end, we could've been in Boston via Amtrak's Northeast Regional line! (or Florence, SC in the other direction)
The older trains have a bar running along the center of the ceiling, which you can use to swing from if you're feeling whimsical.
We noticed that the newer Silver Line stations don't seem to have pylons on the platforms (though we did notice one outside at street level for one station). We looked around for one at Wiehle-Reston East upon completing the challenge to take a celebratory selfie, but we had to settle for overhead signage.
I want to try and create a bingo square for the challenge: the squares would be for various things you might see or do during the challenge.
The challenge is a good idea for: those interested in transit, who have the time and energy to attempt it, and who also like planning and attention to detail.
The challenge is a bad idea for: those who don't care about or hate transit, have low endurance, small bladders and disdain for adhering closely to schedules.
Theoretical Tinder bio: First date idea -- the Metro challenge, where we try to reach all 91 stations in under 8 hours. If this sounds fun/interesting to you, inquire within.
Prior to completing the challenge, I'd been to 49/91 Metro stations, to the best of my recollection. I've been outside/at Silver Spring, Wheaton and Capitol South, among others, but not inside them, so I didn't count them in that figure.
Post-challenge thoughts/reflections:
On Sunday, I saw reports that someone had fallen off the platform at Capitol South station. This made me wonder a) what the protocol is for situations like that and b) how often it happens. As for a), stations have emergency phones that can be used to contact the station manager, who can shut off the electrified third rail. Additionally, a "recessed area directly beneath the platform edge provides emergency shelter for anyone who falls from the platform when a train is approaching," according to WMATA's website. They also advise passengers not to run in stations and not to sleep on the train (to prevent pickpocketing).
Regarding b), apparently incidents of people falling off the platform happen around twice per week, but in the context of the article, I'm not sure if it means in general or specifically drunk people.
Personally, I found the challenge to be an interesting experience and I'm glad we were able to attempt and complete it (exactly) as planned. There's so much potential... depth to planning and then doing a Metro challenge, I think. At least if you approach it with the right mindset and the concept of a Metro challenge interests you in the first place. It's a pretty unique day trip idea but I think it actually worked out pretty well as a day trip, though it may work out worse if you encounter bad delays or other mishaps and the challenge takes much longer than the time we managed to do it in.
I found that the challenge really allowed me to get bogged down in the details and planning for it, which is actually one of my specialties (getting bogged down in details in general, not specifically planning out a Metro challenge). The process of researching and then planning everything out down to the minute was something I could sink my teeth into, then having it play out exactly as scheduled was a quietly sublime kind of satisfaction.
Afterwards, we noted that things went remarkably well during the challenge--both we and the trains were completely on schedule, even though there was also the potential for things to have gone wrong. The only (probable/likely) thing that could've gone wrong is delays accumulating and causing us to miss scheduled transfers, but that'd only result in a longer time for the challenge. If the thing that went wrong was something more serious like a train breaking down/catching on fire/etc while we were on it, that'd be a different matter. Another thing that could've theoretically gone wrong is one of us falling off the platform and being struck by an oncoming train...
This was actually a pre-challenge reflection, but I felt it fit in best thematically here:
What's next?
We're contemplating trying a Circulator challenge since that should probably be doable in a single day, though I haven't yet figured out any good estimates for how much time it should actually take. Since Circulator buses are subject to delays due to traffic, it may be sort of slow. A Circulator challenge race could be an interesting idea -- one person rides the bus while another does the same route on a bike (the cyclist would probably win, though I wonder by how much).
I also may try to work out the most efficient way of riding every single Ride On route (over multiple days) in Montgomery County. What other transit/urbanist themed challenge ideas could I come up with? The general concept of "traverse/visit every [insert thing here]" can be as broad or narrow in scope as you'd like--it could entail a challenge that you can do in a single day or something that may take many days/months, such as riding every single road in a given location.
I don't think I want to attempt the Metro challenge again for the time being, but I'd honestly consider doing it again further in the future since there are so many different potential iterations of how it could go (based on time/day, route, crowds, service levels, other factors that affect the experience). I'd try the Rosslyn transfer route and see the four easternmost Red Line stations. It certainly is a unique and out-of-the-box idea for a day trip.
A Washingtonian writer did the challenge recently, which is how this idea got in my head. Here's an earlier preview post with some of my thoughts about the challenge prior to attempting it.
All in all, it was an adventure. Though some people may not find the concept appealing at all, doing the Metro challenge may be of interest to those who like transit. It's an interesting day trip idea and rather doable with the proper planning and execution.
Here's a current map of the WMATA/Metrorail system (PDF), for reference. At best, the challenge can be completed in around eight hours. Our final time was 7 hours, 30 minutes and 38 seconds.* The clock started the moment the doors closed at Shady Grove and ended the moment they opened at Wiehle-Reston East. See our tweets about the challenge here.
*Note: Four Red Line stations were closed, so we decided to skip them. See more details below.
The route
As mentioned in the Washingtonian article, our route was provided by Riley Dosh (many thanks to her!).In short: [start] Shady Grove > Glenmont > Fort Totten > Greenbelt > Branch Ave > L'Enfant Plaza > Huntington > King Street > Franconia-Springfield > Largo Town Center > Stadium Armory > New Carrollton > Vienna > East Falls Church > Wiehle-Reston East [end]
fun fact: a route like this is similar to something called a Hamiltonian path
You can see a longer, geographic explanation of the route in my previous post. Due to track work this weekend for Purple Line construction, the last four stations on the eastern (Glenmont) side of the Red Line were closed, so in the interest of time and practicality, we decided to turn back at Takoma and simply omit visiting the other stations, even though there was shuttle service available.
In the grand scheme of things, the track work wasn't terribly disruptive because it didn't cause delays and was easily avoided by omitting the four closed stations. Though we did not see all 91 stations, only 87 of them, we traversed the entire system as it existed in reality at the time we did the challenge, as Aaron put it.
Strategizing the route: Time spent riding the various legs of the route is pretty static (assuming no/minimal delays), so the best route minimizes doubling back and also tries to optimize transfers (not having to wait a long time for them), which is where the opportunity for the biggest time savings (or not) happens.
Aaron: [regarding our route] "it really boils down to transfer speed luck at L'Enfant, Fort Totten, East Falls Church, Stadium-Armory, and King Street. We didn't have luck at L'Enfant, but got fantastic luck at East Falls Church."
At L'Enfant, we missed an early transfer by a minute--the train we were on had arrived but not opened the doors while the other train was just about to leave the station. However, even if we had been able to make that earlier transfer, it may not have had any effect on the final challenge time because it's possible we might've just ended up waiting longer at some later station and ending up back on schedule, negating any time saved by one early transfer in the middle of the trip.
The best part of the trip to catch an early transfer is the final leg, because that guarantees a faster time since there are no other remaining trip legs to complete where transfers would have to also be early to have an impact on the final time. In other words, one early transfer in the middle of the challenge does not necessarily mean catching earlier transfers for every subsequent part of the trip, which is what would need to happen to decrease the total trip time.
User error (missing a scheduled transfer, accidentally going in the wrong direction, falling off the platform, etc) could also cause a worse time... Being able to complete the challenge faster is also dependent on whether Metro's system is running with minimal delays, which is out of your control for the most part. (I mean, theoretically you could cause a delay by intentionally jumping onto the tracks and needing to be rescued...)
Once you have a route that is solid regarding the places you'll transfer and the sequence you'll do each leg of the trip in, you also have to consider other factors like weather, day, scheduled track work/closures, and crowds, among other things. Since you'll have to wait outdoors at some stations, dress for the weather, or choose to do the challenge on a day with mild(er) weather.
Severe/bad weather may have a negative impact on Metro service and cause the challenge to take longer. WMATA's website notes that "Metrorail can operate very close to a normal schedule in snowfall of up to six inches. However, once snow reaches about eight inches, above-ground service may be suspended."
Doing the challenge on a weekday allows you to potentially take advantage of shorter headways during peak times, though this may be a scheduling conflict with work or school obligations. That being the case, consider attempting the challenge on a weekend as we did.
Also consider crowds. Although Metro sometimes runs extra service on days with large events taking place downtown, the additional crowds brought on by those events may end up hindering your challenge by making it harder to move through stations for transfers, as well as trains being more crowded. A less-crowded system means more space to spread out on the trains (you'll be riding them for most of the day) and easier-to-navigate stations. Considering crowds also applies to peak times on weekdays.
Account for any scheduled track work in the system. WMATA's website has a list of upcoming scheduled track work. Ideally/if possible, choose a day where there will be no disruptive track work and/or station closures.
Consider the time of year. Spring or fall typically offer milder weather. Midwinter days have the shortest amount of sunlight. Summer, among other things, means more tourists and inhospitable humid heat. It may also entail major shutdowns of parts of the system.
Our theory is that one of the best times to attempt the challenge would be on a rainy weekend day during cherry blossom season (it's coming up!) because Metro tries to minimize track work then. Rainy weather should theoretically decrease the number of people riding Metro to go see the cherry blossoms, but you get the benefit of fewer service disruptions due to track work. If you ride during cherry blossom season, you can also get the chance to buy a special edition Smartrip card.
Making an itinerary: Using the aforementioned route, plan out in Google Maps (or other trip planner of your choice -- Citymapper is a good alternative; it sometimes will recommend the most ideal section of the train to board based on escalator/exit placement at a given station) the times for each transfer/leg. Additionally, note which lines you'll be taking and in which directions.
A portion of my itinerary looked like this:
Leave Branch Ave 10:44 Green line to Greenbelt. Arrive L'Enfant 11:05 (21 min)
At L'Enfant: TRANSFER to YELLOW line to Huntington. Need to switch platforms -- same level, but opposite side.
- Leave L'Enfant 11:19 (arrive Huntington 11:40, 21 min)
Making a detailed itinerary beforehand technically isn't absolutely necessary, but I found it useful because I wanted to have a clear idea of how the challenge should actually go, assuming everything went according to schedule. This also helped us be acutely aware of where the trickiest transfers fell, logistically speaking. My itinerary was flawless -- Aaron even arrived back at Dupont after the challenge exactly at the time I predicted according to the schedule (4:51 p.m.).
When creating an itinerary, if there are any same-minute transfers, don't count on making them and instead use the next scheduled train to base the subsequent portions of the route on. It's better to allow for more time rather than less. 2 to 3 minutes is generally enough to make a transfer, though it partially depends on station layout and whether trains are running pretty close to exactly on schedule.
When doing the challenge, pay close attention to the itinerary so you can anticipate the transfers you'll need to make. Be prepared and gather your belongings a stop or so in advance so you don't potentially miss a transfer. I thought that making and using the itinerary (in tandem with MetroHero, which allows you to track trains in realtime) made things go so much more smoothly than they would've without the itinerary.
An alternative route: As we did the challenge, Aaron pondered about a route alteration involving a transfer at Rosslyn. This change occurs after you return inbound from Franconia-Springfield, instead of going all the way out to Largo Town Center on the Blue Line.
The Rosslyn transfer eliminates some of the doubling back on the Orange/Blue/Silver Lines that occurs with the route we actually took. The resulting alternative route ends at New Carrollton. This Reddit post has a good diagram of the route with the Rosslyn transfer (look at step number 10 onwards).
When I got a chance (after returning home) to calculate how the route would've gone with the Rosslyn transfer, it turned out that it actually indeed would've resulted in a faster time. At best, it would save 17 minutes, though this hinges on being able to catch a same-minute transfer (train you're on and train you need to transfer are scheduled to arrive at the same time), which may not necessarily be possible depending on the exact timing of the trains' arrivals, which is impossible to predict far in advance. If you miss this same-minute transfer and have to wait for the next train, the route still saves five minutes.
However, we decided not to make any changes to the scheduled route on the fly while doing the challenge, since in the moment we didn't know how those changes might cascade and affect the rest of the challenge (either positively or negatively).
How it went: All the trains ran pretty much on schedule (surprisingly enough) and we were able to make all of the planned transfers at the times specified on my itinerary. There were no severe delays or other problems we encountered during our trip. We were even able to catch an early transfer to the Silver Line for the last leg of the trip out to Wiehle-Reston East. Due to that transfer lining up perfectly at a critical point of the journey, we shaved off about 10 minutes.
Planning:
We did thorough planning before attempting the challenge. Make some time to plan beforehand for the best chance of navigating the challenge smoothly. Our plan was hatched Friday afternoon/evening and implemented the next day (weather, decent Metro service w/r/t track work disruptions and our schedules all happened to align), so it's not like you have to do weeks of planning, but doing some is certainly advisable.Our planning for the challenge involved a bit of research into trying to find accounts of other people who had done the challenge previously, of which there are a few. There were decent bits and pieces of information out there, but some of it was outdated (such as being from pre-Silver Line times) and there was nothing totally comprehensive. I'm hoping that this post here can serve as a thorough, comprehensive guide to the intricacies of attempting the Metro challenge.
Provisions:
Food: Seeing as the challenge entails at minimum, about eight hours on trains and in stations, you should bring some food. I overpacked a bit, but a good amount is probably something like: one bagel, one serving of fruit (pre-sliced/pre-peeled if applicable) and something else small, like a few granola bars or such. For convenience's sake, choose foods that are easy to eat and not super-messy, as you will most likely be eating on trains even though it's technically forbidden. Do not bring salty foods because they will make you feel thirsty.Water: Since riding trains isn't particularly strenuous, plan to be mildly dehydrated during the challenge, especially since it's advantageous to not need to use a restroom. Bringing one bottle (a size of 1L is more than enough) of water is fine, but do not drink all of it during the challenge. Especially do not drink something caffeinated during the challenge, as caffeine is a diuretic.
Though this may vary a bit by individual, limit your water consumption during the challenge to about 150 - 200 mL. This works out to taking one or two average-sized sips after a platform/escalator dash, which is when it'll feel the most refreshing. Once you near the end of the challenge at the newest stations on the Silver Line (or are making the return trip to your home station), you can drink more because those Silver Line stations have public restrooms.
From what I've read, all stations have restrooms, but aside from McLean and points west, you would have to ask a station manager, who may or may not allow you to use the restroom. And of course, taking a restroom break would most likely add to your total time to complete the challenge. So it's best to minimize the chance you'll need one.
Entertainment:
Done with a companion, the challenge is actually not too boring and even pretty entertaining since you can make conversation during the challenge. I highly recommend finding a (willing) friend to attempt the challenge with -- it's much more fun that way.
If you're attempting it by yourself, it may be a good idea to bring something to keep you entertained. Phone service can be spotty in the tunnels, so don't count on it. Something that's portable, enough to hold interest but not so engrossing that you get distracted and miss a transfer is best. I would actually recommend against bringing a book, though maybe a newspaper or magazine would be suitable -- think light reading, nothing too absorbing.
The ideal entertainment is something that won't distract you too much and that you can easily put away for when you need to get up and make a transfer. Crochet or knitting might be a possibility here as well -- in which case I'd recommend a simpler project. Or maybe a book of crossword puzzles?
Aboveground, you can watch the scenery outside the train's windows, and even underground, some of the stations vary slightly in design/architecture. Plus, you can also people-watch.
Where to sit on the train: This is partially down to personal preference, but we gravitated towards the ends of the cars, where some of the seats face the center of the car on 7000-series trains, or in the little nook (also at the ends of the cars) on older trains. This placement also generally gives you a good view of the system map. We spent a lot of time staring at the map.
For transfers, depending on the station layout (split platforms and/or multi-level stations), it can potentially be useful to sit in a certain section of the train so you're closest to the appropriate escalators at the transfer station when you exit. If you attempt the challenge in rainy weather, sitting in the center of the train ensures you'll be under the platform covering if you need to exit at an outdoor station.
Supposedly, the ends of the train are less crowded, so if this is something you care about, perhaps sit in that section of the train.
The fare:
My theory before attempting the challenge was that an eight-hour trip throughout the entire system in one go just breaks the fare calculations and your final fare will be $3.85 (the maximum off-peak fare) instead of $6 or even $12 (some systems enact a penalty for super-long trips like such, assuming you jumped fare gates at some point), even if you do it on a weekday and you enter and/or exit the system during peak times.
Though the Washingtonian article says the total fare for doing a Metro challenge is just $3.85, that seems to be incorrect. I was partially correct--upon finally exiting the station after the return trip, the fare gates didn't open, instead showing an error message saying "stop--see station manager." The station manager then does something to override the error, and it turns out the final fare was just $2.00!! What a deal!
Thoughts on the scenery: Some of the most boring scenery was probably the western end of the Orange Line, where the trains run in the median of I-66. Not much to see there. It was also dismaying to pass through the underground painted stations on portions of the Blue/Silver/Orange lines east of the Capitol.*
Some of my favorite scenery was probably the Yellow Line bridge over the Potomac, view of National Airport, and the aboveground western side of the Red Line, which I'm most familiar with.
*Painted stations tangent: Some of the underground stations have been painted, which is a crime against Brutalism as far as I'm concerned. You wouldn't slather gray paint over marble flooring, would you? The whole point of Brutalism is that the nature of the material (raw concrete -- béton brut) is emphasized and allowed to shine (metaphorically speaking). Additionally, if the paint isn't maintained, it just gets dirty and looks unsightly. Bare concrete disguises the dirt better.
We passed through the defaced (i.e., painted) stations with dismay and were relieved to see the unpainted, raw concrete stations again. In the unpainted stations, you can sometimes observe subtle differences in the condition/appearance of the concrete. In one of the Arlington stations, I noticed that larger aggregate was visible in the concrete compared to other stations which seemed to appear smoother.
Overall, I personally like Metro's Brutalist architecture. The high, vaulted ceilings in the underground stations lend a grand and airy feel to them, even though they're underground.
Further reading: WAMU / Citylab / Curbed
Rolling stock: I thought it would be interesting to keep track of how many 7000-series trains we rode compared to older trains. For the first portion of the challenge, we only rode 7000-series trains (car numbers 7216, 7128, 7526, 7526, 7637, 7032) though during the rest of the challenge we encountered 3000-series trains.
After the challenge was completed, at Metro Center we transferred to a 7000-series train (car 7238, chosen due to escalator positioning at Dupont and the fact that I thought 7238 was a more harmonious number than 7239: 7+3=10 and 2+8=10) to return north on the Red Line.
Quotes:
"That looks like a swamp." -- Aaron, re: the area around Greenbelt*
"You're telling me this metro train doesn't go 60 mph? I feel cheated." -- Rachel, as the Orange line ran in the median of I-66 and cars were passing the train.*One of the things we read prior to the challenge contended that the area around the Greenbelt end of the Green line was the most scenic, yet we did not find that to be the case. Maybe it's more scenic in the spring? However, we did discover the College Park airport!
Additional suggestions for those who want to attempt the challenge:
Be prepared. Know the route you're going to take and when the transfers fall. For transfers through certain stations that are more complicated because they involve changing platforms, know the specific way you'll need to navigate through the station for the transfer.
Do not do this challenge on a whim. Well, you could, but it'll probably take over eight hours and will not be the most efficient.
Dress for the weather. You will be waiting on outdoor platforms for some of the transfers. If it's raining on the day you attempt the challenge, prioritize getting on the middle of the train so when you exit at an outdoor station, you'll be underneath the covered portion of the platform.
Use the MetroHero app. It's great for being able to track trains and transfers in realtime. This allowed us to see if we'd need to rush for a given transfer, or if we could be more leisurely. It also allowed us to track delays.
Other assorted thoughts:
What would be an equivalent driving challenge? Driving around the entire Beltway and then going around the Baltimore beltway too? Driving every road in Montgomery County/Arlington/DC/etc? And so on...
What about a bike challenge -- ride every single (navigable) road in the District (or other location of your choice, such as Rockville)? And/or ride all of the state-named roads, as in WABA's 50 States Ride? Visit every single Capital Bikeshare station by bike?
What about trying a MARC or VRE challenge? Though I've definitely not worked out all the specifics, a MARC challenge may have to involve camping out at the western end of the Brunswick line in West Virginia, among other things.
There are about 15 stations through the Metro system that people could theoretically share (part of) a first name with. Such as: Addison (Road), Georgia (Ave-Petworth), Rosslyn, For(r)est Glen(n), (Twin)brook (for people named Brook[e] who are twins), (Prince) George('s Plaza), Dean(wood), Crystal (City).
We approximated various timepoints of the Metro challenge with the equivalent distance you could travel in the same amount of time from Union Station. At the 30 minute mark, around Woodley Park/Dupont Circle, we could've been in Baltimore. At the challenge's end, we could've been in Boston via Amtrak's Northeast Regional line! (or Florence, SC in the other direction)
The older trains have a bar running along the center of the ceiling, which you can use to swing from if you're feeling whimsical.
We noticed that the newer Silver Line stations don't seem to have pylons on the platforms (though we did notice one outside at street level for one station). We looked around for one at Wiehle-Reston East upon completing the challenge to take a celebratory selfie, but we had to settle for overhead signage.
I want to try and create a bingo square for the challenge: the squares would be for various things you might see or do during the challenge.
The challenge is a good idea for: those interested in transit, who have the time and energy to attempt it, and who also like planning and attention to detail.
The challenge is a bad idea for: those who don't care about or hate transit, have low endurance, small bladders and disdain for adhering closely to schedules.
Theoretical Tinder bio: First date idea -- the Metro challenge, where we try to reach all 91 stations in under 8 hours. If this sounds fun/interesting to you, inquire within.
Prior to completing the challenge, I'd been to 49/91 Metro stations, to the best of my recollection. I've been outside/at Silver Spring, Wheaton and Capitol South, among others, but not inside them, so I didn't count them in that figure.
Post-challenge thoughts/reflections:
On Sunday, I saw reports that someone had fallen off the platform at Capitol South station. This made me wonder a) what the protocol is for situations like that and b) how often it happens. As for a), stations have emergency phones that can be used to contact the station manager, who can shut off the electrified third rail. Additionally, a "recessed area directly beneath the platform edge provides emergency shelter for anyone who falls from the platform when a train is approaching," according to WMATA's website. They also advise passengers not to run in stations and not to sleep on the train (to prevent pickpocketing).
Regarding b), apparently incidents of people falling off the platform happen around twice per week, but in the context of the article, I'm not sure if it means in general or specifically drunk people.
Personally, I found the challenge to be an interesting experience and I'm glad we were able to attempt and complete it (exactly) as planned. There's so much potential... depth to planning and then doing a Metro challenge, I think. At least if you approach it with the right mindset and the concept of a Metro challenge interests you in the first place. It's a pretty unique day trip idea but I think it actually worked out pretty well as a day trip, though it may work out worse if you encounter bad delays or other mishaps and the challenge takes much longer than the time we managed to do it in.
I found that the challenge really allowed me to get bogged down in the details and planning for it, which is actually one of my specialties (getting bogged down in details in general, not specifically planning out a Metro challenge). The process of researching and then planning everything out down to the minute was something I could sink my teeth into, then having it play out exactly as scheduled was a quietly sublime kind of satisfaction.
Afterwards, we noted that things went remarkably well during the challenge--both we and the trains were completely on schedule, even though there was also the potential for things to have gone wrong. The only (probable/likely) thing that could've gone wrong is delays accumulating and causing us to miss scheduled transfers, but that'd only result in a longer time for the challenge. If the thing that went wrong was something more serious like a train breaking down/catching on fire/etc while we were on it, that'd be a different matter. Another thing that could've theoretically gone wrong is one of us falling off the platform and being struck by an oncoming train...
This was actually a pre-challenge reflection, but I felt it fit in best thematically here:
"I sort of see it as an exercise in endurance and a bizarre accomplishment few have ever achieved. I know there have been others prior to the Washingtonian article, but I think it's a rare thing to do."--Aaron
What's next?
We're contemplating trying a Circulator challenge since that should probably be doable in a single day, though I haven't yet figured out any good estimates for how much time it should actually take. Since Circulator buses are subject to delays due to traffic, it may be sort of slow. A Circulator challenge race could be an interesting idea -- one person rides the bus while another does the same route on a bike (the cyclist would probably win, though I wonder by how much).
I also may try to work out the most efficient way of riding every single Ride On route (over multiple days) in Montgomery County. What other transit/urbanist themed challenge ideas could I come up with? The general concept of "traverse/visit every [insert thing here]" can be as broad or narrow in scope as you'd like--it could entail a challenge that you can do in a single day or something that may take many days/months, such as riding every single road in a given location.
I don't think I want to attempt the Metro challenge again for the time being, but I'd honestly consider doing it again further in the future since there are so many different potential iterations of how it could go (based on time/day, route, crowds, service levels, other factors that affect the experience). I'd try the Rosslyn transfer route and see the four easternmost Red Line stations. It certainly is a unique and out-of-the-box idea for a day trip.
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