“We’ll be moving momentarily.” This announcement fills Metro riders with dread, and for good reason. What you don’t always hear is why your train is delayed. A dive into WMATA data that tabulate disruption reports between 2012 and now lists many routine reasons for delays–and some that defy easy explanation.
Deer struck by train
This happened more than 60 times, on multiple lines.
Rodent in car
Just imagine the screams.
Bird in operator cab
Ditto.
Dog in track area
Rover! Come home!
Passengers walking between cars
Don’t do this.
Customers holding doors
This has caused delays for as long as 6 minutes.
Someone giving birth
Welcome to the world, little Glenmont.
Basketball thrown in front of train
That’s not how you play basketball.
Brush fire on the right of way
This happened three times.
Sleeping customer reported as sick passenger
Just leave the dude alone so we can get home.
Report of a lost item
.@RKadyrov Is this your cat? pic.twitter.com/2UacV3km7J
— John Oliver (@iamjohnoliver) May 23, 2016
Unless you lost an eyeball, don’t stop our train!
A presidential motorcade
No relief from those, even on the train.
Zack Bu is an editorial fellow. He graduated from Columbia Journalism School with a concentration in data journalism. He writes and codes and is passionate about combing the two. He’s written for Quartz and Realtor.com.
