Posted on 11/16/2017 4:08:41 PM PST by markomalley
Hair and other human fibers are accumulating in Washington D.C. Metro tunnels in such large quantities that the gunk poses a threat of electrical sparks and fire, a transit consultant tells News4.
So much hair and skin cells build up on insulators that support the electrified third rails that the mess looks like a thick layer of felt, said a safety specialist from Amalgamated Transit Union, the largest labor union representing transit employees in North America.
"I was flabbergasted -- flabbergasted -- at the amount of hair that's in the Metro," Brian Sherlock said.
It's not just hair and fibers -- dust and debris also are gathering, according to Sherlock.
He said the issue can become especially dangerous when debris gathers near the high-voltage third rail.
"The amount of debris is just beyond vulgar to think of," Sherlock said.
Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld acknowledged the issue.
"Hair literally comes off of people and off of clothing and gets sucked up," he said.
This hair issue is not one that Metro has independently studied, but Metro has made efforts to increase the regularity of trackbed cleaning since 2016," Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said.
Gross. I rode the bus to work in the UK. The smell of people not washing their hair was nauseating. I thought...”Damn! Being poor doesn’t mean you can’t afford sink water and a bar of soap!”
Maybe the reason no one’s found Big Foot yet is because they keep looking in the woods.
They need to look in the Metro tunnels instead.
Who says they are human? If the fibers are on the rail insulators between stations, it is from the RATS.
No, there's sh*t too... and rat fur...
New York’s subway system has a vacuum train that goes along cleaning the gunk on the tracks.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e_t3HwUulMs
Ban riders.
NYC has a great subway system that is very clean and virtually crime-free. However, the commuter lines are the very best. Especially Metro North. Spotless cars from Grand Central on up into the backbone of Connecticut that are almost always on time.
This is true. DC has a serious Rat Problem.
(My focus went to ‘vulgar’. I think ‘repulsive’ or ‘disgusting’ is what they were reaching for...)
A good part of maintenance is keeping the equipment clean. So, quit yer bitch in an do your job whiner.
A Yellow Lab Mix who is a 24/7 sheder could easily make a sweater per year.
Aren’t there cold people out there this time of year?
I dunno.. Why don’t they just do what they have to do to Michelle Obama’s closet every week ?
Same problem, same solution.
The first thought that struck me with this debris buildup was the Bradford City Stadium Fire of 1985. Everyone knew there was a massive buildup of crap under the seats... and when a cigarette finally lit it up, the speed it went through the stadium was unbelievable. http://bradfordcityfire.co.uk/
We shed. Like all animals we shed skin and hair daily. Aside from wrapping all passengers in saran wrap there is no way to prevent it.
And just what is vulgar about it? Nasty? Maybe. But vulgar?
Now since these guys seem to be in a dither over it, Turn off the current. The scuze will peel off the line easily. Now swab the line with rubbing alcohol.
There.
It will say nice and clean for about a week. So plan to swab the line once a week.
You can send the reward for solving your little problem to FR.
Slow news day ...
The rat hair would be found mostly at the Federal Center and Capitol South stops.
:-)
The Metro is nothing but a jobs program for government union employees in the MD - DC - VA area. The fact that transportation is provided is incidental. And apparently they never accounted for maintenance costs.
I miss Myron Cope.
No. Metro's management has been warning about deferred maintenance for decades. The problem is, the first priorities every budget cycle are higher pay and fringe benefits for unionized employees. This produces a happy union that kicks back money and manpower to elect Democrats. Running a safe, efficient transportation system is incidental. A similar problem exists in the public schools.
Send out a bunch of environuts to harvest the hair for their weaving projects.
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