Getting on and off Metro trains will be a little faster beginning Monday.
The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission approved Metro to operate all rail lines in Auto Door Mode beginning Monday, July 8.
Auto train doors open within 3-5 seconds after the train stops on the station platform, allowing for faster entries and exits.
The launch came weeks after Metro certified operators to use Automatic Door Operations for the Blue, Orange, Silver, Yellow and Green lines, according to the WMATA press release.
Metro previously launched Auto Doors on only the Red Line last December. The decision resulted in more than 1.3 million safe door openings since, according to Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke. “With Auto Doors, we’ve achieved better schedule consistency and now we’re excited to bring this safety and convenience improvement to all our customers.”
While train doors will open automatically upon arrival, operators will manually close train doors before departure to ensure a safe and ample transition for passengers. The technology for the Auto Doors allows doors to open only after the train comes to a safe stop at the station.
The Auto Doors technology allows Metro to safely automate 20,000 daily door openings systemwide, according to the press release. The launch is part of Metro’s rail automation program.
