Unruly Passenger Raises Questions for Metro

ROCKVILLE, Md. - An incident on board a Metro train has some riders steaming, demanding an explanation from the transit agency.

Several riders say during rush hour on July 24, a female passenger was verbally and physically assaulting others on board an outbound red line train, headed toward Shady Grove.

The incident started at the Rockville Station, and the train conductor, as well as station workers, were notified. Metro Police were notified, but by the time police arrived at the next station, the unruly woman was gone.

Should Metro workers have gotten involved in the situation?

"We can't expect train operators to take people on," Metro's Candace Smith tells WTOP Radio. "The police were en route and train operators should have continued operating the train."

But should the train have continued on when a passenger was allegedly hitting other riders?

"The train wasn't held up because the situation didn't warrant it," says Smith. "We are talking about holding up tens of thousands of passengers at the height of rush hour if we stop a train."

Metro does say it will hold up a train if the situation is deemed serious.

WTOP contacted several other large transportation systems, including New York and Philadelphia, and both agreed train operators should not get involved in an altercation. However, both did say that they can and do hold trains if there are assaults in their systems.

In case riders ever do find themselves in a similar situation, Metro does have a policy they say should be followed.

"We never want a customer to put him or herself in harms way," says Polly Hanson, Metro's assistant general manager for safety, security and emergency management. "We would suggest that people go to the next train car -- wait until the next station and go to the next train car. And then alert the conductor and they will call the command center."

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