Auto Doors Are Now Operating On All Metro Lines

After weeks of certifying operators to use Automatic Door Operations on the Blue, Orange, Silver, Yellow, and Green lines, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission gave its concurrence to allow Metro to fully operate in Auto Door mode starting today, July 8.

Per WMATA: Customers will notice faster entries and exits with doors opening within 3-5 seconds after the train stops on the station platform. The time saved per stop is up to 10 seconds. Metro previously launched Auto Doors on the Red Line last December.“Auto Doors on the Red Line has been very successful with more than 1.3 million safe door openings since launching last year,” said 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 still close train doors manually for departure, allowing safe and ample time for customers to enter and exit. Auto Doors are controlled by technology already onboard trains that ensures trains are safely stopped at the platform before the doors open. Before departing, operators will close the doors manually after checking outside the driver’s side cab window to ensure all customers have cleared the platform.

Upgrading and restoring the technology for Auto Doors will enable Metro to safely automate 20,000 daily door openings systemwide. This is a critical step in Metro’s rail automation program that will improve the customer experience. Featured photo courtesy WMATA