Then there’s the tracks… which look as if they’ve been trucking out the contents of the Fresh Kills Landfill and spreading it around town. I observe people just throw random stuff down there without a second thought and think that “we” users bear much of the blame for the disgusting state of our stations (and city).

Multiple entrances = TA can close one and work in the vicinity of that area.

Platforms – Plenty of room for sections of platform to be closed while crews do their thing – even in the middle of the day. The TA doesn’t have sever the length of the platform, just take what’s needed.

Most of DC’s system was built in the 70s and 80s, before ADA. They had a requirement, though, from the beginning to include accessibility. (In fact there was a delay opening the system as there were lawsuits over elevators.)

But NY has added connections in that same time frame, especially in and near Times Square that have aided in the connectivity of our system while also being accessible. DC’s system very badly needs expansion in the core, and very much needs connectivity between stations and added entrances, but the design and build process — to say nothing of the funding — is a serious hindrance. Those lovely expensive stations look great. And were meant to invoke the great train stations and particularly Union Station, but money was free flowing to build the Cadillac of train systems. A showplace for post WWII power. (Older stations that were built for the long gone DC streetcar network were far more utilitarian.)

Now that focus on trying to replicate that type of building stile and standardization gets in the way. (And newer stations have diverted from that sameness while keeping things like the hexagon tile. And use of brass for the metal.)

Thankfully, newer buildings especially in dense areas like Arlington, have started to accommodate room for future station enhancements. Now just to find the funding…

So the majority are rough concrete. The overhangs are new and probably won’t require painting for years to come if ever. They maybe powder coated at present and designed to not be painted.

Oddly the DC system takes a lot more money and space and planning to build station. Part of the reason their are so few entrances is that the process is costly, and must fit the design guidelines of the original system — out of necessity of getting through the planning process as well as the design-nannies within DC urbanists. This doesn’t allow you to shoehorn in new entrances, new mezzanines and everything else that NYC does. They’ve talked about joining two stations downtown for decades. NY would have done it along time ago. Just put in a tunnel and been done with it. This also means that the NY system is not at all standardized, so maintenance is more time consuming and costly.

Advantage is we have a much more comprehensive system in my opinion. I lived in DC twice and find the system is wonderful as a showplace, but less useable as transportation.