Metro changed its intercom policy to ensure someone will answer when you call after hearing the ordeal one rider told News4.
About 8 p.m. Sunday, Eric Udler wanted to report he lost his cellphone on a train, but he couldn’t find the station manager at the Grosvenor station.
“I look around, nobody's there, so I waited for about 10 minutes," he said.
Then he used the emergency intercom to call for help, but no one answered.
“Didn't know what to do so I hit the button again, and after three times of hitting it, not getting connected with anyone, and after 15 minutes of waiting, I left,” Udler said.
He wasn’t worried about his lost phone as much as about what would happen in an emergency.
"I want to feel safe on the Metro and know that if there's an emergency I have some place to go and that somebody will be around,” he said. “Nobody was around."
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Metro said checked the box to make sure it works and now will add an extra layer where if the 24-hour control center doesn't pick up, the call will transfer to Metro Transit Police.
Metro said the station manager had notified central command of a bathroom break and even though the booth was empty, the manager would have been able to respond to an emergency situation.
