Metro's lost and found on the move
By: Kytja Weir
Examiner Staff Writer
August 26, 2009
Keys or cell phones lost on a Metro train can soon be found in Hyattsville, not Silver Spring.
The transit agency is relocating its Lost and Found Office this weekend from a site off the Red Line in Montgomery County to a new site off the Green Line in Prince George's County, estimating it can save nearly $6 million over the next decade on rent.
The 40,000-square-foot office space on Belcrest Road in Hyattsville also gives the agency some room to grow for other customer services such as the headquarters of its fast-growing disability access service, said spokeswoman Angela Gates.
But the move will disrupt some of the customer service phone centers for riders on the system, including its special lines for its MetroAccess service for riders with disabilities.
Metro officials say the move won't affect the schedule of the Lost and Found Office, where some 3,800 items such as keys, glasses and cell phones are typically turned in each month. The office is only open on weekdays, so it should reopen at the new site Monday.
However, those who call in to the MetroAccess service to make trip reservations on the shared ride service and callers wanting to make a comment on the customer service line may face problems over the weekend as the systems move.
The transit agency is using the relocation as a chance to upgrade its MetroAccess reservation system, Gates said. All the back offices of the service will be moving there, but the offices where MetroAccess riders receive certification to use the service will remain at Metro's downtown D.C. headquarters.
The new site remains accessible by Metro -- about two blocks away from the Prince George's Plaza Metrorail stop and by five Metrobus routes. Limited free parking is available next door. Metro is leasing the new office space for $10 million over a decade from Prince George Center I Inc.
