I kind of like the fact that our Metro system has carpeting inside the railcars. It reduces the noise and adds a little bit of class to what can be more of a cattle car experience. I like the fact that when I step onto a train, I don’t have to worry whether the floor is going to be slippery. I’m not interrupted by the sounds of briefcases scraping across the ground or the click-clack of hard-soled shoes when I’m deeply engrossed in the latest David Baldacci novel. Now it sounds like that carpeting is going the way of paper bags at the grocery store and gas station attendants who wipe the windows and check the oil.
Metro General Manager John Catoe has publicly said that he considers the carpeting on Metro trains to be an extravagance. He may be correct. Carpeting costs a great deal more to clean and to maintain than the vinyl-type, rubberized flooring that Catoe would like to see replacing it. In addition, there is whispered to be a serious problem with mold on some of the trains that could be resolved in large part by eliminating the carpeting. All in all, it makes a lot more sense to get rid of the carpets.
