Outside panel recommends changes for Washington's subway system

Today's Washington Post reports on an outside panel's recommendations for improving subway operations:

• Hire more track inspectors, give them better training and recertify them annually.
• Appoint managers for each of the five subway lines and make them responsible for service from end to end. Create clear lines of authority so that everyone who works on the line is accountable to the line manager.
• Run longer but fewer trains during peak hours to improve the flow of traffic along each rail line.
• Change hiring practices so candidates with the right skills are matched to the jobs of train operator, bus driver and station manager.
• Improve training so line supervisors can make quick fixes to trains and get them back into service at stations.
• Reconfigure the interior of a couple of rail cars -- remove poles at the doors, widen the aisles -- and test whether passengers can get on and off the trains more quickly and easily. Paint lines along the platform at busy stations to show passengers where to line up for the next train and make boarding faster.
• Provide better information about service disruptions.