WMATA adds auto doors to Red Line trains

After weeks of certifying operators to use automatic door operation on some Red Line trains, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission has approved Metrorail to fully operate in auto door mode on the Red Line.

Auto doors open within three to five seconds after a train stops on the station platform. The time saved per stop is about 10 to 15 seconds, according to a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) press release.

"Auto doors will allow customers to exit trains faster to catch a connecting train or bus, or quickly reach escalators and elevators to leave the station and be on their way,” said WMATA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke. "In addition to the convenience customers will experience, auto doors is also safer, reducing the opportunity for human error and wrong-side door openings."

While train doors will open automatically, operators will still close train doors manually. Auto doors are controlled by technology already onboard trains that's designed to ensure trains are safely stopped at the platform before the doors open.