WMATA's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — If 2016 taught us anything, it's that pretty much any job in the world is better than being at the helm of Metro -- if not in terms of pay, at least in terms of headaches. Maybe someone should have told Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld that before he took the position in late 2015.

WMATA had a banner year in 2016, and certainly not in a good way. It all started with a smoke and fire incident this spring that prompted Metro to shut down the entire Metro system as they figured out the problem. What came after that can only be described as a nightmare: a system-wide safety plan called SafeTrack that has resulted in single-tracking and line segment shutdowns we're still dealing with right now to try to get the system back into working order. And oh yeah, Metro is in a severe budget crisis right now.

If you want to relive the misery -- and undoubtedly, Wiedefeld and anyone else at Metro doesn't -- you can check out our headlines throughout the year below in chronological order, starting with this summer when things really got bad:

June 29 -- Summer of Discontent: What Metro Riders are Saying Online About WMATA

July 10 -- 70% of Commuters Ditch Metro ... And WMATA Still Has Trouble Keeping Up [VIDEO]

July 14 -- WMATA to Metro Riders: We Don't Care If You're Hot, No Water Allowed

July 26 -- Goodbye, Late Night Metro: WMATA to Permanently Shut Down Trains After Midnight

Aug. 3 -- WMATA to Metro Employees: Stop Making Excuses

Aug. 10 -- DC Metro Buses Are Angering Locals

Aug. 18 -- Police Open Investigation Into East Falls Church Metro Train Derailment

Sept. 7 -- DC Metro Ridership Takes Huge Plunge in 2016; WMATA Off By 31 Million Rides

Oct. 26 -- PG County to WMATA: Don't Even Think About Cutting Back Late Night Metro Service

Image via WMATA