[Blindtlk] Questions about riding the metro/subways

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi all,
I just moved to Washington, DC this week and this is my first time
living in a city with subways, although I am a seasoned bus traveler.
I have been getting acquainted with the Metro system but have mainly
been following my husband (who is sighted) and I've discovered a few
issues that I haven't yet figured out how to resolve. I am hoping that
some of you with experience using subways (not just DC Metro, but
subways in general) might be able to suggest nonvisual techniques for
dealing with the following potential issues.

First, a recurring challenge I have faced with public transit is
knowing when people have stopped exiting the vehicle and it's my turn
to enter. I can hear people exit, but can't always tell when the last
person exits and I can go in. This is magnified when the metro station
happens to have other loud noises like announcements or a train moving
in the opposite direction while I'm trying to listen for the train
door opening and see if people are exiting. With buses, a few seconds
waiting to see if it's my turn isn't a problem, but with the subway,
the doors only stay open for a short while and we have observed other
passengers getting stuck in the door when they ran out of time to
board. What strategies do you use to ensure that you give yourself
enough time to board, without cutting in front of people trying to get
out?
Related to this, I have heard that it is easier to board the subway
through the frontmost car where, presumably, the driver can see you
and wait if you're a little slow getting on. Is this true and if so,
what's the best way to find the frontmost part of the train/what
happens if you walk past it?
Finally, I have noticed that at some busy stations, it is impossible
to hear which train line has arrived. The announcements are often
unclear and there are multiple announcements going on at the same
time. Also, if a train is going the other way when the train I want
arrives, it can be really hard to hear the doors open and locate them.
How have others handled this?
I apologize if these sound like extremely basic questions, but I
always appreciate practical tips from other blind people whenever I am
learning something new.

Best, Arielle