Under automated mode, you had consistent threshold breaking and acceleration, door opening times, etc. It was a very smooth ride.
Either way, it's a symptom of the fact that the WMTA Union has suppressed the number of full-time positions for mechanics to ensure that existing mechanics get plenty of overtime pay. The result is a system where a single mechanic working a 12 hours shift is preferable to two mechanics working 6 hours each and getting something fixed. From the perspective of ANYONE other than the unionized workers, this is not ideal.
Any riders can see the results of this on a daily basis. The escalators remain broken for months on end, and disabled riders end up having to go to entirely different stations because the elevators will remain out for months as well.
I'll paste a link to a publication that I really don't like, but this particular article is actually very accurate. Sadly, the non-fringe media in DC are afraid to cover this story, despite the fact that anyone who has ever applied to work at the DC Metro can tell you this first-hand, and the data backs it up:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/03/29/exposed-dc-metro-...