Metro GM Wiedefeld: Additional Metro weekend shutdowns may be needed

The beleaguered transit agency began rolling out a massive new rail fix project in June, but Metro has continued to be plagued by a series of safety lapses, including another train derailment just last month.

The 36-page report issued Monday resulted from months of investigations into Metro’s track maintenance practices.

Metro said following last month’s derailment, all crossover interlocks were inspected in the entire Metro system and problems were found with six of them that will now have to be fixed. As a result, SafeTrack Surge #7 now includes a complete shutdown this weekend between Grosvenor and Shady Grove Stations so the interlocking at Twinbrook can be repaired.

Metro is also taking several steps to improve track safety and will upgrade inspection procedures and training of personnel.

The FTA says it warned WMATA in the Spring that track conditions between East Falls Church and Ballston were of particular concern, and should receive priority when the “Safetrack” maintenance effort began this summer.

In the wake of a derailment that sent two railcars off the tracks, likely due to deteriorated rail infrastructure, Metro is considering adding more weekend shutdowns to the yearlong maintenance program known as SafeTrack.

“It is appalling to hear more bad news regarding the ongoing safety struggles at Metro”, Rep. Barbara Comstock, a Virginia Republican, said in a statement.

Other weekend closures – which would replace single-tracking – could come during the eight remaining SafeTrack surges, which are scheduled through March 2017.

“Now that you start peeling away you have more problems to deal with”, he said.

Wiedefeld also said that a specialized vehicle capable of catching the “wide gauge” problem that caused the July 29 derailment was out of service because it was undergoing routine maintenance, not because it was broken.

Evans, a member of the D.C. Council, had planned the meeting to meet a number of new hires at the top of Metro management.

Metro said it is bringing in contractors that specialize on different sections of safety. “I wish I could snap my fingers and we’d all be on the same page at the same time”.

“The board is very engaged in what’s happening, and very concerned about the safety issues”, Evans said.