Metro checking all rail circuits
By: Kytja Weir
June 25, 2009
Metro’s general manager said Thursday that the transit system is manually checking all 3,000 circuits in the rail system after a National Transportation Safety Board investigation found a circuit with “anomalies” along the tracks near where a train slammed into another Monday, killing nine and injuring more than 70.
The work likely will cause some slowdowns and delays throughout the subway system.
“We ask the public to be patient with us but this is something we must do,” John Catoe said.
The transit system also is following its largest union’s demand to put the oldest rail cars in between newer rail cars on each train, instead of as front or rear cars, because of fears of their “crash worthiness.”
“It’s going to take us time to do it the entire system, but we’re working on it,” Catoe said.
He said those cars, the 1000 series, have not had problems running. Instead, the concern is about their safety is they are involved in a crash.
The lead railcar on the striking train in Monday’s crash was a 1000 series car that crumpled to one-third of its original size.
Metro reopened the full Red Line during rush hour until 10 a.m. Thursday, running trains along a single track in the area near the crash. The transit system will stop such service during the middle of the day — running shuttle buses in that area — but resume continuous service from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. It is not clear when service will return to a normal schedule.
