More train delays ahead for Red Line, other Metro lines
By: Kytja Weir
August 9, 2009
Red Line riders will face more delays through the end of this month, as Metro replaces all the track circuitry near the site of the recent deadly train wreck.
After 10 p.m. each night, trains on the line will share the same track when they travel between Fort Totten and Takoma stations, where the June 22 crash occurred. The work, which will involve up to 50 people each day, means delays for riders beyond that stretch of track as well, as the bottleneck will cause a ripple effect of slowdowns.
The Fort Totten station also will be shut down to Red Line trains for the next two weekends, meaning riders passing through that section of the line will have to take a shuttle between the adjacent stations.
Metro riders have already faced many delays since the crash as investigators spent weeks studying the tracks to determine why one train ran into another, killing nine and injuring more than 70 people.
The exact reason why the automatic train system failed to stop the trains has not yet been determined, but federal investigators have focused on circuits in the tracks that are part of that safety system. Several pieces of equipment showed problems before the crash.
Metro plans to replace all components that are part of the system in that area after federal investigators said on July 31 the transit agency could begin to repair the site.
But the rest of the transit system may need other repairs depending on what the National Transportation Safety Board recommends to Metro.
Already, the transit agency has adjusted or replaced dozens of circuits elsewhere in the system in the wake of the crash. However, Metro officials have said those problems were not as serious as those found at the crash site.
Meanwhile, Blue and Yellow line riders are also facing major delays through Labor Day because of the replacement of a key piece of track equipment; that equipment is unrelated to the June 22 crash. That work will be concentrated at night, with shutdowns and trains sharing the same track at various points on the line.
