Major ceiling cracks that extend over Metro’s subway tracks have been discovered at the Farragut North station, the latest maintenance problem for the aging transit system.
The cracks, including one stretching 15 feet by 4 feet, were found Tuesday, according to Metro.
Metro’s other maintenance needs
Metro has an $11 billion list of work needed to maintain its aging infrastructure. Among the problems:
» A quarter of its rail car fleet dates from the 1970s, called “uncrashworthy” by federal investigators.
» Delapidated bus garages, including more than 100-year-old garages and one with condemned areas.
» Crumbling rail platforms at Shady Grove.
During a routine inspection, a worker had spotted a dislodged tile in the platform ceiling by the northern L Street entrance of the Red Line station, Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said. “They went up to make what they thought was a more minor repair,” she told The Examiner.
But when crews removed the tile, they found the large crack in the concrete. Other smaller cracks were also visible, including one that extends over the subway tracks.
The damage did not disrupt trains or injure any riders, Farbstein said. The area was blocked off with plywood for about 20 feet along the platform, with a barricade around it.
It appears moisture had been seeping into the ceiling, according to Metro. A 27-inch sewer pipe lies above the area, but Farbstein said it wasn’t clear if the moisture was coming from the pipe. The station is among the system’s oldest, having opened in March 1976.
It’s too early to know how long the repairs will take, Farbstein said, but she estimated two weeks. The work will occur at nights and on the weekends when the system isn’t as busy. “They’ll be working on it for the holiday,” she said Wednesday.
It’s too early to know how long the repairs will take, Farbstein said, but she estimated two weeks. The work will occur at nights and on the weekends when the system isn’t as busy. “They’ll be working on it for the holiday,” she said Wednesday.
But at about 10:45 a.m. Thursday, no one was working on the site.
Farbstein said the agency does not know how much the repairs will cost. Still no matter the price tag, it will be just the latest round of unexpected costs for the transit agency this year.
On Wednesday, a federal court ordered Metro to pay $200,000 for violating the U.S. Clean Water Act. The agency is spending thousands to fight an arbitration panel’s order for Metro to pay 3 percent raises to its largest union. Declining ridership isn’t bringing in as much money as expected.
And the agency is facing growing costs from a spate of lawsuits and repairs stemming from the June 22 train crash that killed nine people and highlighted flaws in the system’s automatic safety system. All this comes on top of an already $11 billion list of needed repairs and improvements for the system.
