Red Line riders will continue to face delays through this week and possibly longer as the transit system says it needs more time to fix the track at the site of June’s deadly train wreck.
Metro had told riders the repairs should be done by the end of August on the line that has had major disruptions and unpredictable slowdowns since the June 22 crash, which killed nine people and injured more than 70 people.
“As it turns out, the work was more extensive than we imagined,” General Manager John Catoe told riders in an online chat. “It will take at least an extra week. I apologize for my overly optimistic projection.”
The transit agency does not have a firm date on when trains will return to regular service on the track between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations.
“We want to make sure that everything from our point of view is repaired and corrected,” spokesman Steven Taubenkibel added.
Commuters have seem some improvements in their rides. Trains initially had to share a single track in that section of the line after the crash, but Taubenkibel said they are now able to travel on each set of tracks. Still, they must run at reduced speeds there, which causes a ripple effect of delays throughout the line.
The National Transportation Safety Board has not said what caused the crash. It may take months before it issues a final report on the accident in which the automatic train system failed to stop one train from crashing into another. But initial reports from investigators indicate electronic equipment failed to sense a stopped train on the tracks.
The federal investigators wrapped up their on-scene work on July 31 and released the crash site to Metro. At the time, the transit agency had said it expected the repair work to take about 30 days. They alerted riders about the schedule on Aug. 7, noting delays would continue throughout the month. They have not released an updated schedule.
But Taubenkibel said Metro is still running announcements on its electronic station signs and sending e-alerts to riders’ mobile devices and e-mail accounts about the delays.
