Washington Metro officials announced a 16-day shutdown of portions of the Blue, Orange and Silver lines in response to the Federal Transit Administration’s call for immediate repairs, according to a new report.
This means the Metro will now shift around its SafeTrack repair plan schedule, which is set to begin in June, responding to the FTA telling Metro on Wednesday it would have to make immediate changes to certain lines.
The transit agency’s general manager, Paul Wiedefeld, said he agreed with the administration’s decision.
“I think the sooner we get out there, the sooner we get out of this game,” Wiedefeld said. “When I sat there at the [National Transportation Safety Board] hearing the other day and just heard through the litany of the decades here, it just reinforced to me I just got to go.”
The closures are expected to start by the end of the month. Affected areas will include from Eastern Market to Benning Road on the Blue and Silver Lines and from Eastern Market to Minnesota Avenue on the Orange Line.
