Metro is pulling 16 rail cars from regular service Wednesday that may have the same type of brake problems that caused the meltdown on the Orange and Blue lines the day before, the agency said.
The transit agency reviewed Tuesday’s problems and found that the “friction ring” that fell from a rail car’s brake system was possibly part of a broader failure of the hub that holds the brakes in place. The agency has identified 34 other hubs from the same manufacturing batch that are on 16 other cars.
The agency is continuing to inspect the 190 cars of that model, the 5000 series, but the rest remain in service. They make up about 17 percent of the agency’s rail car fleet.
</div> <p>Metro officials also plan to try to improve how they communicate — to riders and internally on its <a href=”http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/dc/2011/11/metro-radio-system-plagued-dead-zones-problems?category=72″ target=”_blank”>radio system, which has been plagued with dead spots</a>. It wants to improve how it communicates to riders stuck on trains and those arriving at closed stations, after riders complained they waited more than 20 minutes to get word on why they were stopped underground. Others complained of confusing information at the five affected stations.</p> <p>The agency also plans to test new technology to boost emergency radio signals starting Wednesday.</p> <p>But despite the critiques, Metro praised how it and fire officials handled the evacuation of about 300 riders who were stuck underground for more than two hours. General Manager Richard Sarles said the plan was “methodical and deliberate” and “resulted in a safe and orderly evacuation in a reasonable time frame.”</p> <p>Thousands of commuters were delayed after a piece of a Blue Line train broke off near L’Enfant Plaza, damaging two following trains and bringing the Blue and Orange lines to a standstill for nearly five hours.</p>
