DC Metro To Shut Down Entirely Wednesday

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The D.C. Metro system will be shutting down entirely Wednesday for safety checks on all 600 cables in the system, Metro confirmed Tuesday.

The systemwide closure comes after Monday's cable fire that resulted in single-tracking and a major disruption in service for commuters.

The Metro will be shut down for a total of 29 hours starting at midnight. Officials are trying to avoid a repeat of the deadly smoke incident at L'Enfant Plaza last year.

Federal offices will be open Wednesday, according to the Office of Personnel Management. Employees have the option of unscheduled leave or to telework.

In a press conference late Tuesday afternoon, Metro chief Paul Wiedefeld and D.C. councilmember Jack Evans (Ward 2) said that while the risk was low, there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be another cable fire if the trains keep running.

"While the investigation is ongoing, the preliminary showings find commonalities [with the L'Enfant fire]," Wiedefeld said. "While the risk to public is very low, I cannot rule out a potential life safety issue here, which is why we must take this action immediately."

Wiedefeld said he has been in contact with the Office of Personnel Management on the situation, but it will be up to them as to whether workers will be able to stay home tomorrow.

"I fully recognize the hardship this causes to the region and to the community," he said, noting that the entire rail system will be shut down until 5 a.m. Thursday. "If we do this piecemeal, it's going to take weeks," he added later.

Evans said it would be a mistake to continue running Metro service until officials know for sure that there will be no further problems with the cables.

"We in good conscience cannot send trains out into these tunnels knowing full well something could go wrong," he said. "We may find one or two [of the cables] are bad, we may find 50 of them are bad."

The shutdown will begin at midnight tonight. The bus system will continue as normal, with some extra help for schools in the District, Wiedefeld said. D.C. Public Schools announced that they will remain open on Wednesday, but tardies and absences will be excused.

Asked why Metro won't shut down the Metro right now, Wiedefeld noted that 100,000 people had already commuted into the city, and that this seemed to be the most "rational" option. "Again it's very, very low, but until I've got these 600 inspected and I'm comfortable with them," it would be wise to discontinue service as soon as possible, he said.

He said officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and other federal authorities have been in contact with Metro on the issue. The decision to shut down the system was made during a conference call with D.C. officials at 2 p.m. today.

Metro VRE service will be unaffected, as Patch.com reported.

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Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) issued a statement calling on the Office of Personnel Management to allow federal employees to take unscheduled leave or telework on Wednesday.

"Today’s decision by General Manager Wiedefield to shut down the Metrorail system for 24 hours is a gut punch to the hundreds of thousands of commuters who depend on the system," he wrote. "This decision, while perhaps necessary, will cause significant inconvenience and will disrupt the functioning of the federal government in our nation’s capital. OPM must recognize that challenge and should, at a minimum, grant unscheduled leave or telework for federal employees tomorrow. While I am extremely frustrated with this news, safety must be our number one priority. This dramatic action highlights the need for long-term safety and reliability improvements throughout the system. "