Metro Trains To Remain At Severely Reduced Service Levels Through At Least Mid-November

WASHINGTON, DC — Metro rail service will remain at severely reduced levels through at least Nov. 15 as the transit system continues to work on a plan to get its new 7000-series railcars safely back into service, Metro said Thursday.

Trains will continue operating every 15 to 20 minutes on the Red Line and every 30 to 40 minutes on all other lines. Silver Line service will continue to operate only between Wiehle-Reston East and Federal Center SW. During this period of reduced service, Metro is encouraging residents to use Metrobus service as an alternative when possible.

“It has been a difficult few weeks for those who rely on transit in the region, and we thank our customers for their continued patience as we work to increase service as quickly as we can with safety being our top priority,” Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld said in a statement Thursday.

The investigation into the train cars started after a Blue Line train derailed in a tunnel north of the Arlington Cemetery Metro stop on Oct. 12.

The National Transportation Safety Board said investigators found broken sections of the brake disks along the route the Blue Line took that day, which led them to believe the train derailed and rerailed several times between Franconia, Largo and Arlington Cemetery.

Based on NSTB's findings, WMATA began an inspection of all 7000 Series cars, the total number of which make up nearly 60 percent of its fleet.

As a result of the investigation, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission issued an order on Oct. 17 for WMATA to pull all 7000 series railcars out of service, so that they could be inspected.

Metro said it has completed inspections of all of its 748 7000-series railcars — more than 3,000 axles in total — and is now working with the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission on a testing plan that will allow the trains to safely return to service, Wiedefeld said.

Twenty axles on the 7000-series trains were found to be out of alignment during the inspections.

In an announcement earlier this week, Metro said older trains would be pulled out of storage and put back into service in hopes of operating in a way that will meet ridership needs and avoid over-crowding.

Metro said it is working to increase the number of trains available for daily service from 31 trains to 50. That work involves ensuring the additional older 2000, 3000 and 6000-series railcars are safe for service.

Customers are encouraged to use Metro’s trip planning tools for schedule information. Metro’s Trip Planner is updated with the current schedule, and Metro’s Live Train Map provides real-time information on where trains are throughout the system allowing customers to better prepare for their commute.

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