Red Line update: Expect delays up to 20 min due to ongoing track inspections following earlier disabled trains.
Tag Archives: Track Work
Red Line Alert!
Red Line: Normal service has resumed at Fort Totten
Red Line Alert!
Red Line: Expect delays in both directions due to a switch problem at Fort Totten
Metro General Manager Richard Sarles
Many long-anticipated changes are coming to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Streetcars are expected to begin service on H Street NE and the Silver Line is slated to start running to Reston and Tyson’s Corner. New fare cards and rail cars are also in the works systemwide. But many old problems and concerns about on-time performance, maintenance and safety remain. Kojo and WAMU 88.5 reporter Martin DiCaro talk with Metro General Manager Richard Sarles about where the system is headed.
Guests
Richard Sarles
General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
Martin Di Caro
Transportation Reporter, WAMU
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Metro General Manager Richard Sarles explains why WMATA doesn’t use the transportation industry’s standard for measuring on-time performance. Sarles said WMATA compares measurements against their own internal numbers, rather than industry numbers, to check improvement. “The standard we use was here before I got here,” Sarles said.
Oops! Metro posted wrong signs for its new Silver Line
Oops!
Metro posted incorrect signs at its Metro Center station — a mistake that is expected to cost some money to fix.
The transit agency is in the process of installing hundreds of signs throughout the system at its 86 rail stations to show the new Silver Line in Northern Virginia that will run through Tysons Corner to the edge of Reston. The Silver Line is expected to open sometime in 2014 although no firm date has been set.
But some of the new signs Metro workers started to put up at stations in the system had a mistake.
About a dozen signs at the Metro Center station went up earlier this week showing five stations that the Blue Line doesn’t serve. According to the incorrect signs, the Blue Line made stops at Court House, Clarendon, Virginia Square, Ballston and East Falls Church.
That’s wrong.
Those five stops are only served by the Orange Line. The Blue Line splits off from the Orange Line at the Rosslyn station.
The mistaken signs was first reported Tuesday by Adam Tuss at NBC 4.
Metro said it regrets the error and couldn’t immediately explain how it happened.
Dan Stessel, a Metro spokesman, said Wednesday that the signs have been taken down and “new signs will go up this week.” Stessel said.
He said the cost to fix the signs would be less than $2,000, but he said he did not know an exact price. He said the contractor that made the signs will be responsible for making the fix.
“May this be the biggest problem we deal with for [Tuesday],” he said. “If that’s what the news is about Metro, we’ll take it.”
Wednesday morning Metro troubles on four lines
Updated at 9:47 a.m.
Normal service has resumed at the Rosslyn station on the Blue and Orange lines.
Updated at 8:30 a.m.
The cold continues to affect Metro’s rails and trains Wednesday morning, as four of its five lines have had troubles.
Delays continue on the Green Line after trains had to share a track between U Street and Georgia Avenue.
There was also a problem with an earlier disabled train at Columbia Heights station but that problem was resolved by 8:32 a.m.
As of 8:44 a.m., there were still some delays from Orange and Blue and Green lines as a result of the morning’s problems, according to Dan Stessel, a spokesman at Metro.
Updated at 8:02 a.m.
There have been troubles on four of Metro’s rail lines Wednesday morning, making it a rough commute for riders.
At 7:45 a.m., Metro said there were delays on the Blue and Orange lines to Franconia and Vienna stations because of a disabled train at the Rosslyn station.
Trains shared a track between the Foggy Bottom and Clarendon stations until about 8 a.m. Metro said riders should expect residual delays in both directions.
Earlier in the morning, there were problems on the Red and Green lines as well.
Trains on the Green Line sharing a track until about 7:30 a.m. Officials said delays continued because of an earlier problem with a disabled train outside of the West Hyattsville station.
The earlier troubles on the Red Line were fixed. At 7:12 a.m., Metro sent an e-mail alert saying that normal service was back at the Tenleytown station after earlier issues in that area.
Updated at 7:41 a.m.
Riders on Metro Red Line should expect delays Wednesday morning because of earlier troubles with a train that was malfunctioning at the Rhode Island Avenue stop.
Earlier in the morning trains on the Red Line were sharing a track between Friendship Heights and Van Ness stations in an unrelated problem. That situation was resolved, Metro said.
Updated at 7:31 a.m.
Trains on Metro’s Green Line are no longer sharing a track but delays continue in both directions because of an earlier situation that involved a disabled train outside the West Hyattsville station.
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Original post at 6:03 a.m.
Metro riders on the Green Line should expect delays in both directions Wednesday morning.
Trains are sharing a track between Fort Totten and Prince George’s Plaza stations because of a disabled train outside the West Hyattsville station.
There was an earlier problem on the Red Line because of a disabled train but that problem has been resolved.
Metro had a disabled train on its Red Line outside the Tenleytown station around 6:30 a.m. but the train was moved by 6:51 a.m. Trains had to share a track between Friendship Heights and Van Ness stations. Just before 7 a.m., trains were no longer sharing a track but Metro officials warned that delays could continue in both directions on the rail line.
VRE sent an email alert Wednesday morning to its passengers warning that power is out at its stop at the L’Enfant Station at 6th and C streets SW. VRE officials said riders should use caution when getting on and off trains because the platforms are dark.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2014/01/29/wednesday-morning-metro-troubles/
Metro infrastructure affected by cold weather
ARLINGTON, Va. (WJLA) – You don’t need Metro rider Victor Powell to tell you that today is not the day you want to be waiting 15 minutes for a train:
“Oh my God, I’ll probably be an icicle by the time it gets here…”
The cold has indeed taken a toll on Metro’s infrastructure. A picture from rider Kim Taylor shows the crowd of people waiting for the Blue and Yellow Lines Thursday morning after the frigid temperatures caused a rail to crack near the Reagan National Airport station.
And on Wednesday, Miranda Green snapped a photo of this packed Orange Line platform after the cold caused a variety of problems on several trains on various lines – something the agency says happened during our last deep freeze.
Engineers are now trying to figure out the cause:
“Deep freezes, metal contracts, what’s going on in the car in terms of moisture has different focuses for us — we’re trying to get through that,” explained WMATA General Manager Richard Sarles.
WSSC crews braved the cold to start repairs on a six-inch water main that broke in Silver Spring and cut off water to nearly two dozen customers.
“We have water on hand, just to be on the safe side,” said area resident Robert Hale. “A lot of people around here do that because we’ve lost the water quiet often.”
Though there were only a handful of main breaks today, that is expected to change in the coming days as the water temperature continues to drop:
“All of a sudden, that really cold water starts moving through our distribution system after we treat it and then we start to see an increase in water main breaks,” said WSSC spokesperson Lyn Riggins.
Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/01/metro-infrastructure-affected-by-cold-weather-99562.html#ixzz2rn5tUwDs
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Metro weekend track work: Delays on blue, yellow, orange and red lines
WASHINGTON (AP) – Metro says passengers will wait longer for trains on the blue, orange, yellow and red lines this weekend.
Metro says beginning Friday at 10 p.m. and continuing through system closing on Sunday, trains on the blue, orange and yellow lines will operate every 24 minutes. Trains on the red line will also run every 24 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont, with trains every 12 minutes between Farragut North and Silver Spring from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Metro says the green line will have regular weekend service.
Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/01/metro-weekend-track-work-delays-on-blue-yellow-orange-and-red-lines-99699.html#ixzz2rn5GPiLL
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First Silver Line test run complete, but no results or service start date yet
Tracks are seen stretching out from the McLean Metro station in this Nov. 4, 2013, photo.
Officials say they are analyzing data collected from the first full test run of Silver Line train service conducted over the weekend but still have no firm date for when work on the $5.6 billion rail project will be completed.
“Rail project officials, the contractor Dulles Transit Partners and WMATA are now tabulating, evaluating and analyzing all the information obtained from the demonstration,’’ officials with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said in an e-mailed statement. “There is a huge amount of data and information to be dealt with and discussed by all the parties involved. When those evaluations are completed, we look forward to discussing the findings.”
Officials would not say when the analysis would be completed.
People familiar with the test run said it turned up a number glitches, including ones linked to the system’s automatic train control system, a key safety component that controls train movement and speed and ensures proper spacing between trains — an issue that had delayed completion of the project for several months. The individuals asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
In at least one instance during Saturday evening’s testing, they said, a train encountered a red signal, indicating that it should stop, yet still received speed commands directing it to move forward. Marcia McAllister, spokeswoman for the rail project, said officials would not comment beyond their e-mail statement.
But whether this and other issues that surfaced during the test are considered minor glitches that can easily be addressed or are signs of more serious problems that could result in additional delays remains to be seen.
As part of the test conducted in the overnight hours of Jan. 25, officials ran 10 trains along 11 miles of track and through the five stations that make up the first phase of the Silver Line. The first phase of the much-anticipated rail line has four stops in Tysons and one in Reston at Wiehle Avenue.
The automatic train control system is critical to trains’ safe operation. It was the failure of this system to detect the presence of a train on the tracks that was blamed in part for the2009 Red Line crash, which killed nine people and injured dozens of others.
Software problems linked to the ATC system forced MWAA to delay handing over the Silver Line project to Metro in November, as originally planned. It was the second time in six months that MWAA, which is building the rail line, had to delay the planned turnover. While MWAA is overseeing construction of the rail line, it will be managed and operated by Metro.
Earlier this month, Pat Nowakowski, executive director of the rail project said that enough of the software issues tied to the ATC system had been dealt with for this past weekend’s test to be completed, but he acknowledged that some issues still remain.
Metro delays on Green Line, weather causes road problems
Updated at 7:10 a.m.
Metro riders on the Green Line should expect delays in both directions Wednesday morning.
Trains are sharing a track between Fort Totten and Prince George’s Plaza stations because of a disabled train outside the West Hyattsville station.
There was an earlier problem on the Red Line because of a disabled train but that problem has been resolved.
Original post at 6:03 a.m.
Light snowfall in the D.C. region overnight created challenges for commuters Wednesday morning, as some schools closed and others announced delayed openings, airlines canceled flights and police closed a usually busy ramp onto the southbound lanes of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway because of downed wires in the roadway.
U.S. Park Police said the wires toppled overnight onto the ramp that leads to the parkway from Route 193 in Greenbelt. They are not sure when the ramp will re-open, as they are waiting on a repair crew.
Police warned drivers throughout the region to use caution because some roads are slick and icy.
Metro had a disabled train on its Red Line outside the Tenleytown station around 6:30 a.m. but the train was moved by 6:51 a.m. Trains had to share a track between Friendship Heights and Van Ness stations. Just before 7 a.m., trains were no longer sharing a track but Metro officials warned that delays could continue in both directions on the rail line.
VRE sent an email alert Wednesday morning to its passengers warning that power is out at its stop at the L’Enfant Station at 6th and C streets SW. VRE officials said riders should use caution when getting on and off trains because the platforms are dark.
Schools are closed in Prince William, Stafford and Culpeper counties. Schools in Fairfax, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Howard, Frederick and Arlington counties, and in Alexandria, are opening two hours late.
Air travel has been impacted by the latest round of snowfall. About 250 flights across the country were delayed and another 950 were canceled as a result of the winter weather, according to FlightAware.
Eighteen flights were canceled at Ronald Reagan National Airport. Another 15 were canceled at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and four were canceled at Washington Dulles International.
For more transportation-related stories, click here. For updates on the Washington weather forecast, go to the Washington post’s Capital Weather Gang.