One of the last big tests before the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority hands the first phase of the Silver Line over to Metro takes place this weekend.

Saturday night, officials conducted a“simulated service” exercise, running trains along the new spur of the rail extension between East Falls Church and Wiehle Avenue. The goal is to see how the new line integrates with the rest of the system. As part of the trial run, 10 eight-car trains will operate along the rail line at the same time Metro is running regular Orange Line service.

The testing was completed by Sunday morning.

Officials at MWAA, which is responsible for overseeing construction of the $5.6 billion rail line, said they expect to hand it over to Metro sometime in February. They had originally anticipated the project would be completed in September, but a series of delays and problems with software systems related to the automated train control system forced them to delay the hand-off. Once it takes control of the Silver Line, Metro has up to 90 days to conduct training and its own testing of the rail line.

Officials have not said when passenger service will begin on the highly-anticipated new line, which will include four stops in Tysons Corner and one in Reston. Preliminary work on the second phase has already begun. That portion, which includes a stop at Washington Dulles International Airport, is expected to be completed in 2018.

Metrorail had delays throughout the week, but trains kept running despite snow and extreme cold. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

Last week’s snow and cold affected both drivers and transit users, but the biggest disruptions occurred on Metrorail lines.

In his monthly report to the Metro board on Thursday, board chairman Tom Downs focused on the impact of the cold temperatures, a likely cause of that morning’s cracked rail, which slowed riders on the Blue and Yellow lines during rush hour. Downs recognized “the difficulty the system has operating when the temperature is in single digits. Cracked rail is a phenomenon that everybody who operates a railroad understands. Large changes in temperature can easily fracture rail. There is no cure for it. … The only thing I can say to our customers is that we’re sorry and we try to repair the damage as quickly as possible when it occurs.”

Richard Sarles, Metro’s general manager, talked about Tuesday’s snow. “Throughout the storm,” he said, “Metrorail and Metrobus continued serving our riders, and Metro’s parking lots and stations remained plowed, salted and shoveled …

“While some of our equipment is feeling the effects of the deep freeze that followed the storm, our employees deserve special recognition for their hard work through the storm and this week as they battled the cold to keep people moving.”

Snow totals on Tuesday were the deepest in the region in four years, but they did not force Metrorail to curtail above-ground service. Metrobus limited service to its snow emergency routes late Tuesday and early Wednesday.

Government and school closings, followed by delayed openings, sharply reduced rush hour ridership. But those who did travel encountered problems throughout the week. Not all the problems were related to the snow and cold. As the storm intensified Tuesday afternoon, signal problems and train equipment problems — usually doors and brakes — led to delays of up to 20 minutes, according to Metro reports.

During Wednesday’s big chill, service on all lines was disrupted by track and train problems. The most common cause of delay was a brake problem. Out of 51 incidents logged by Metrorail on Wednesday, 22 were attributed to brake problems. Five trains had door problems. During the rush hours, most delays reported by Metro were under 10 minutes. But at 8:23 a.m., a Blue Line train experienced a brake problem and unloaded passengers at the Arlington Cemetery station, an outdoor platform, resulting in a 14-minute delay on the line.

At 9:25 a.m., an Orange Line train was offloaded at McPherson Square (underground) because of a brake problem, and riders were delayed 24 minutes. At 4:12 p.m., passengers had to get off a Green Line train at College Park (outdoor platform) because of a door problem, resulting in an 18-minute delay.

The delays listed here are from Metro’s reports for the week. Passengers waiting for trains often send out Twitter messages giving longer times for the delays. They also experience the residual effects of delays in that they may have to pass up trains that are just too crowded to board. A Wednesday morning Tweet from Sarah Dunn: “Longest Metro ride this a.m. in 4 yrs living in D.C.; 90 min. from Dunn Loring to McPherson. Usually takes 30 min.!

Also, the tidiness of the aftermath reports masks the uncertainty riders experience during the disruptions. Many complain that they aren’t getting enough information over the loudspeakers in the stations and on the trains to estimate the length of a disruption or figure out alternative routes. A Wednesday Tweet from Brian W.: “Are any OL [Orange Line] trains moving? Been sitting at Clarendon for 30 min. and seen no trains.”

The worst disruptions on Thursday affected riders on the Blue, Yellow and Green lines. During the morning rush, many riders on the Blue and Yellow lines were delayed about a half-hour because of a cracked rail between Braddock Road and Reagan National Airport. Workers had to install a new 39-foot section of rail. Meanwhile, trains traveling in both directions shared the one open track around the problem area. Rails can crack when they experience sharp changes in temperature, such as the 50- degree swing that occurred this week.

Near the start of the Thursday afternoon rush, a fire on the tracks between Archives and L’Enfant Plaza delayed riders on the Green and Yellow lines. Trains shared a track between Mount Vernon Square and L’Enfant Plaza. Metro estimated the resulting delays at up to 20 minutes, The Washington Post’s Mark Berman reported.

On the roads
During such Metrorail disruptions, some riders speculate about whether they would have been better off driving. It’s difficult to compare the results this week. Road crews benefit far more from government and school shutdowns than does Metrorail, because the lack of traffic gives the plows a much better chance at keeping lanes open. The difference between this Tuesday afternoon’s relatively easy commute in snow and theghastly eight-hour commutes of Jan. 26, 2011, was the federal government’s timely decision to close offices for the day. The delayed openings on Wednesday morning also helped.

The region’s highway departments acknowledged the difficulties involved in the cleanup: They urged people to stay off the roads during the height of the storm.

During Friday morning’s commute, the major travel disruption occurred on Rockville Pike, where an early morning water main break near White Flint Mall shut down traffic in both directions. The Post’s Dana Hedgpeth reported at 10:36 a.m. that lanes have reopened both ways.

Finally progress!

Metro has now closed 21 of 29 recommendations

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has closed another safety recommendation, bringing the total number of recommendations closed to 21 out of 29.

“We continue to make steady progress toward making the system safer for riders and employees,” said Metro General Manager Richard Sarles. “We remain committed closing the remaining eight recommendations as soon as possible, while continuing to foster a culture of safety, shared responsibility and vigilance.”

The recommendation closed by NTSB was issued in the wake of the tragic 2009 Fort Totten collision:

• R-09-16 Develop a program to periodically determine that the electronic components in your train control system are performing within design tolerances

In the more than four years since the Fort Totten incident, Metro has improved safety through its massive rebuilding program focused on safety projects, implementation of a confidential close-call reporting system (a first among heavy rail systems), an industry first “loss of shunt” detection system, restructuring and expansion of the Safety Department with direct reporting lines to the General Manager, and improved independent oversight.

In November, NTSB closed seven additional recommendations:

• R-07-025 Ensure appropriate coordination between all departments responsible for maintenance and design to resolve issues before new equipment is purchased.
• R-07-026 Establish a single point of responsibility within [Car Maintenance] to quickly evaluate and incorporate actions identified through accident investigations or related research.
• R-07-027 Establish written procedure regarding rail lubrication for single-track operations over switch, turnouts.
• R-08-001 Review and update [operating rules] to provide for layers of protection for Roadway Worker – adding requirements for Briefings, Scope & Duties, acknowledgement from trains.
• R-09-010 To all Transit Properties – Review medical history and physical examination forms and modify them as necessary to elicit information regarding sleep apnea or other sleep disorders.
• R-09-11 To all Transit Properties – Establish a program to identify operators who are at high risk for obstructive sleep disorders and require that such operators by appropriately evaluated and treated.
• R-10-11 Completely remove unnecessary wayside maintenance communication system to eliminate potential for interference with Automatic Train Control system

Of the remaining eight recommendations, three have been submitted to NTSB for closure. The remaining five recommendations involve longer-duration projects – such as replacement of Metro’s entire 1000-series fleet with new 7000-series railcars. Metro began testing its first 7000-series trainset earlier this month.

Track work, Track work, Track work!

Reconstruction of the Metrorail system will continue over the weekend of January 31 – February 2 with service adjustments beginning at 10 p.m. Friday night and continuing through system closing on Sunday.

Green Line trains will operate a regular weekend schedule. Trains on the Blue, Orange, and Yellow lines will operate every 24 minutes and Red Line trains will run every 24 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont, with additional trains providing service from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. between Farragut North and Silver Spring.

Metro is investing $5.5 billion to install new rail, ties, platforms, escalators, signals, lighting, communication systems, and more. It represents the largest capital investment — and work effort — since the system’s original construction in the early 1970s.

Red Line 10 p.m. Fri, Jan. 31 through closing Sun, Feb. 2
Trains every 12-24 minutes

Red Line trains will operate as follows:

• Between Shady Grove & Glenmont: Every 24 minutes throughout the weekend
• Between Farragut North & Silver Spring: Every 12-14 minutes from 9AM-9PM only

Work Performed: Crews will improve track infrastructure, including rail joint elimination and fastener replacement between Farrgut North and Van Ness.

Travel Tips

• Metrobus service may provide an alternate travel option for some riders. To check, plan your trip using Trip Planner and select the “bus only” option.
• Before traveling, consult the trip planner at wmata.com to check the special schedule and reduce your wait time. (Trip Planner is updated to reflect weekend rebuilding schedules on Fridays; please check on Friday afternoon or later.) You will experience the additional wait time on the platform. Once your train departs the station, it is not expected to encounter additional delays en route.

Orange Line 10 p.m. Fri, Jan. 31 through closing Sun, Feb. 2
Trains every 24 minutes

Orange Line trains will operate every 24 minutes throughout the weekend.

Work Performed: Ongoing major platform reconstruction at Minnesota Ave and Deanwood stations

Travel Tip: Before traveling, consult the trip planner at wmata.com to check the special schedule and reduce your wait time. (Trip Planner is updated to reflect weekend rebuilding schedules on Fridays; please check on Friday afternoon or later.) You will experience the additional wait time on the platform. Once your train departs the station, it is not expected to encounter additional delays en route.

Blue Line 10 p.m. Fri, Jan. 31 through closing Sun, Feb. 2
Trains every 24 minutes

Blue Line trains will operate every 24 minutes throughout the weekend.

Work Performed: Improvements to track infrastructure, including rail joint elimination, rail and fastener renewal between Pentagon City and Arlington Cemetery stations

Travel Tip: Before traveling, consult the trip planner at wmata.com to check the special schedule and reduce your wait time. (Trip Planner is updated to reflect weekend rebuilding schedules on Fridays; please check on Friday afternoon or later.) You will experience the additional wait time on the platform. Once your train departs the station, it is not expected to encounter additional delays en route.

Yellow Line 10 p.m. Fri, Jan. 31 through closing Sun, Feb. 2
Trains every 20 minutes

Yellow Line trains will operate every 24 minutes throughout the weekend. All trains will operate to/from Mt Vernon Sq, rather than Fort Totten. Riders traveling to/from stations north of Mt Vernon Sq should use Green Line trains and transfer at Mt Vernon Sq.

Work Performed: Improvements to track infrastructure, including rail joint elimination, rail and fastener renewal between Pentagon City and L’Enfant Plaza stations

Travel Tip: Before traveling, consult the trip planner at wmata.com to check the special schedule and reduce your wait time. (Trip Planner is updated to reflect weekend rebuilding schedules on Fridays; please check on Friday afternoon or later.) You will experience the additional wait time on the platform. Once your train departs the station, it is not expected to encounter additional delays en route.

Green Line Regular weekend service

For more information

For schedules, real-time train arrivals and station information, visit wmata.com. Metro riders can access Metro’s new mobile website by entering wmata.com into their smartphone browser. For assistance by phone, call Metro customer information at (202) 637-7000 [TTY 202-638-3780].