DC suspends most Metro trains over safety issue

Описание: (19 Oct 2021) Washington's regional Metro system abruptly pulled more than half its fleet of trains from service early Monday morning over a lingering problem with the wheels and axles that caused a dramatic derailing last week.
The ruling promises to complicate daily travel and commutes for thousands of riders for an unspecified length of time while the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the issue.
The Metro authority's safety commission ordered the withdrawal of the entire 7000-series line of trains overnight. The Kawasaki-made 7000-series are the newest set of trains in service and the 748 cars comprise about 60% of the fleet.
The safety ruling had already snarled commutes across the nation's capital and the intertwined communities of northern Virginia and southern Maryland.
Virginia Resident Joe Murgida rides the Metro almost every day, and said a train typically arrives within five minutes, but since the reduction in service it can take "up to 20, 30 minutes."
"And that's unreasonable to me because that's a lot of time to spend not doing anything productive, just waiting for a train. It's infuriating, to say the least," Murgida said.
Washington D.C. native Michael Loria who typically uses his bicycle to commute said a metro train he was trying to take was delayed by 45 minutes, upping his total commute time to about 2 hours.
"I mean, you'd want the metro to be reliable," Loria said. "But, you know, it's not the best metro experience. Doesn't make you want to get back on it any time soon."
The wheel issue is being blamed for an incident last week in which a train car slipped off the tracks on the Metro's Blue Line near Arlington National Cemetery as it approached the Rosslyn station.
While Murgida appreciates the effort to increase rider safety, he wants "more transparency" and more frequent updates about the NTSB investigation into the trail derailments.
"I want trains that are passing inspection to get on the metro a lot quicker. Like I think it should be more gradual of an increase in service as opposed to a sudden increase," Murgida said.
The reduction has also made metro trains more crowded, which is problematic as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
The Transportation Security Administration still has an active COVID-19 mask mandate for travelers on public transportation including commuter buses and rail systems.
"And I'd like to see more security on the trains," Murgida added. "I'd like to see more measures taking place to ensure riders are wearing masks because it becomes even more important when we are in such tight quarters."

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