Metro on Friday announced Safe Track, a series of maintenance projects aiming to fix 40 years of neglect on the 118-mile system.
“We cannot keep trying to Band-Aid over these issues,” said General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld. “This is tough medicine. But we have to take it. And the sooner we take it, the better we’re all going to be.”
What’s that medicine taste like?
Try five planned shutdowns. The longest one will begin on Oct. 9 and last 24 days. It would affect the Red Line stretch from the NoMa-Gallaudet station to the Fort Totten station.
That means longer waiting times for passengers.
Metro will also cut back on extended hours which usually accommodate people leaving sporting events. Beginning June 3, trains will stop running at midnight rather than 3 a.m.
But are these safety measures enough? The Federal Transportation Committee doesn’t think so.
On Thursday, a fire broke out at the Federal Center SW station. Metro’s response led to a heated statement from the FTC, which called Metro’s reaction “slow and inadequate.” On Saturday, it sent Metro a directive calling for new safety measures including daily hot spot checks and reduced use of electrical power.
The FTA called on Metro to initiate safety measures more far-reaching than those outlined in Safe Tack.
