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Subway service dramatically reduced until at least Sunday as derailment investigation continues

 


The National Transportation Safety Board said on Monday that the Blue Line train that derailed in a subway tunnel in Washington last week had briefly derailed two more times earlier the same day.

Passengers in a crowded Metrorail car on Monday, October 18, 2021 (WTOP / Mike Murillo)

NBC-4 Transportation Reporter Adam Tuss speaks with WTOPs Dimitri Sotis about the latest updates on Metro.

Metro said significantly reduced rail service will continue for the remainder of the week as the investigation into last week’s Blue Line derailment continues.

From Tuesday and at least until Sunday, October 24, Metro said almost all lines will continue to operate only every 30 minutes. The exception is the red line, where trains will run every 15 minutes.

On the Silver Line, trains will run only between Wiehle-Reston East and Federal Center SW stations.

All trains will operate as six-car trains.

Metro’s announcement came the same day National Transportation Safety Board officials detailed their initial findings on the derailment, saying it appeared the train had derailed at least three times on October 12, including in a tunnel. near Rosslyn Station, because the wheels on the train had moved too far apart on their axles.

NTSB President Jennifer Homendy said a preliminary investigation revealed similar wheel issues dating back to 2017 and that they appeared to have spread recently, raising concerns that the issue could affect other transport agencies by common in the United States.

“We are fortunate that no fatalities or serious injuries have occurred as a result of any of these derailments, but the risk of death and serious injury was significant,” said Homendy. “It could have resulted in a catastrophic event. “

Trains were packed during Monday’s afternoon rush hour on the Red Line, and passenger Erin Craig described people as frustrated, while passenger Hector described his ride as “like a nightmare.”

Passengers describe their journey in the middle of the reduced Metrorail service to Mike Murillo of WTOP.

Several passengers told OMCP reporter Mike Murillo, who reported from the Van Ness metro station, that they were worried about crowded trains in the COVID-19 era.

A passenger told Murillo that she was not happy to learn that issues similar to those that led to the train derailment had been reported in previous years; she thinks Metro could have done more.

Late Sunday, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, which enforces safety practices on the DC subway system, ordered Metro to decommission all 7000 series wagons due to defects discovered in the wagon wheel and axle assemblies, resulting in rudimentary Monday morning metro service, crowded trains and massive delays for passengers.

Metro said the 748 of its 7000 series cars, which are the newest car models in the transit system and represent 60% of Metro’s total fleet, remain on the sidelines and will not be returned to service. as long as they are not deemed safe to do so, which will serve a considerable impact.

Metro users are encouraged to take the Metrobus or consider other alternatives.

Safety remains Metros’ number one priority, Metro chief executive Paul J. Wiedefeld said in a statement Monday evening.

He added, “I want to assure our customers that their safety is at the heart of every decision made. We apologize for the reduction in service and ask our customers to continue to be patient and supportive as we work to bring Metro back to normal operations. I would like to thank the employees of Metro who work tirelessly. Your dedication is appreciated.



The NTSB press conference earlier Monday provided more details on what turned out to be a series of derailments on October 12, all of the same car traveling on the Metro Blue Line.

The final derailment at 4:51 p.m. that day stranded nearly 200 passengers in a tunnel between Rosslyn and Arlington National Cemetery and sent one person to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries .

However, in addition to this derailment, NTSB investigators determined that train 407 had also derailed twice earlier in the day.

At 3:23 p.m., train 407 derailed briefly at Arlington National Cemetery before righting on the track, and again at 4:13 p.m. in downtown Largo.

Investigator Joe Gordon, who is leading the NTSB investigation, said broken sections of brake parts at these two locations indicated the train had derailed, although it is possible that the train derailed elsewhere as well.

Repeated wheel failures since 2017

The suspected cause of the derailment was a defect in the wheel assemblies of the 7000 series cars.

As part of the derailment investigation, federal authorities were told by Metro of similar issues with wheel assemblies dating back to 2017, and they were told they appeared to have spread in recent years.

In 2017, regular Metro inspections revealed two-wheel failures, meaning the wheels moved too far apart on the axles, Homendy said. Two failures were also reported in 2018.

In 2019 and 2020, four and five failures were reported, respectively.

This year, however, the number of reported failures rose to 18 and that was before last week’s derailment.

In a series of emergency inspections that began on Friday, Metro recorded 21 more failures, Homendy said.

“These are increasing,” Homendy said of the wheel axle failures.

And the numbers could change again: Monday morning, Metro had inspected 514 of its 748 7000 series wagons, which are made by Kawasaki, the Japanese-based manufacturer.

When asked if WMATA has taken the appropriate steps to address wheel issues dating back to 2017, Homendy said, “This is exactly one of the questions we are asking ourselves in this survey and something that we will be looking into. , because we want to examine the decision-making on the part of WMATA, what actions were taken and what led them to these actions and if they were sufficient.

On its website, Metro said it has been working with Kawasaki since 2017 to resolve the wheel issue.

Homendy said the NTSB was first notified of the wheel issues as a result of the ongoing investigation.

The NTSB is concerned that there may be similar issues with the Kawasaki-made wagons in mass transit systems in the United States, Homendy said.

“If you’re a transit agency operating in the United States and listening, be sure to check your cars. This is something that we will be looking at during this investigation to determine if there are more systemic problems in the United States and in all the transit systems operating in the United States, ”she said. declared.

How long will the 7000 series cars be on the sidelines?

It’s unclear how long the 7000 series cars will be on the sidelines. The safety commission order requires Metro to develop a plan to assess the cause of the wheel problems and find a way to detect and prevent the problem before returning cars to service.

On its website, Metro said it would work with the Safety Commission to determine the “best next steps to get the 7000 Series back into service.”

Although the NTSB does not have the authority to take the 7000 series cars out of service, Homendy said the board supports the Metro Safety Commission which is taking action to do so.

“From a security perspective, we are happy that they prioritized security because, again, it could have been catastrophic,” Homendy said. “So their goal here was public safety. “

Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia, one of the main supporters of the bill creating the safety committee, called the decision to remove the cars “difficult but necessary” and demanded a plan from Metro to restore service and user confidence.

“According to the NTSB, WMATA failed to take the necessary steps to address a potentially fatal mechanical failure in the 7000 series cars and let the problem languish and worsen over the four years,” Connolly said in a report. communicated. “This is unacceptable and could have resulted in catastrophic tragedy. I demand an action plan from WMATA on how these issues will be resolved and riders’ confidence in the security of the system restored.

Sources

1/ https://Google.com/

2/ https://wtop.com/tracking-metro-24-7/2021/10/this-could-have-been-catastrophic-ntsb-says-metro-wheel-problem-that-caused-blue-line-derailment-dates-back-to-2017/

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