Washington Metro suspends use of more than half of its rail cars

[brooklynite]

Washington Post

Metro on Sunday night pulled more than half of its rail cars out of service hours before the Monday morning rush after an investigation discovered multiple axles out of compliance with manufacturer specifications.

The suspension of Metro’s latest train model — the 7000 series — comes after a National Transportation Safety Board investigation found the issue while probing a Blue Line derailment that occurred last week, according to the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, an agency that Congress created to monitor Metro safety.

Metro said in a statement it will operate about 40 trains Monday, “offering a basic service pattern on all lines of trains departing about every 30 minutes.”

The 7000 series includes 748 rail cars and makes up about 60 percent of Metro’s nearly 1,200-car fleet. It’s not known how long the lower service levels will be in effect.

[DFW]

1. The DC Metro has become a lifeline to the whole beltway area

My brother and his family usually take it when they go into town these days rather than fight the bridge and city traffic coming in from Langley. A serious disruption in Metro service will drive a couple million people nuts, with the exception of professional pickpockets, who will have an easier time with overcrowding of the metro cars.