Weekday Service Increasing On Metro Line Serving Northern VA

Vienna VA

14 February, 2022

12:28 PM

Description

WASHINGTON, DC — Metro is increasing service on the Orange, Silver and Blue Lines on weekdays starting Monday. Increased service on lines connecting Northern Virginia and DC seek to provide more frequent service for riders heading to work, travel and other activities on weekdays. Orange, Silver and Blue Lines will run at least every 20 minutes on weekdays. Service will be every 24 minutes on weekends. As the investigation continues into the 7000-series, Metro has been focusing on returning 2000-series, 3000-series, and 6000-series railcars to boost service. Metro is pausing the return of 7000-series railcars into mid-April. "Our focus on making the legacy fleet available is allowing us to gradually add trains for passenger service, and I thank our workforce for their dedication and around-the-clock efforts to improve rail service," said Metro General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld in a statement. In the previous week, Metro has made over 50 trains available each day, including gap and spare trains to be used when other railcars are unexpectedly removed from service. The Orange, Silver and Blue Line improvements come after Metro improved service on the Red, Green and Yellow Lines. Red Line trains run every 12 minutes on weekdays and weekends, while Green and Yellow Line trains run every 20 minutes on weekdays and weekends. Metro has been holding 7000-series cars out of service after the Oct. 12, 2021 derailment of a Blue Line train between the Rosslyn and Arlington Cemetery stations. Within days of the derailment, inspectors from the National Transportation Safety Board identified safety concerns with the wheel axle assembly of the 7000-series railcars. Based on those findings, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission ordered all 7000-series railcars removed from service on Oct. 18. SEE ALSO: Metro Did Not Intentionally Hide Faults In Railcars: Watchdog Metro tried to return the 7000-series trains to service in mid-December with a gradual 90-day rollout and once-a-week inspection schedule. But, Wiedefeld halted the process on Dec. 23 and introduced a nightly inspection schedule. The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, which oversees Metro safety, ordered Metro on Dec. 29 to remove all 7000-series railcars it had returned to service. Wiedefeld announced on Jan. 13 the 7000-series railcars would be out of service for at least 90 days. During this time, mechanical experts and engineers are examining the root cause of the derailment and obtaining technology to measure the wheel sets of the railcars.