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| Washington braces for full day of Metrorail shutdown to deal with safety concerns | Washington braces for full day of Metrorail shutdown to deal with safety concerns |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The hundreds of thousands of people who normally take Metro to school and work turned to cars, bicycles and buses Wednesday morning as the rail system shut down for an emergency inspection of 600 electrical cables, two days after one of them caused a fire that crippled the system. | |
| Thousands of drivers set out before daybreak, hoping to beat a rush hour they feared would be among the worst in memory. Some arteries that move swiftly before dawn on any other weekday were thick with vehicles before 6 a.m. | Thousands of drivers set out before daybreak, hoping to beat a rush hour they feared would be among the worst in memory. Some arteries that move swiftly before dawn on any other weekday were thick with vehicles before 6 a.m. |
| “We’re preparing for the worst,” said Jennifer McCord, a spokeswoman at Virginia’s Department of Transportation. | “We’re preparing for the worst,” said Jennifer McCord, a spokeswoman at Virginia’s Department of Transportation. |
| The anticipated turmoil caused by shutting down the country’s second-busiest rail system was unlike any other. In the past, when heavy snow or hurricane remnants have slowed or halted subway service, everything else in Washington was at a standstill. On Wednesday, however, federal and other offices were open for business and most schools planned a normal day. | |
| [With Metrorail closed, here are some options for getting around Wednesday] | |
| Authorities said they had mobilized to keep the region moving, but acknowledged it would be difficult if most Metro riders turned to cars instead. | |
| The decision to shut down Metro’s six rail lines, which carry nearly 1 million passenger trips a day, came from transit officials who said they acted because they feared for the safety of passengers. | |
| The new general manager, Paul J. Wiedefeld, and the Metro board decided to suspend operations to conduct emergency inspections of electric cables, raising new alarms about the beleaguered 40-year-old rail system’s ability to deliver safe, reliable service. | The new general manager, Paul J. Wiedefeld, and the Metro board decided to suspend operations to conduct emergency inspections of electric cables, raising new alarms about the beleaguered 40-year-old rail system’s ability to deliver safe, reliable service. |
| [Questions on cables’ safety demand 24-hour Metro shutdown] | |
| Though adding only a thousand cars to any Washington rush hour threatens to turn the normal chaos into catastrophe, it became apparent that a great many people simply surrendered, opting to work from home or simply take a holiday. | |
| David Dillard, a Voice of America worker, normally arrives at the West Hyattsville Metro station by 6 am. | |
| But this morning only Ann Dillard, his wife, was stirring at their Hyattsville home. David chose not to deal with the Metro shutdown and the need to seek an alternative way to get to work. | |
| “He is still sleeping,” Ann Dillard whispered over the phone as she quietly prepared for her day as a public school teacher. “He took the day off.” | |
| Those who did venture out early feared what the commute home would be like. | |
| “This afternoon will be hell,” said Jody Carlson, who normally depends on Metro for her commute from Vienna to downtown Washington. | |
| Carlson said she could have worked from home but decided to head in, hoping to get more work done at the office without distractions. | |
| She awoke an hour early Wednesday, planning to take two different buses to work. | |
| Her commute from her home in Fair Lakes in Fairfax County will be at least 30 minutes longer, she said. To pass the time, she brought along a book, she said. It’s a murder mystery. | |
| Amy Kister was flustered. | |
| “Where is the shuttle bus?” she wondered aloud. | |
| Kister usually takes the Orange Line to her office downtown, but her normal routine was upended by the Metro shut down. | |
| “Usually I’m at work by 6 a.m.” Kister said. She likes to sit at her desk and read the morning newspaper with her coffee to relax and prepare mentally for the day. | |
| “To be calm and collected,” she said. | |
| But not today. | |
| “Now I don’t know how long it will take” to get in, she said. “This is a burden. This is bad for me.” | |
| Megan McDonald is a poet. Her daily commute on the Orange Line from Vienna usually provides her plenty of fodder and time to compose her musings. On Wednesday, though, the records department staffer at a District architecture association will not be writing one of her daily poems. | |
| “I’ve done enough commuting poems,” she said. | |
| She said her ride time would be doubled by the shut down. She had printed out the bus schedule from Vienna. At her office Tuesday night her bosses had told employees to telecommute if possible. | |
| “They said, ‘Take your laptops! Take your laptops!’” McDonald said. “I could have taken liberal leave, but I’ve got a big vacation in October and I’m not wasting leave.” | |
| The commute from Baltimore starts early on a normal day, with scores of passengers boarding the 5:17 a.m. train into Washington. But on Wednesday there were only about 20 people waiting to board the train. | |
| “I work at a hospital so there’s no such thing as telecommuting,” said Donna Dabney, who lives in Catonsville, just south of Baltimore. | |
| Dabney said she usually takes the train in at 7:30 a.m. but grabbed an earlier one so she could be on time to the Veteran’s Affairs hospital, near MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Northwest. She said the D-8 bus, which she took in the last snow storm, usually takes 40 minutes. | |
| News of the planned shutdown — which was announced at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday — hadn’t reached everyone | |
| At 5 a.m. at the Vienna Metro station on the Orange line, the platform stood empty. Station manager Shawn Hall said that only one lone commuter had attempted to enter the fare gates before realizing, in a moment of despair, that the Metro had shut down for the day. | |
| “He walked right past,” Hall said. | |
| Khaled Orebur looked despondent and confused. He normally only takes Metro once a month. On Wednesday, he arrived at the Vienna station at 6 a.m. and was turned away at the fare gates by the station manager. | |
| He had planned to take Metro to Union Station and had already purchased a bus ticket to New York to visit friends. | |
| “I won’t be able to catch the bus,” he said. “I’ll have to cancel the trip.” | |
| No major school systems closed because of the shutdown, but some officials expressed concern over how teachers and other employees might get to work. Some charter schools are closed. | No major school systems closed because of the shutdown, but some officials expressed concern over how teachers and other employees might get to work. Some charter schools are closed. |
| [LIVE updates on what will happen when the system shuts down] | [LIVE updates on what will happen when the system shuts down] |
| The paralysis of the core of Washington’s transportation network, announced Tuesday afternoon just half a day before it was to take effect, sent a shudder through the region and sparked angry complaints about Metro’s inadequacies. . | |
| But Wiedefeld said that it was too risky to delay the safety checks after an electrical fire erupted early Monday and poured smoke into a Metro tunnel downtown. | But Wiedefeld said that it was too risky to delay the safety checks after an electrical fire erupted early Monday and poured smoke into a Metro tunnel downtown. |
| The incident, caused by malfunctioning electric cables, was eerily reminiscent of the fatal Yellow Line smoke incident 14 months ago that resulted in the death of one passenger and sent scores to the hospital. | The incident, caused by malfunctioning electric cables, was eerily reminiscent of the fatal Yellow Line smoke incident 14 months ago that resulted in the death of one passenger and sent scores to the hospital. |
| [Metro delays caused by cable problem similar to last year’s fatal smoke incident] | [Metro delays caused by cable problem similar to last year’s fatal smoke incident] |
| “While the risk to the public is very low, I cannot rule out a potential life-safety issue here, and that is why we must take this action immediately,” said Wiedefeld, who started in November. “When I say safety is our highest priority, I mean it. That sometimes means making tough, unpopular decisions, and this is one of those, for sure. I fully recognize the hardship this will cause.” | “While the risk to the public is very low, I cannot rule out a potential life-safety issue here, and that is why we must take this action immediately,” said Wiedefeld, who started in November. “When I say safety is our highest priority, I mean it. That sometimes means making tough, unpopular decisions, and this is one of those, for sure. I fully recognize the hardship this will cause.” |
| Metrorail has closed because of bad weather — including during January’s blizzard — but never for safety reasons. During the shutdown, crews will inspect all 600 of a type of power line, called “jumper cables,” in tunnels throughout the system to ensure that they are sufficiently insulated and are otherwise reliable. | Metrorail has closed because of bad weather — including during January’s blizzard — but never for safety reasons. During the shutdown, crews will inspect all 600 of a type of power line, called “jumper cables,” in tunnels throughout the system to ensure that they are sufficiently insulated and are otherwise reliable. |
| The hope is that no problems will be found in the inspections so the system can reopen at 5 a.m. Thursday. But if problems are identified, individual Metro lines or stations could remain closed Thursday and beyond. | The hope is that no problems will be found in the inspections so the system can reopen at 5 a.m. Thursday. But if problems are identified, individual Metro lines or stations could remain closed Thursday and beyond. |
| The surprise announcement sent the federal government and local school districts scrambling to adjust. | The surprise announcement sent the federal government and local school districts scrambling to adjust. |
| At schools in the District, all tardies and absences will automatically count as excused. Because a good portion of D.C. students do not attend a neighborhood school, they rely on Metro to commute. | At schools in the District, all tardies and absences will automatically count as excused. Because a good portion of D.C. students do not attend a neighborhood school, they rely on Metro to commute. |
| The shutdown acted almost as an exclamation point after years of deterioration, mismanagement and safety lapses that have tarnished a subway system that once was an emblem of efficiency and source of regional pride. | The shutdown acted almost as an exclamation point after years of deterioration, mismanagement and safety lapses that have tarnished a subway system that once was an emblem of efficiency and source of regional pride. |
| Still, longtime critics of Metro’s shortcomings generally defended the decision on the grounds that riders’ safety was the top concern. | Still, longtime critics of Metro’s shortcomings generally defended the decision on the grounds that riders’ safety was the top concern. |
| Metro “has a long, well-documented list of safety issues and needs to work aggressively to fix them,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Tuesday. “While this shutdown is inconvenient, they are doing the right thing by putting the safety of their passengers and workers first.” | |
| Foxx also used the occasion to urge the District, Maryland and Virginia to step up their efforts to exert safety oversight of Metro. In October, Foxx gave the Federal Transit Administration responsibility for safety oversight of the rail system. He said the body previously in charge of it, the Tri-State Oversight Committee, composed of representatives of the three jurisdictions, had failed to do its job. | Foxx also used the occasion to urge the District, Maryland and Virginia to step up their efforts to exert safety oversight of Metro. In October, Foxx gave the Federal Transit Administration responsibility for safety oversight of the rail system. He said the body previously in charge of it, the Tri-State Oversight Committee, composed of representatives of the three jurisdictions, had failed to do its job. |
| The three jurisdictions have agreed to set up a more powerful body, to be called a Metro Safety Commission. But that process has been delayed by as much as a year because neither Virginia nor Maryland moved to obtain necessary approval from their general assemblies during this year’s legislative sessions. | The three jurisdictions have agreed to set up a more powerful body, to be called a Metro Safety Commission. But that process has been delayed by as much as a year because neither Virginia nor Maryland moved to obtain necessary approval from their general assemblies during this year’s legislative sessions. |
| “I’ve said it before,” Foxx said, “and I’ll keep saying it until the region takes real ownership of its safety-oversight responsibilities: D.C., Maryland and Virginia need to stand up a permanent Metro safety office with real teeth. | “I’ve said it before,” Foxx said, “and I’ll keep saying it until the region takes real ownership of its safety-oversight responsibilities: D.C., Maryland and Virginia need to stand up a permanent Metro safety office with real teeth. |
| “What are folks waiting for?” | “What are folks waiting for?” |
| Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) called the decision “an incredible disruption to everyone who uses Metrorail” but added, “ ‘Safety first’ must be a mandate.” | Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) called the decision “an incredible disruption to everyone who uses Metrorail” but added, “ ‘Safety first’ must be a mandate.” |
| D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said she was not privy to the information that led Metro leaders to close the rail system and wouldn’t second-guess the decision until she knew more. But she said that eventually, she wants to know how Metro arrived at the point of needing a sudden and complete shutdown. | D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said she was not privy to the information that led Metro leaders to close the rail system and wouldn’t second-guess the decision until she knew more. But she said that eventually, she wants to know how Metro arrived at the point of needing a sudden and complete shutdown. |
| “Do we want to understand their decision-making to get to this point? Of course, and we will get to those answers,” Bowser said Tuesday. “Some of the questions I will have have to do with what options did they look at to do this? Is a 24-hour or 29-hour closure the only option?” | |
| The shutdown was decided in an hour-long conference call starting at 2 p.m. with most Metro board members, during which Wiedefeld recommended the immediate, one-day shutdown as the best option, officials said. | The shutdown was decided in an hour-long conference call starting at 2 p.m. with most Metro board members, during which Wiedefeld recommended the immediate, one-day shutdown as the best option, officials said. |
| Board members raised concerns and discussed other possibilities but ended up endorsing the general manager’s view with little dissent. | Board members raised concerns and discussed other possibilities but ended up endorsing the general manager’s view with little dissent. |
| The safety checks could have been delayed until the weekend or conducted at night over about six days, officials said. But if the system were kept open, a public announcement about the risk would have to be made. That would have put passengers, and Metro, in the awkward position of publicly acknowledging that it was operating despite being aware of a potentially deadly safety problem. | The safety checks could have been delayed until the weekend or conducted at night over about six days, officials said. But if the system were kept open, a public announcement about the risk would have to be made. That would have put passengers, and Metro, in the awkward position of publicly acknowledging that it was operating despite being aware of a potentially deadly safety problem. |
| Metro also would have been liable in the case of any crashes or calamities. | Metro also would have been liable in the case of any crashes or calamities. |
| Metro officials offered no new details Tuesday about the location or seriousness of Monday’s early-morning tunnel fire that snarled service on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines. | |
| “The investigation into yesterday’s cable fire at McPherson Square is ongoing,” Wiedefeld said Tuesday. “As a preliminary matter, the conditions appear disturbingly similar to those in the L’Enfant incident of a year ago, and our focus is squarely on mitigating any risk of a fire elsewhere on the system.” | |
| The cable fires have “happened twice in a year,” Wiedefeld said, adding that he couldn’t risk “a third time.” | The cable fires have “happened twice in a year,” Wiedefeld said, adding that he couldn’t risk “a third time.” |
| In an especially unnerving revelation, Wiedefeld confirmed that the cable that caught fire Monday had been inspected as part of a systemwide cable inspection after the Yellow Line fire — and passed. He said he had concerns about the results of that inspection. | In an especially unnerving revelation, Wiedefeld confirmed that the cable that caught fire Monday had been inspected as part of a systemwide cable inspection after the Yellow Line fire — and passed. He said he had concerns about the results of that inspection. |
| Wiedefeld said 125 cables were replaced after the inspections. | Wiedefeld said 125 cables were replaced after the inspections. |
| A Metro official who spoke on the condition that he not be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly said the earlier cable inspections were not conducted properly or missed the problem that caused the fires. | A Metro official who spoke on the condition that he not be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly said the earlier cable inspections were not conducted properly or missed the problem that caused the fires. |
| [What happened on Monday and the havoc it caused] | [What happened on Monday and the havoc it caused] |
| Pressure has been growing for fixes to myriad problems that have plagued Metro since the January 2015 incident. That fatal calamity came six years after Metro pledged to put safety first following a deadly 2009 Red Line crash that killed nine people, including a train operator. It only raised concerns that the system had made little progress. | Pressure has been growing for fixes to myriad problems that have plagued Metro since the January 2015 incident. That fatal calamity came six years after Metro pledged to put safety first following a deadly 2009 Red Line crash that killed nine people, including a train operator. It only raised concerns that the system had made little progress. |
| A series of other service breakdowns, including an August derailment on a stretch of track that Metro officials knew for a month was problematic, as well as other management failures further raised questions about the agency’s ability to provide safe, reliable service. | A series of other service breakdowns, including an August derailment on a stretch of track that Metro officials knew for a month was problematic, as well as other management failures further raised questions about the agency’s ability to provide safe, reliable service. |
| Even as many riders have turned away from the Metro system, blaming almost weekly service disruptions, many thousands still depend on it to get to work. And with Wednesday’s shutdown, they will be confronted with the unimaginable. | Even as many riders have turned away from the Metro system, blaming almost weekly service disruptions, many thousands still depend on it to get to work. And with Wednesday’s shutdown, they will be confronted with the unimaginable. |
| “Tomorrow we will get a glimpse of what our nation’s capital will look like without this essential system,” Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va) said Tuesday. | |
| Other members of the region’s congressional delegation were also frustrated by the news. | Other members of the region’s congressional delegation were also frustrated by the news. |
| “Today’s decision by General Manager Wiedefeld to shut down the Metrorail system for 24 hours is a gut punch to the hundreds of thousands of commuters who depend on the system,” Rep. Gerry E. Connolly (D-Va.) said Tuesday. “While I am extremely frustrated with this news, safety must be our number one priority. This dramatic action highlights the need for long-term safety and reliability improvements throughout the system.” | |
| [Tracking Metro’s biggest meltdowns] | [Tracking Metro’s biggest meltdowns] |
| D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), head of the council’s transportation committee, said she received no official warning and learned of the news from the Internet when it leaked before the official announcement. | D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), head of the council’s transportation committee, said she received no official warning and learned of the news from the Internet when it leaked before the official announcement. |
| “The problem sounds mysterious, and maybe this is a fairly dramatic step, but maybe it’s the kind of step that we need to get things right,” Cheh said Tuesday. “I told the people in my office, ‘Break out your bikes.’ ” | |
| The Metro board’s chairman, Jack Evans, who took the post in January, supported Wiedefeld’s action. | The Metro board’s chairman, Jack Evans, who took the post in January, supported Wiedefeld’s action. |
| “The most prudent thing is to close down the system and find out what we’re dealing with,” said Evans, who also is a D.C. Council member. “I am not willing to take a chance.” | “The most prudent thing is to close down the system and find out what we’re dealing with,” said Evans, who also is a D.C. Council member. “I am not willing to take a chance.” |
| Peter Herman, Arelis Hernandez, Hamil Harris, Luz Lazo, Perry Stein, Antonio Olivo, Fenit Nirappil, Faiz Siddiqui and Susan Svrluga contributed to this report. | |
| Read more: | Read more: |
| D.C.’s Metro is the No. 1 transit system. Yes, you read that right. | D.C.’s Metro is the No. 1 transit system. Yes, you read that right. |
| How people reacted to the Metro shutdown news on Twitter | How people reacted to the Metro shutdown news on Twitter |
| The closure is a ‘gut punch’ to Maryland and Virginia lawmakers | The closure is a ‘gut punch’ to Maryland and Virginia lawmakers |
| All D.C. public schools absenses will count as excused on Wednesday | All D.C. public schools absenses will count as excused on Wednesday |
| The biggest Metro meltdowns in the past four years | The biggest Metro meltdowns in the past four years |