Commuter digest: Metro plans monthly inspection of cables
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Version 0 of 1. Metro plans to conduct monthly inspections of power cables and other electrical equipment throughout the subway as it tries to avoid problems like the March 14 track fire that led to a precautionary, 24-hour shutdown of the rail system, officials said Thursday. General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld and Metro’s acting chief safety officer, Lou Brown, said the electrical inspections would start April 1 and continue until Metro develops a broader, more comprehensive subway inspection regime, which they said will encompass more than just the system’s power-related infrastructure. While train service was suspended, they said, an emergency inspection of the rail system’s 600 “jumper cables” (a type of heavy-duty power line) and numerous connector assemblies that are used to attach cables to one another found 27 defects that posed imminent fire hazards. In 338 additional locations, inspectors discovered “non-emergency” problems, according to a written report. — Paul Duggan About 60 Metrobus routes are affected by changes going into effect Sunday, including the elimination of several routes, schedule adjustments and additions of Sunday service on some Greenbelt routes. Some changes preview this spring’s expansion of bus-only lanes in Arlington and the upcoming opening of two transit centers in Maryland. Metro said it expects to soon take over the Takoma Langley Crossroads Transit Center, a project that has been in the making for more than a decade. With 12 bus bays, the Langley Park hub on the northwest corner of New Hampshire Avenue and University Boulevard will accommodate Metrobus routes C2, C4, F8, J4, K6 and K9 and buses run by systems in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. The transit center also is expected to be a future stop for the Purple Line, the proposed light-rail line that will connect Montgomery and Prince George’s. For details, visit wmata.com. — Luz Lazo $150 million The average amount the Maryland Department of Transportation would pay annually over 30 years for the Purple Line. |