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WMATA Red Line signal problem cuts service rest of week


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#1 CNJRoss

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Posted 13 December 2017 - 08:03 AM

WTOP radio, 11/12/17:
 

Red Line signal problem cuts service rest of week, triggers new weekend shutdown

 

 

WASHINGTON — Red Line riders, who just faced two weeks of service cuts due to major track work, should expect reduced service the rest of this week.

 

The Red Line will need to be shut down between Silver Spring and Rhode Island Avenue this weekend to replace a faulty communications cable, Metro said Tuesday.

 

SNIP 

 

In a statement, Metro said the cable problem identified Tuesday means Red Line service will be reduced again to every 10 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont rather than every 8 minutes. Additional trains that normally run between Grosvenor and Silver Spring will instead run between Grosvenor and NoMa-Gallaudet. In that area, trains will be scheduled every 5 minutes at rush hour.

 

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#2 CNJRoss

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Posted 13 December 2017 - 08:11 AM

WMATA news release 12/12/17:

 
Metro identifies cause of Red Line signal problem, implements operating restrictions for safety, plans weekend work to rectify

 

 

Metro has identified communications cable along a segment of the Red Line that is in need of replacement. The cable, approximately 40 years old dating back to the original construction of the Metrorail system, is used by the signal system to transmit train speed and location data between control rooms located at Brookland, Fort Totten and Takoma. 

 

“We have detected a condition that, left unaddressed, could affect the integrity of the signal system, and that is something we take very seriously,” said Joseph Leader, Metro’s Chief Operating Officer. “Safety demands that the cable be taken out of service and replaced.”

 

To mitigate any safety concern due to the condition of the cable, Metro is limiting the number of Red Line trains between certain stations. Only one train at a time is permitted on each track between Brookland and Fort Totten and one train on each track between Fort Totten and Takoma. These restrictions reduce the capacity of the Red Line, resulting in congestion and delays.

 

Metro is acting quickly to resolve the cable issue and is now planning to replace trains with buses along a section of the line this weekend to install new cable. Previously announced Red Line weekend single tracking between Farragut North and Judiciary Square has been canceled. Instead, free shuttle buses will replace trains all weekend between Silver Spring and Rhode Island Avenue stations. Customers can use the Green Line between Fort Totten and Gallery Place as an alternate route. 

 

Starting tomorrow, Metro will slightly modify Red Line service to reduce delays until new cables are installed. During rush hours, trains between Shady Grove and Glenmont will run every 10 minutes, rather than every 8 minutes. Additional trains will run between Grosvenor and NoMa-Gallaudet, resulting in service about every 5 minutes between those stations, rather than every 4 minutes.  

 

If the cable installation this weekend goes as planned, normal Red Line service may be restored as soon as Monday, December 18.

 

The cable issue is not related to recent construction activity between Silver Spring and Fort Totten, which involved the installation of a new interlocking where trains can cross from one track to the other.

 



#3 CNJRoss

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Posted 15 December 2017 - 11:51 AM

WTOP radio 12/14/17:
 

Unplanned audit uncovers serious Metro cable problem that could have risked a crash

 

 

WASHINGTON — The failing cables that will be replaced during a weekend Red Line shutdown could have put trains at risk of a high-speed collision, and Metro’s chief operating officer said Thursday that if not for an unplanned audit ordered by a relatively new manager, the problem could have gone undetected for many more years.

 

The communications cables are part of Metro’s signaling and train tracking system. When they fail, train operators and controllers could get incorrect information about train locations or speeds.

 

The audit, which was done between October and early December, reviewed 1,435 cable testing records from as early as late 2014 through the end of 2016. It identified 16 records that seemed suspect. Nine of those have not yet been retested.

 

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