WASHINGTON 鈥� Wednesday鈥檚 daylong Metrorail shutdown isn鈥檛 a surprise to one longtime observer of the system; it鈥檚 part of 鈥渁 story that we鈥檝e known for a long time.鈥�
NBC Washington transportation reporter Adam Tuss told 草莓传媒 Wednesday morning that for years, 鈥渢he level of investment hasn鈥檛 been there; the eye toward safety and maintenance has not been there.”
Tuss, 草莓传媒’s former Sprawl & Crawl reporter, reported late Wednesday morning that about half the electrical cables that are being inspected have been checked, and some are being replaced.
草莓传媒’s Max Smith reports聽that Metro says they won’t be giving out any information until late afternoon on what inspectors have or haven’t found.
鈥淚 talk to front-line Metro workers all the time,鈥� from train operators to track walkers, Tuss聽said.
鈥淨uite frankly, there are a lot of people who are concerned with the way this system is set up.鈥�
Tuss said the problems were part of a pattern, and referred to the situation outside of the Smithsonian station, where a train derailed last August after going over a section of track that had been detected to be out of alignment for more than a month.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a pattern here, with lax safety.鈥�
Metro’s new general manager, Paul Wiedefeld, said on Tuesday that there were similarities between the cables that burned on Monday outside McPherson Square and the ones that caused the deadly smoke incident near L鈥橢nfant Plaza on January 2015.聽Tuss says Wiedefeld went down onto the tracks himself on Monday to examine the cables.
Tuss adds that people are on their hands and knees Tuesday聽checking every cable. Of course, he also mentions the scenario that鈥檚 on everyone鈥檚 mind: There鈥檚 no guarantee that this inspection won鈥檛 turn up more problems, which would result in a longer closure.
The cables go from one section of the third rail to another, perhaps 60 to 70 feet, Tuss says. The Federal Transit Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have examined them before, and told Metro that 鈥渢hey weren鈥檛 installed properly,鈥� with the appropriate covers to prevent them from getting wet. Tuss says the fix could be as simple as putting on a new cover, or it could be more complicated.
Tuss says that the shutdown is a major move by Wiedefeld, and that it may not be a popular one 鈥� commuters groused to 草莓传媒 through the morning that the shutdown should have been delayed until聽the weekend 鈥� but it was a tough decision.
Wiedefeld鈥檚 鈥渉ard line鈥� on safety necessarily leads to decisions that might inconvenience people, Tuss says, but 鈥測ou have to make tough decisions if you鈥檙e going to put safety first and foremost.鈥�
Tom Temin, of Federal 草莓传媒 Radio, “sends unmistakable messages. Make no mistake about who鈥檚 in charge, and make no mistake Metro is entering a new era.”
In a conversation later, Temin said that “any time you land into a situation like this,” referring to Metro’s safety woes, “if you’re not decisive and authoritative from the outset, you lose your opportunity” to create real change.
He adds that he hopes Wiedefeld’s move “will signal to employees that you don’t have to hide” regarding any safety problems that they聽discover.
