Two of Metro’s 7000-series trains returned to passenger service Friday, the first of 42 that will be phased back into daily operations after the series was pulled from service for two months over a defect compromising passenger safety.
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The series is Metro’s latest model of rail car and makes up about 60 percent of the agency’s fleet. All 748 of the cars were pulled out of service Oct. 17 after a National Transportation Safety Board investigation into a derailment earlier that month found several cars with wheels that had dangerously widened outward from their axles, putting trains at risk for derailment.
The two 7000-series trains that returned to service Friday were operating on the Silver and Blue lines, Metro spokeswoman Kristie Benson said.
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The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, a regulatory agency that monitors Metrorail safety, suspended the line, forcing Metro to pull older model cars out of storage and heavily reduce service. It created long waits at a time when ridership had been rising after months of historic declines during the pandemic.
Metro to begin returning suspended rail cars after safety panel approves plan
The federal safety board’s investigation is ongoing and the cause of the defect has not been determined.
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The safety commission on Tuesday conditionally lifted its suspension of the series, allowing Metro to use the cars under a plan that would monitor the wheels for widening or shifting through weekly inspections. Under the plan Metro created, transit officials will slowly phase in 336 cars before waiting 90 days to assess inspection protocols and the cars’ performance. The rest could be incorporated after the review.
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Metro officials told riders and local leaders this week that it will take time to arrange inspection schedules and train enough staff to conduct the weekly inspections. Metro also has increased overall routine inspections of cars from every 90 days to 60 days.
Wheelset inspections of Metro railcars require precision and time, Metro says
Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld has said waits will gradually decrease as 7000-series trains are added back. He said wait times initially should shift from 12 minutes on the Red Line to eight minutes, and from 20 to 30 minutes on other lines to 15 minutes.
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Metro also had two 7000-series trains operating on the system’s tracks last month as part of a test that helped the agency determine the right interval at which to conduct wheel inspections. The two trains last month were out of service but carried weighted boxes to simulate passengers.
Reinstated Metro cars bring relief to transit riders but questions remain
Investigators and rail car experts have said the wheelset malfunction is unusual and rare. The NTSB has been looking into the makeup of the metals used in the wheels and axles, how the wheels were pressed onto the axles and conditions of Metro’s track, investigators have said.
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Kawasaki Rail Car, which built the cars that were delivered to Metro over a five-year span starting in 2015, has been consulting on the investigation, as are its subcontractors.
Investigators said Metro and Kawasaki had been discussing the problem since it surfaced in 2017, but it is not known if Metro was seeking repairs or compensation from any of the companies. The cars cost about $2 million each.
Lynn Bowersox, Metro vice president for customer service, said this week that the issue was a contractual matter. Discussions over responsibility are occurring.
“But ultimately, that will be part of the conversation,” she said.