Subway passengers in the Washington, D.C., area can expect to see a bit more rail cars over the next eight months thanks to an agreement the Metro came to on Friday.
The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission said it has approved the request to bring back more trains, and it will permit the agency to reduce how often the trains are inspected to only every four days, a decrease from getting inspected every day. As part of the agreement, the reinstatement of more trains will bring back up to 20 of the Metro’s suspended 7000-series trains, according to the Washington Post.
“In my frequent conversations with Metro customers, I hear over and over that more frequent service and more 7000-series trains on the tracks are a top priority, and that’s what we’re working to deliver,” Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said in the statement.
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Friday’s deal comes ahead of the Yellow Line’s closure on Sept. 10, which is being closed for eight months as part of a bridge and tunnel construction project on the rail line. The closure is expected to create detours for passengers who use the Metro to travel to and from northern Virginia and Washington.
All 748 of Metro’s 7000-series trains, their most advanced model trains, were suspended in October 2021 when a federal investigation into a derailment found a defect in several cars that caused their wheels to move outward. In total, the 7000-series trains make up almost 60% of the system’s rail cars.
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The new deal between Metro and the safety commission is not nearly as ideal as what Metro had sought after, as the agency had requested bringing back up to 35 total trains, which is 27 more than allowed, and cutting inspections back to only once a week.
