Washington Metro releases Final Production Report for SafeTrack Surge #2
Metro General Manager/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld has released the final production report for the second SafeTrack "surge," announcing that all planned work had been completed during the 16-day project and the critical junction where the Orange and Blue/Silver lines diverge is now in a state of good repair.
“I am satisfied that we are accomplishing our objectives with respect to the pace of track work progress in Surge #2,” said Wiedefeld. “Our continued success depends upon Metro customers heeding the warnings about reduced service during SafeTrack surges and finding alternate ways to commute. I am optimistic as we get underway now with Surge #3.”
During Surge #2, crews repaired and/or replaced critical rail infrastructure affecting train speeds and ride quality. Critical tasks accomplished during the surge include:
- Replacement of 4 major switches at D&G junction, one of a handful of key locations where trains are routed to different lines
- Replacement of over 500 wooden crossties
- Renewal of over 230 third-rail insulators
- Elimination of over 20 rail joints
- Renewal of over 2,000 linear feet of grout pads
- Renewal of 12 signals
- Inspection and repair of over 180 power cables
SafeTrack is an accelerated track work plan to address safety recommendations and rehabilitate the Metrorail system to improve safety and reliability by significantly expanding maintenance time on weeknights, weekends and midday hours and includes 15 "Safety Surges" - long duration track outages for major projects in key parts of the system. The overall objective of SafeTrack is to bring Metrorail tracks and structures into a state of good repair by eliminating safety hazards, increasing service reliability and improving the ride quality of the system.
Surge #3 began at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 5 and includes a complete rail shutdown between National Airport and Braddock Road, impacting Yellow and Blue Line riders. All Metro customers traveling to/from DC must use shuttle buses between Braddock Rd and Pentagon City during the project. Southbound customers should exit at Pentagon City for a bus shuttle.