Metro News Release
For immediate release: August 28, 2007
Metro identifies solutions to storm-related power problems
Metro managers have identified immediate, interim and long-term solutions to resolve power problems that affected several stations two nights in a row.
Metro lost a power transformer at one of its substations Sunday night (August 26) as a result of a power surge that may have been caused by lightning. Those power problems resurfaced Monday night (August 27) as stations on the Yellow and Blue Lines in Virginia were forced to close due to a lack of electricity. Additionally, a unrelated problem with a stud bolt caused sparks and smoke at the U St/ African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo Metrorail station on the Green Line at the same time Monday night.
“We are working aggressively today to increase power to the affected area so that our customers can get home tonight, tomorrow and in the days and weeks to come,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe. “We also have identified some interim steps and longer term solutions that are needed.
“Sunday and Monday’s incidents were unprecedented in our 31-year history,” Catoe said. “Thousands of our riders were impacted, and we apologize.”
The Metrorail system relies on electricity to run the trains, and on Sunday night a surge in power, possibly due to lightning, caused one of the system’s 98 substations to go down. The main transformer at the Potomac Yard substation was lost and two smaller ones stopped producing power. That put stress on two other substations in the immediate area. These substations were already operating at reduced capacity because they were undergoing upgrades.
Tonight, Metro officials will take the following immediate steps to ensure there is enough power to run the trains:
• The Airport substation will be reconfigured to improve power delivery.
• Trains traveling between the Pentagon City and Braddock Road Metrorail stations will reduce their rate of acceleration to reduce the amount of electricity needed to run the trains. Trains can operate as fast as 59 mph in that area, but have been slowed to a maximum speed of 35 mph. Customers who usually are able to catch a train every six minutes will have to wait up to eight minutes between trains during rush hour.
• Tonight, two employees will be stationed at each power substation in the area to monitor conditions so that if a breaker trips, it can be reset immediately.
• Additional field supervisors and shuttle buses will be strategically stationed in Northern Virginia to improve response time should there be another problem.
• Officials already have located a replacement transformer for the Potomac Yard substation. It is approximately the size of a small RV and weighs several tons. It will take several weeks to install.
• Officials are establishing an ad hoc subcommittee of a standing safety committee to conduct an investigation to determine the root cause of the incidents over the past two days.
Monday night’s sparks and smoke on the track at the U St/ African-Am Civil War Memorial/Cardozo Metrorail station were caused by a worn out part called a “stud bolt,” which anchors the electric third rail to the ground. This morning, Metro began conducting thermal imaging of the track segment from the Mount Vernon Sq/7th Street-Convention Center station to the U Street station to identify and replace any “hot” bolts in that area. The work will be finished this evening.
Metro managers have also identified interim and long range solutions to these problems. They include:
Interim Solutions (30 to 90 days)
• Fast-tracking the Metro Matters traction power upgrade plan, which is designed to allow Metro enough power to operate up to half of its fleet as eight-car trains.
• Expanding the current corrosion detection program to the entire 106-mile system rather than just to focus on problem areas that have specifically been identified. This program detects problems created by corrosion to track parts such as stud bolts, insulators and pipes. It also could identify stray electric current.
• Improving the track access management system that allows employees and/or contractors to have access to areas of the track for maintenance and upgrade of the aging infrastructure. The system will allow for prioritization of the “track rights.”
Long-Term Solutions
• Purchasing a rail inspection vehicle known as a “Rail Geometry Vehicle” to use for thermal imaging as well as ensuring proper rail geometry/alignment and rail flaws.
• Implementing a new system to remotely monitor electric grounding at power substations.
• Implementing the next stage of the Metro Matters traction power upgrade, which will allow Metro enough power to operate its entire fleet as eight-car trains.
• Developing a more aggressive corrosion detection plan (also listed under interim solutions) that calls for an on-ongoing three-year inspection cycle.
• Determining the cost of the various solutions and identifying which are unbudgeted.
“When we talk about the need for dedicated funding or increased transportation funding, it often sounds very bureaucratic or abstract,” Catoe said. “But the short-term and long-term solutions we have identified to fix these power problems are exactly the type of thing we need additional revenue to accomplish. These types of improvements take major investment and additional resources that we simply don’t have today. We will continue to work tirelessly to secure the additional funding needed to provide our customers with safe, reliable service.”
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News release issued at 12:00 am, August 28, 2007.