Metro News Release

For immediate release: November 30, 2007

Widespread speed restrictions in place for Friday morning

The fall leaves combined with the morning dew have caused unusually slippery conditions on Metrorail tracks, so trains will be operating at slower-than-usual speeds during the morning rush hour on Friday, November 30, to improve safety conditions.

Trains, which operate at speeds in the 55 mph range in some areas of the Metrorail system, will be restricted to a maximum of 30 mph in several segments of the rail system. This will directly impact 27 of the system’s 86 stations.

The speed restrictions will mean trains will be moving slower, and so riders should be prepared to build some extra time into their morning commutes.

The leaves have lingered on trees longer than usual this season, and this year as they continue to fall, they get crushed onto the tracks by train wheels. The combination of the crushed leaves and morning dew has resulted in difficult braking and accelerating conditions for trains, so officials, who have been carefully monitoring weather conditions, are slowing down the vehicles to improve safety conditions.

The restrictions are expected to be in place from the time the rail system opens at 5 a.m. until the slippery conditions brought on by the dew-leaf combination are no longer a factor for the safe operation of trains. Metro officials believe that the restrictions are most likely to be lifted between 7:30 and 9 a.m.

This is the first time in recent memory that such a widespread restriction is in place. In the past, it has been more common for trains to have speed restrictions in short stretches between three or four stations.

Areas of track affected include the area of the Orange Line from New Carrollton to Stadium Armory (New Carrollton, Landover, Cheverly, Deanwood, Minnesota Ave and Stadium Armory) and from Vienna to East Falls Church (Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church); the area of the Red Line from Union Station to Silver Spring (Union Station, New York Ave, Rhode Island Ave, Brookland, Fort Totten, Takoma and Silver Spring) and from Shady Grove to Grosvenor (Shady Grove, Rockville, Twinbrook, White Flint, Grosvenor) and on the Green Line from Branch Ave to Congress Heights (Branch Ave, Suitland, Naylor Road, Southern Ave, and Congress Heights.

News release issued at 12:00 am, November 30, 2007.