Metro News Release

For immediate release: January 21, 2005

Metro outlines snow preparation efforts for this weekend

In anticipation of the first major snowstorm of 2005, Metro is taking an aggressive approach by equipping some passenger trains with deicing equipment;"hardening" its fleet of rail cars to better handle the snow; and relying on new heater tape to keep ice and snow off of the electrified third rail that provides electricity to power the trains. Here are Metro’s preparations for this weekend: Metrorail will operate on a normal Saturday schedule, with service from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m.; all trains will operate with four cars; (Note: Metrorail will maintain its normal Saturday schedule as long as conditions are favorable. Service plans could change depending on weather conditions throughout the day) Trains will operate every 12 minutes from the end of the rail lines, and every 6 to 7 minutes in the downtown core of the city. In the evening hours, trains will operate every 15 minutes from the end of the rail lines; This weekend, 20 trains will be equipped with de-icing units to combat snow and ice on the third rail. 12 will operate in regular passenger service on all rail lines with the remaining eight trains in rail yards. Some trains had the de-icing equipment on board this past Wednesday when it snowed. Customers will see the de-icing equipment on those 12 trains. It is neither dangerous or flammable, and customers need not be concerned that it is aboard their train, yet if they prefer not to be in a rail car with the equipment, they can move to another rail car. Those same trains also will have special ice scraper collector shoes to help keep ice off of the third rail. If the third rail has ice build-up on it, it does not allow for the free flow of electricity from the rail to power the train. Keeping the third rail ice-free is a continuous process. Metro will use its new "heater tape" which has been installed on critical sections of track with significant grades/inclines and in critical areas in the rail yards. The heater tape, which has been in use throughout the winter, is a cable clipped onto the third rail that is turned on when temperatures dip below the freezing mark to keep the third rail warm enough to prevent snow and ice build-up on the third rail. Metro railcar maintenance staff have also"hardened" a fleet of 200 additional rail cars this year by protecting the undercarriage motors from snow ingestion and electrical short circuits that are caused by water/snow and debris ingestion. This brings the snow-fighting fleet to 438 cars that are available during snow conditions. The hardening process included the special immersion treatment of traction motors by coating them with a protective material using a vacuum pressure process and by coating motor frames/housings and coils. Monitoring weather forecasts and conditions throughout the weekend, and preparing accordingly; Maintenance personnel will report early on Saturday to treat station entrances, platforms and parking facilities; Metrobus will operate on a normal Saturday schedule. However, Metrobuses will operate as weather conditions dictate, so customers should expect possible detours and delays due to changing road conditions. As part of a coordinated communications effort to share information regionally in the event of a major snowstorm, Metro will participate, as it has in past years, in COG conference calls with regional leaders to coordinate key messages on Metro services during an anticipated snowstorm. Metro will also continue to utilize COG’s web-based snowstorm emergency assessment system to keep rail and bus system status current among regional decision-makers. Metro can move trains in the snow without any problems until the snowfall accumulation reaches eight inches or more at which time the depth of snow starts to interfere with the electronic components under the trains. In the past, during the blizzards of 1996 and 2003, major snowfalls in excess of eight inches of snow caused extensive railcar damage, which resulted in lengthy service restoration periods after the storms ended. If the Washington metropolitan area faces a major winter storm where snowfall is expected to reach eight inches or above, Metro will operate underground rail service only at 30-minute intervals. This will help Metrorail service to return to normal as quickly as possible. Under this plan, Metrorail service would operate as follows: Red Line: between Medical Center and Union Station Orange Line: between Ballston-MU and Stadium Armory Green Line: between Georgia Ave-Petworth and Congress Heights Yellow Line: between Pentagon and Crystal City Blue Line: between Rosslyn and Stadium Armory which parallels a portion of the Orange Line Running trains only through underground stations when snow reaches eight or more inches will lessen the damage to the electrical components of trains and means that normal service and capacity can resume quicker because more trains will be available for use. Underground-only operations allow for continued connections to key activity centers in the downtown D.C. and Pentagon areas, and support Metro underground rail car storage needs and a rapid return to normal service once the snow begins to melt. Under this plan, Metro will be able to store approximately 300 rail cars underground. Only 50 cars would be used to run the underground service every 30 minutes. While at the same time, Metro could concentrate on snow removal along the above ground portion of the rail system. Immediately following a snow storm of eight or more inches, Metro projects capacity levels to be at 50 percent of peak requirements. Within 48 hours, Metrorail could return to normal service. If Metro should have to reduce service or move to underground operations only, it will use a number of ways to get the word out to customers: E-alerts to personal communications devices of individuals who are registered (those not registered for e-alerts can visit Metro’s Web site to do so); the Web site at www.metroopensdoors.com.; the Customer Information line at 202-637-7000 (TTY 638-3780); electronic elevator notifications; information distributed in advance at Metrorail stations; and through frequent updates via the media with ongoing media advisories and news releases.

News release issued on January 21, 2005.