Metro News Release

For immediate release: December 8, 2005

Metro Outlines Snow Preparation for Tonight and Friday Morning

With the second snowfall in a week approaching Washington, Metro is preparing 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 plans for tonight, and Friday, December 9:

Metrorail will operate on a normal weekday schedule throughout the remainder of the day, (rail service concludes at midnight) and tomorrow (rail service begins at 5 a.m. and ends at 3 a.m.). All trains will operate with their normal consists of four and six-cars; (Note: Metrorail will maintain its normal service as long as conditions are favorable. Service plans could change depending on weather conditions Friday morning).

This evening, trains will operate every 15 minutes from the end of the rail lines, and every seven to eight minutes in the downtown core of the city. For the rush hour Friday morning (5 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.), trains will operate every six minutes from the end of the rail lines and every three to four minutes in the downtown core of the city.

This evening, 20 trains will be equipped with de-icing equipment to combat snow and ice on the third rail. Twelve will operate in regular passenger service on all rail lines with the remaining eight trains in rail yards. These trains will be in service throughout the remainder of Thursday evening, and will operate through the overnight hours and into Friday morning rush hour period.

Customers will see the de-icing equipment inside those 12 trains. It is neither dangerous or flammable, and customers need not be concerned that it is aboard their train. 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 scrapers 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 "heater tape" which has been installed on 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 from building-up.

Metro railcar maintenance staff have also "hardened" a fleet of 690 rail cars by protecting the undercarriage motors from snow ingestion and electrical short circuits that are caused by water/snow and debris. The traction motors have been coated with a protective material to help prevent the ingestion of snow and water.

Metro officials will monitor weather forecasts and conditions throughout the day, and preparing accordingly.

Maintenance personnel will report at normal times this evening, including employees assigned on their day off to treat station entrances, platforms and parking facilities with salt and shovels and if needed, plows. Personnel will report to work early on Friday morning to conduct similar activities.

Metrobus will operate on a normal weekday schedule tonight and tomorrow morning. However, Metrobuses will operate as road conditions dictate, so customers should expect possible detours and delays due to changing road conditions on Friday morning.

Metro has 2,400 tons of bulk rock salt to treat our roadways and parking lots. The salt is stored in seven salt domes and one storage building around the system. Each dome holds approximately 300 tons of rock salt.

Metro has 17,000, 50-pound bags of de-icer (calcium chloride) for treating sidewalks and platforms.

Metro has 71 tractors, 96 snow brooms, and 113 snow blowers to remove snow from Metro-owned facilities.

Metro has three contractors to support efforts when snow accumulation reaches four inches. They are primarily used to clear parking lots.

Metro has several hundred employees who support the snow removal effort: day shift, evening shift and midnight shift.

News release issued on December 8, 2005.