Metro News Release
For immediate release: December 19, 2009
Metrorail to continue underground-only service upon opening Sunday morning
Metrobus service remains suspended, officials will reevaluate in morning; No MetroAccess service on Sunday
The Metrorail system will continue operating underground-only and the Metrobus system will remain closed to start the day on Sunday, December 20, due to the weekend snow storm. Officials will reevaluate rail and road conditions in the morning in hopes of expanding rail service and restarting bus service on main roads sometime Sunday. MetroAccess will remain closed throughout the day on Sunday because so many of the region’s primary and secondary roads are not expected to be cleared of snow and ice.
“With the bitter cold and record snowfall amounts on the roads and the rails causing unsafe transit conditions, we will start Sunday with limited service,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe. “As road crews make progress on the region’s streets, we will reevaluate driving conditions in hopes of resuming bus service. As our crews make progress keeping the above-ground rails snow- and ice-free, we will again start serving above-ground stations. For now, the responsible decision is to limit service until conditions are safe for our customers and employees,” he said.
Metro has 86 stations and 106-miles of track. Forty-seven stations along 50.5 miles of track are located underground and 39 stations along 55.5 miles of track are above ground. All 39 above-ground stations are closed. Sunday morning the system will open at its usual 7 a.m. time, with trains servicing stations at 30-minute intervals however that service will only be to underground stations as follows:
Red Line – Service between Medical Center and Union Station only
Orange and Blue Lines – Service between Ballston and Stadium-Armory only
Green Line – Service between Fort Totten and Congress Heights only
Yellow Line – Service from Pentagon to Crystal City only
Because MetroAccess provides door-to-door service, it requires those vehicles to travel into neighborhoods on secondary roads, most of which are expected to remain impassable for the majority of the day. Additionally, MetroAccess officials do not want to risk accidents or risk having vehicles get stuck due to heavy snow and icy conditions, so service will be suspended the entire day on Sunday.
During the night, heavy-duty diesel-powered trains will continue to move back and forth along the exposed sections of track, de-icing them and keeping the tracks as clear as possible.
Metrorail employees and contractors also will be working throughout the night tonight to continue to clear the rails of ice and snow and to clear platforms, sidewalks, parking facilities and pathways to rail stations. Dozens of railcars are being stored in the underground tunnels this evening to keep them free of snow and ice. Staff also must keep rail yards as ice-free as possible.
About 100 escalators have been closed by the heavy snow and ice, and rail customers are encouraged to use station elevators from the street level into and out of the stations as they are safer than escalators in this type of heavy snowfall.
Heavy accumulation of snow on the rails on Saturday, December 19, forced Metrorail officials to limit train service to its 39 underground stations starting at 1 p.m. when rapidly deteriorating weather conditions hindered train movement. Metrobus and paratransit service also were stopped at 1 p.m. on Saturday due to unsafe road conditions.
The decision to limit train service was made due to heavy snowfall that began to cover the electrified third rail, which is situated eight inches above the ground. The third rail must be clear of snow and ice because it is the source of electricity that powers the trains.
As of 9 p.m. approximately 91,000 trips were taken in the Metrorail system on Saturday.
Metro started the weekend with 2,200 tons of bulk rock salt to treat Metro roadways and parking lots and 18,000, 50-pound bags of de-icer for treating sidewalks and platforms. Hundreds of snow-trained employees and contractors have been working throughout the night and into today to treat snowy and icy surfaces at Metrorail stations including platforms, sidewalks and parking facilities.
Metro also is using “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 is a cable clipped onto the electrified third rail that is turned on when temperatures dip below the freezing mark. It helps keep the third rail warm enough to prevent ice from forming.
How to get Updates on Winter Weather Conditions
There are a variety of ways for customers to stay informed during a major storm. Metro constantly updates local news media of Metro service changes. Information is also available on Metro’s home page at www.metroopensdoors.com. Customers can also subscribe to e-Alerts and receive up-to-date service disruption information on Metrorail and MetroAccess.
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Media contact for this news release: __________________ at 202-962-1051.
For all other inquiries, please call customer service at 202-637-7000.
News release issued at 9:42 pm, December 19, 2009.