DC’s Metro pulls half of its rail cars over safety compliance problem

by Rachel Scully - 10/17/21 10:05 PM ET

The Washington, D.C., Metro pulled more than half of its rail cars Sunday night after a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found multiple axles out of compliance with manufacturing specifications.

The Metro suspended its latest model, the 7000 series, just before the Monday morning rush. The board reportedly found the issues after investigating a Blue Line derailment, according to the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, a congressional agency focused on Metro safety.

The 7000 series makes up about 60 percent of the 1,200-car fleet run by the Metro, officially called the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

ALERT: As part of the investigation into the Blue Line derailment, Metro is holding out of service all of its 7000-series railcars, which is about 60% of its rail fleet. Without these rail cars, Metro will operate about 40 trains tomorrow. 1/2

— Metro (@wmata) October 17, 2021

“As Metro continues to work closely with the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission and NTSB and more information develops, we will update the public about service for the remainder of this week,” it said, according to The Washington Post.

The authority added that it will operate about 40 trains Monday, “offering a basic service pattern on all lines of trains departing about every 30 minutes.”

Tags Metro Public Transit