Photo by Jordan Barab.

Photo by Jordan Barab.

Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld declined to give a date or time for the full restoration of Metro service during interviews on WTOP and the Kojo Nnamdi Show today.

Wiedefeld said that everything would be up and running “as soon as its safe to do and we can ensure service,” adding that folks at Metro are “working as hard as we can to get everything back on line by tomorrow morning.”

Some Red, Green, and Orange line stations began running at 7 a.m., with aboveground stations returning throughout the course of the day. Already, all Metro stations in D.C. proper (except for Benning Road, which is the only station not serviced by the three lines that are running today) and several outside the city are open. The trains will operate through midnight.

But Wiedefeld couldn’t promise that the whole system will be back in business by tomorrow morning’s commute because the outer stations were among those hardest hit by the snow. “My priorities are the safety of our employees and customers, and service reliability,” said Wiedefeld.

Buses service today is limited to 24 routes from noon to 5 p.m.

Wiedefeld said that today’s free fares are “a gesture to customers,” who are dealing with limited service following the system’s shutdown for the weekend.

The GM said he has “no regrets” about suspending service on Saturday and Sunday. He pledged to keep customers updated as more stations open, and to make sure people had information about service tomorrow well ahead of their commutes.

Filed Under: blizzard, metro, paul wiedefeld, wmata,