Photo by Liliang

Metro riders won’t have to experience an extended shut down of one of the system’s lines after all. Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said today that he doesn’t plan to close any rail lines for months at a time for maintenance work, but instead, workers can make repairs by shutting down parts of tracks between stations, according to The Washington Post.

District residents have been debating whether prolonged closures are a good idea since WMATA Board Chair Jack Evans announced the possibility at a meeting last week. At the time, he said Metro may have to perform maintenance that couldn’t be completed during nights and weekends.

A day later, Wiedefeld said in a statement that he is “working on a long-range maintenance plan for the rail system to ensure safe and reliable service,” and that “any service change in the plan that could affect your commute will receive ample notice to customers, businesses, stakeholders and the region as a whole.”

And today, after a lunch meeting with the Montgomery County Council, Wiedefeld told reporters that in the next few weeks, he will present ideas for how to get the work done in less disruptive ways, according to The Post.

The now-middle aged rail system has had well-documented issues that led to a system-wide shutdown for 29 hours last month. The emergency investigation conducted during that time found more than two dozen defects, which were repaired, though Metro still doesn’t know why cable fires persist.