(Photo by TSelena)

In the wake of a derailment that sent two railcars off the tracks, likely due to deteriorated rail infrastructure, Metro is considering adding more weekend shutdowns to the yearlong maintenance program known as SafeTrack.

One will definitely occur this weekend, as Metro modifies the seventh surge to include a total shutdown between Grosvenor and Shady Grove stations, rather than single tracking as originally planned.

If the SafeTrack schedule is revised further, Wiedefeld promised to give riders and jurisdictions warning. He also said that the 10 months of 24/7 track work may also be extended.

“I want to reinforce that safety does trump service at all times here at Metro,” Wiedefeld said. “It is a concept that is evolving for sure—it is changing decades of culture.”

Since the derailment, additional inspections have turned up six interlockings—the switches where Metro trains transfer from one track to another—that need work. “They’re not unsafe conditions, but if we’re out there and we know it needs to be done, let’s do it,” Wiedefeld said.

It comes after yet another scathing report from the Federal Transit Administration (which took over direct safety oversight from the Tri-State Oversight Committee last year) that blasted the transit agency for “systemic safety deficiencies” and said that Metro was aware of track issues around the East Falls Church station, where the derailment occurred.

A special meeting of the Board of Directors is planned for the end of the month.

“The board is very engaged in what’s happening, very concerned about the safety issues,” said D.C. councilmember and Metro board chairman Jack Evans. “But I have enormous confidence that Paul and his staff are working very hard to address these problems.”

Both Evans and Wiedefeld took pains to reiterate what they’ve said all along—that this is a huge project, coming after years of deferred maintenance, that won’t restore the system to pristine condition.

“The magnitude of Metro is enormous,” Evans repeated this afternoon. Added Wiedefeld: “At the end [of SafeTrack], the system still will be in need of repair—a lot of work to bring it up to speed. I don’t want anyone to have the impression that everything will be hunky dory.”