The 7000-Series Trains Sidelined
Dec. 9: Metro Says 7000-Series Trains Will Return Gradually, But Unclear Exactly When
Nov 22: Metro Service Will Continue To Be Reduced Until End Of Year
Nov. 16: Metro Invited Media To See How It Inspects 7000-Series Train Wheels. Here’s What We Learned
Nov. 4: Metrorail Safety Commission Approves Metro’s Testing Plan, First Step To Getting 7000-Series Trains Back On Tracks
Nov. 1: Metro Adds Older Trains To Improve Green, Silver Line Service During Delays
Oct. 28: Metro Delays Will Continue Through At Least Mid-November
Oct. 25: D.C. Offers All Residents Free Month Of Bikeshare To Ease Metro Disruptions
Oct. 22: Limited Metrorail Service Will Continue Throughout October, No Timeline For 7000-Series Return
Oct. 21: With No Timeline On Return Of 7000-Series Trains, Some Are Calling For Increased Bus Service And Dedicated Lanes
Oct. 20: Metro Gave Riders On Derailed Train A $21 SmarTrip Credit As Compensation
Oct. 18: Metro 7000-Series Safety Problems Could Have Led To ‘Catastrophic Event,’ Service Limited
Oct. 17: Safety Commission Orders WMATA To Pull 60% Of Its Train Fleet, Severely Reducing Service
Oct. 12: National Transportation Safety Board Investigating Blue Line Train Derailment
A U.S. Senate committee has sent a letter to Metro asking what the transit agency knew about the wheel issues on 7000-series trains. The Washington Post was first to report on the letter.
The problem, where wheels moved two inches apart on an axle, contributed to a derailment on the Blue Line in October and led to officials sidelining the trains. Metro has known about the issues since 2017. No one was injured in the derailment.
The Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee is seeking records including a timeline of Metro’s actions, how it worked with suppliers, and the total amount spent on the problem. The letter says it is in “furtherance of our oversight responsibilities and in an effort to better understand WMATA’s reaction to the wheel alignment issue.” The federal government supplies about a quarter of Metro’s budget.
“It appears WMATA and Kawasaki have been aware of wheel alignment issues with the 7000 series since 2017 and WMATA has been working with Kawasaki to address the issues since that time,” senators wrote. “In furtherance of our oversight responsibilities and in an effort to better understand WMATA’s reaction to the wheel alignment issue, and in particular, decisions by WMATA, Kawasaki or other parties about risk factors associated with the 7000 series railcars wheel assemblies, we request WMATA provide information to the Committee.”
The Senate request comes on the heels of other investigations from the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, the National Transportation Safety Board, and Metro’s inspector general.
Metro spokesperson Sherri Ly said in a statement, “We have received the letter from the Senate Banking Committee and appreciate their oversight. We are reviewing their request and look forward to submitting a timely response.”
Metro does not have a date for the trains’ return but hopes to have more information by Christmas.
This isn’t the first time Congress has gotten into Metro affairs.
In 2016, Metro’s General Manager Paul Wiedefeld was called before the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee to talk about the maintenance blitz called SafeTrack.
Jordan Pascale
