Metrorail is seeking to put more of its troubled 7000-series railcars back into service in the D.C. area. The Washington-region transit provider is allowed to operate 64 of the railcars each day as it stands, amounting to eight trains’ worth of cars.
But Metro is asking its independent safety watchdog, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, for permission to bring back more of the railcars after they were sidelined last fall for safety concerns. “We are evaluating this, and we will provide feedback to Metrorail soon,” said safety commission chief operating officer Sharmila Samarasinghe at a Tuesday meeting. “Additional investigative work is planned over the next several weeks.” Watch the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission meeting:
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No details have been given about how many cars Metro hopes to return to service, but the 64-car allowance represents only a small fraction of the 7000-series fleet. Currently, Metro must keep close tabs on the returned cars mechanically because of a wheel-set issue connected to an October derailment on the Blue Line.
