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FILE - A bid arrives astatine Metro Center presumption successful Washington, April 23, 2021. The determination bid strategy serving the Washington D.C. country volition stay connected drastically reduced work levels done astatine slightest the extremity of this year, arsenic authorities grapple with a information occupation that has forced the bulk of the trains retired of service. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

WASHINGTON – The determination bid strategy serving the Washington, D.C., country volition stay connected drastically reduced work levels done astatine slightest the extremity of this year, arsenic authorities grapple with a information occupation that has forced the bulk of the trains retired of service.

Paul J. Wiedefeld, wide manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), announced Monday that determination were nary acceptable timelines for the instrumentality of the 7000-series bid cars to service. The trains are the newest successful work and the 748 cars comprise astir 60% of the fleet.

The Metro authority’s information committee abruptly ordered the withdrawal of the full 7000-series enactment of trains successful mid-October aft a derailing revealed chronic problems with the wheels and axles.

“We are intentionally not mounting deadlines truthful that information and bully information thrust our decisions, but we are mindful that customers privation the champion work we tin supply arsenic soon arsenic we tin present it, and we are committed to gathering backmost up successful phases,” Wiedefeld said successful a connection Monday.

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The archetypal plans to bring older 6000-series trains retired of status to assistance capable successful the work gaps person been delayed by the planetary proviso concatenation crisis, which has prevented the accomplishment of indispensable parts.

“While we cognize work is not arsenic predominant arsenic customers would prefer, we volition adhd each bid arsenic it becomes disposable to assistance incrementally amended work reliability and frequency,” Wiedefeld said.

The suspension of the bulk of Washington’s Metro fleet was prompted erstwhile a bid car slipped disconnected the tracks connected the Metro’s Blue Line adjacent Arlington National Cemetery connected Oct. 12. The car had seemingly derailed erstwhile and past re-connected with the rails by itself, earlier derailing a 2nd time. Some passengers were trapped successful a passageway successful a acheronian bid car and had to beryllium evacuated connected foot.

After the derailing, the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that the Kawasaki-made 7000-series trains had been suffering an escalating bid of incidents owed to a plan flaw that caused the wheels to dispersed excessively wide connected the axles, allowing the carriage to gaffe disconnected the tracks. The contented had been evident to WMATA since 2017, but neither NTSB nor the WMATA committee had been informed, said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy.

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The incidental remains nether probe by the NTSB. The incidental has been an embarrassment for WMATA, which suffered a drawstring of unsafe derailments and way fires respective years agone but claimed to person addressed its issues.

Overall rider numbers stay astatine astir 30% of pre-pandemic levels but are expected to summation steadily arsenic offices reopen and tourists instrumentality to Washington.

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