Reconfiguring Metro Cars is Taking Time

WASHINGTON - The Takoma Metrorail station will close at 10 p.m. on Monday, June 29, Tuesday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 1. Investigators continue their work to determine the cause of last week's Metro Rail accident. The station will reopen in time for the morning rush hour.

The emphasis is being placed on two malfunctioning circuits. In the meantime, a main concern for riders is Metro's 1000 series, the oldest in the fleet. Metro says it will not pull the 1000 series car, but still has not moved them to the center of the train as promised. The 1000 series rail cars are still transporting customers by the thousands and are still attached to the front and rear of trains.

Last week, John Catoe, Metro General Manager said, "We don't have time to sit around and talk about what is and isn't. We have to act and we're taking actions."

However Metro now says it could be 3 weeks before the 1000 cars are put in the center of the train. It was a week ago that a 1000 series car was nearly completely crunched in a crash, killing nine people.

Metro spokesman, Steven Taubenkibel said, "It's going to require a lot of logistics and scheduling to maneuver these cars from different rail yards and making new rail sets and putting them into the center of our trains."

Metro says the problem is that all the trains must be reconfigured and they are scattered throughout the system and throughout nine rail yards. Metro says the only time to shuffle them is overnight. It's a complicated process.

"We have a number of pocket tracks which require moving trains down one track switching to another track going onto another track then another and so on and so forth. We can do it, but it will take time," said Taubenkibel.

In 1996, the NTSB first deemed the cars not crashworthy. Metro Board Chairman Jim Graham is disappointed swapping the cars is not moving quicker.

"I think we have to get on with it. The riding public really demands assurances in this regard," said Graham.

But Graham says moving the 1000's is only a temporary solution. He still supports getting rid of all of them now with the understanding it will make the trains more crowded.

"I would like to see them mothballed as soon possible. I am not the G.M and I can't make this type of decision," said Graham. He also favors getting the public's input on the idea.