Tracks inspected day before Metro Green Line derailment - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Tracks inspected day before Metro Green Line derailment

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WASHINGTON -

Metro released new details Thursday on the investigation into a Green Line train derailment. Metro blamed last Friday's accident on a heat kink caused by extreme temperatures. Now we're learning more about when those tracks were last inspected and what measure the agency is taking to deal with the problem.

The train derailed near the West Hyattsville Metro station, damaging 1300 feet of tracks.

At the time Metro had stepped up inspections on the tracks because of the high heat and risk of kinks. This section of the green line had been inspected by workers walking the tracks one day earlier.

"We look for certain tell tale signs," said Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles.

The 500,000 pound train jumped the track going 50-miles per hour. At the time, Metro had not implemented speed restrictions as it often does in extreme heat. It was still evaluating the situation at the time. "Those tell tale signs showed up when the first heat kink showed up," said Sarles.

In the coming days, Metro plans to come up with new standards for heat restrictions that would be implemented immediately. The transit agency says lower speeds will not prevent heat kinks, but does help prevent more serious accidents.

"We're going to look at a range of 35-40 mph whenever we go into this activity when we slow down the rail road," said Dave Kubicek, Metro's Deputy General Manager of Operations.

In the area where the derailment occurred, the track slopes down into a curve like a corkscrew and transitions from gravel to concrete. It's considered one of the most vulnerable areas in the system.

Last year Metro began replacing its tracks with more heat tolerant rails. The new tracks can withstand temperatures between 85 and 105 degrees. The track replacement project is part of a multi-year effort by Metro. The section where the derailment occurred still has the old rails, which are designed for temperatures of only 80-95 degrees.

"Heat kinks are not an unusual occurrence. It's something the system has to look at its vulnerabilities... and figure out what kind of monitoring process," said Tom Downs, a Metro board member.

The same day of the derailment, Metro says it is also investigating two incidents of train braking, where the operators slowed down. It also discovered a second heat kink on the green line between Branch Avenue and Naylor Road. Metro says in the second case, it was able to slow trains down and repair the track before anything more serious happened.

LINKS: http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/board_of_directors/meetings.cfm
Metro Safety Report

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