WASHINGTON — When Metro riders hop out of one car and dash to the next one before a train leaves a station, it is a sign of summer: a “hot car” without enough air conditioning.
“It’s a challenge for everyone at this point in time to try to keep things cool,” Metro acting Chief Operating Officer Jack Requa said of the recent weather.
“An air conditioning system is generally good to bring down the temperature about 20 degrees from the ambient temperature, so if it’s 100 degrees, the train’s going to be 80,” he added.
Metro does sometimes close off cars that have problems while allowing the rest of the train to remain in service, but overall, railcar problems are among the biggest causes of Metro delays.
A consultant told the Metro Board’s Finance Committee Thursday that improved maintenance overall, including for door and brake issues, is the single biggest opportunity for Metro to improve service reliability.
Metro still regularly falls short of the minimum 954 railcars it aims to have available for service each day.
In underground stations, Metro has chiller systems designed to keep the temperature several degrees cooler than outside, not full air conditioning systems. Even those chiller systems though, have been out for nearly a year at Farragut North and Dupont Circle.
The latest target date for repairs there would have the chillers back up and running next week.
The chiller system at Rosslyn is also down for repairs through Sept. 30.
