WASHINGTON — Metro’s own report card on its latest round of track work shows that crews were able to complete a great deal, but August’s hot weather slowed productivity and left some work unfinished.
With rail service limited for 13 days on the Red Line between Shady Grove and Twinbrook stations, Metro says its crews were able to replace 3,572 crossties, repair power cables and track junction boxes, and improve drainage. But August was marked by extreme heat, humidity and electrical storms, and Metro says the weather slowed productivity.
Still, the amount of work completed in this recent surge would have taken more than two years to accomplish if done during closed periods of a fully operational system, according to Metro’s analysis.
Only 86 percent of the track work was completed in the work zone, leaving 14 percent to be rescheduled.
The special track maintenance on the Red Line was extended for three days and included two weekend shutdowns, which gave crews the chance to make repairs on both sets of tracks in the work zone.
