D.C. Metro proposes preliminary Capital Improvement Program
Written by jrood
The Washington, D.C., Metro Board Finance and Administration Committee on Nov. 4 reviewed Metro's preliminary FY2012-FY2017 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which commits at least $1.18-billion to address National Transportation Safety Board recommendations over the next seven years and prioritizes safety and state of good repair projects.
Metro staff is
recommending that the FY2012-FY2017 CIP implement NTSB-related projects
totaling $330 million in addition to $850 million that already has been
budgeted to replace Metro’s oldest rail cars. The recommended FY2012-FY2017 CIP
will fund all projects with Board-approved contract awards and prioritizes
state-of-good-repair over expansion projects.
"Metro is committed to
funding and expediting projects that address all of the National Transportation
Safety Board’s recommendations," said Metro Interim General Manager Richard
Sarles. "We will continue to make safety improvement projects a priority as we
also work to make necessary infrastructure upgrades that are vital to
maintaining the levels of service that Metro currently provides."
Metro staff proposes
funding the following projects that address NTSB recommendations during the
next six years as part of Metro’s Capital Improvement Program:
• Replacing the
1000 series rail cars;
• Replacing all No. 8 mainline switches;
• Replacing
all audio frequency track circuit modules;
• Removing an unnecessary wayside
maintenance communications system;
• Conducting a comprehensive safety
analysis of the Automatic Train Control system;
• Implementing cable
insulation resistance testing as part of the maintenance program;
• Adding
onboard event recorders on 1000-series and 4000-series rail cars;
• Developing
a program to monitor the event recorders;
• Assessing track circuits;
•
Developing a program to periodically determine that electronic components in
the train control systems are performing within design tolerances;
•
Implementing a loss of shunt tool;
• Institutionalizing and employing an
enhanced track circuit verification test; and
• Replacing power cables.
In addition to funding
NTSB recommendations, Metro staff is recommending that the FY2012-FY2017 CIP
prioritize state-of-good repair over expansion projects, which include:
•
Rehabilitating portions of the Metrorail system between Dupont Circle and
Silver Spring and between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and
Stadium-Armory Metrorail stations;
• Rehabilitating escalators and elevators;
•
Upgrading power systems in order to accommodate more eight-car trains;
•
Replacing buses and MetroAccess vehicles;
• Upgrading rail and bus maintenance
equipment;
• Upgrading operations support software and equipment;
•
Rehabilitating and replacing old bus garages, including the Royal Street,
Southeastern and Southern Ave bus garages; and
• Enhancing the Metrobus
Priority Corridor Network.
Funding for Metro’s Capital
Improvement Program is made possible as a result of increased contributions
from the jurisdictions that fund Metro, federal stimulus dollars provided by
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, dedicated federal and local
matching funds provided by the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of
2008 and debt issuance.
The cost to implement NTSB-related recommendations
may need to be amended pending the outcome of a system safety analysis.
