WMATA introduces new trackwork approach

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will accelerate its efforts to improve safety and return the system to a state of good repair while impacting fewer customers through a new approach to trackwork. For about two of every three weekends over the next 18 months, the new approach involves temporarily closing individual stations or clusters of stations and replacing trains with buses to allow work to proceed on a faster timetable and to preserve normal or near-normal weekend service levels elsewhere on the line. "Our new approach will enable us to get more work done, more safely and more effectively with less overtime, while inconveniencing fewer customers than we otherwise would given the massive rebuilding effort we're undertaking," said Richard Sarles, WMATA general manager and CEO. The approach is similar to major construction work such as the project that recently took place over Memorial Day weekend. Rather than attempting to single-track every train through a work zone, affecting service on the entire line, customers instead will be provided free shuttle bus service around the work area. "Focusing our resources in centralized locations will help minimize weekend single tracking and customer impacts elsewhere on the rail system," said Dave Kubicek, Deputy general manager of operations at WMATA. As an example of projects that will be completed ahead of schedule through the program, Kubicek pointed to WMATA's plans to replace track circuit modules on the Red Line to comply with National Transportation Safety Board recommendations. "This will put us on a path to complete NTSB-recommended track circuit replacement on the Red Line about 18 months sooner, by this time next year, as opposed to late 2013 if the work only took place during non-revenue hours," Kubicek said. Metro officials are finalizing the schedule of upcoming rail construction projects and related station closures and will make the list public in the near future. Extensive public notification and outreach is planned to give customers ample notice about the weekend track work.