USA Today - Washington D.C. Subway Closure Sends Commuters Scrambling

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By Bart Jansen

The daylong shutdown of the region's vast subway system for emergency safety inspections Wednesday sent commuters who take 700,000 trips daily from Maryland, Virginia and D.C. scrambling for buses, cars and bicycles.

"It's always slow, always crowded," Bob Jones, 26, of Arlington, Va., told the Associated Press about the troubled transit system he's not too fond of on a normal day.

Metro officials ordered the closure until 5 a.m. Thursday in order to inspect electrical cables that power trains. The decision came after a fire near one downtown station raised fears of a repeat of a deadly blaze in the subway system last year.

As he waited for his normal bus to work and planned to walk more than an hour to get home later Wednesday in light of the subway closure, Jones said he wasn't too upset with Metro's decision. "Better that than, like, a fiery inferno."

Michaun Jordan's typical commute via a commuter train, then Metro rail and finally a bus turned into a $15 cab ride Wednesday to get to her job as a finance officer for the federal government.

"At first I was a bit disappointed," she told AP. "Then I thought about it -- it's best to be safe."

Buses were running normally, but officials with the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) warned they would be crowded. Parking was free in Metro lots for carpooling or taking buses.

The decision to shut the system, hastily announced Tuesday afternoon, surprised local and federal officials, who said they might hold hearings or pursue other changes for Metro.

"It was shocking," D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said. "We have to have a safe and reliable transit system."

Metro CEO and General Manager Paul Wiedefeld ordered the closure after a fire near the McPherson Square station Monday raised similar concerns to a fatal blaze at the L'Enfant Plaza station in January 2015. "I'm trying to deal with what I know and what I fear," Wiedefeld said Tuesday.

The federal government allowed workers to use unscheduled leave or telecommute. Local schools and the D.C. government remained open.

Despite the unprecedented closure, federal officials said safety is a priority for the transit system.

"WMATA has a long, well-documented list of safety issues and needs to work aggressively to fix them," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. "While this shutdown is inconvenient, they are doing the right thing by putting the safety of their passengers and workers first."

The outage prompted questions about greater federal oversight of the troubled system governed by officials appointed by D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., who heads the transportation committee, said safety issues have been a longstanding concern.

"We will closely monitor developments and assess the need for any additional steps, including a potential hearing," Shuster said.

Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., said while Metro's closure was "drastic," the action would protect riders' safety and demonstrated the need for cultural changes at the agency.

"Instead of Metro riders being constantly inconvenienced and put in danger, Metro management throughout the entire system needs to be shaken to its core and be rid of its culture of incompetence," Comstock said.

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