DC suspends most of its Metro trains over safety issue – IOTW Report

DC suspends most of its Metro trains over safety issue

Sounds like a math issue.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington’s regional Metro system abruptly pulled more than half its fleet of trains from service early Monday morning over a lingering problem with the wheels and axles that caused a dramatic derailing last week. The ruling promises to complicate daily travel and commutes for thousands of riders for an unspecified length of time while the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the issue.

The Metro authority’s safety commission ordered the withdrawal of the entire 7000-series line of trains overnight. The Kawasaki-made 7000-series are the newest set of trains in service and the 748 cars comprise about 60% of the fleet.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters Monday that a design flaw had been identified which caused the trains’ wheels to spread too wide on the axles, allowing the carriage to slip off the tracks.

“We’re at the preliminary stage of our investigation — just trying to collect data and information,” Homendy said. “This could have resulted in a catastrophic event.”

It wasn’t immediately clear if other regional commuter systems used the same model rail car. But Homendy said the NTSB “may at some point” issue a recommendation for inspections of all similar train cars around the country.

“If you are a transit agency operating in the United States and you’re listening, make sure you are checking your cars as well,” she said. more here

https://www.kawasakirailcar.com/RT_7000series

16 Comments on DC suspends most of its Metro trains over safety issue

  1. So for years they’ve had derailing issues. Millions of people traveling, hundreds of thousands of miles… No one injured or killed.

    But now, suddenly, it’s become an “emergency” warranting shut downs.

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  2. “It wasn’t immediately clear if other regional commuter systems used the same model rail car.”

    Well it WOULD be clear if some f***ing reporter would do his job and CALL THE OTHER COMMUTER SYSTEMS TO FIND OUT. Journalism ain’t rocket science, people.

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  3. “…a design flaw had been identified which caused the trains’ wheels to spread too wide on the axles…”

    Mighty hazy description there. Is the too-wide wheel spread a flex deformation under load or is it a permanent bending of some part or parts?

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