WASHINGTON -- National Transportation Safety Board investigators will NOT be working on Red Line tracks between Metro's Takoma and Fort Totten stations this weekend, meaning the Takoma station will keep regular hours.
However, the case isn't closed yet, so Red Line riders can continue to expect fewer and slower trains until the rail system is fixed.
This follows this week's disclosure that track anomalies have been found throughout the system and fluctuations near the site of June's fatal crash date back to December 2007.
After Sunday, it's unknown what NTSB's investigation needs will be and how they'll impact service. But for now, riders should continue planning at least an additional 30 minutes into their trips.
Trains continue to pass one at a time at a reduced speed between Takoma and Fort Totten, causing other trains on the line to move slower and wait for trains passing the accident site. For the same reason, fewer trains are running on the Red Line.
In some of the recent cases when malfunctions were noted, Metro has turned off the problem circuit entirely. When that happens, trains must proceed one at a time at a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour because the train is invisible to Metro's central control center. That may continue for some time, General Manager John Catoe said.
For riders who've had their heads in the sand for the past month, these details were distributed in fliers at select Red Line Stations from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday in an apparent effort to look proactive while wasting paper.
The Takoma station will be open until 3 a.m. Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday and from 7 a.m. to midnight Sunday.
