Federal Inspectors Comb DC Subway for Track Problems

WASHINGTON (AP) —
A sign at the Rosslyn, Va., Metro station notifies riders that the system is closed for emergency inspection Wednesday, March 16, 2016. An unprecedented safety shutdown of the Metro subway system inconvenienced hundreds of thousands of people in and around the nation's capital on Wednesday. Federal workers telecommuted or took the day off, children missed school and countless others woke up early to take bus after bus, hail pricey taxis or slog through traffic. (AP Photo/Jessica Gresko)
A sign at the Rosslyn, Va., Metro station notifies riders that the system is closed for emergency inspection on March 16. (AP Photo/Jessica Gresko)

Federal inspectors are combing Metro’s subway tracks in a “safety blitz” that follows a recent systemwide shutdown to check tracks and make immediate repairs.

The Federal Transit Administration review that began Wednesday includes 10 “segments of concern,” based on a history of defects, past problems or discoveries in other, recent federal inspections. The locations are scattered across the system.

Federal officials describe the goal as ensuring track integrity, and say the effort goes beyond the rails and power cables. They also are scrutinizing Metro’s track inspectors, as well as systems for managing them and acting on their findings.

The new inspections are expected to run through April 13, with a report out by early summer.

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