First SafeTrack Surge Ahead of Schedule in Many Work Categories
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) General Manager/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld has announced that the first SafeTrack "surge" between Ballston and East Falls Church is ahead of schedule in many categories of planned work, including rail tie replacement, insulator renewal, fastener renewal and leak repairs. As of the end of the day Monday, June 13 - 77 percent of the way through the project - 96 percent of the planned work had been completed.
"Given the importance of quickly getting into this intensive track rehab program, I am pleased with the work getting done in Surge #1, and want to thank the entire region for their support over the last twelve days,” said Wiedefeld. “While the immediate benefit for any surge is safety, as we conclude the surges, customers should see an improvement in track reliability and overall ride quality along this area of the Orange and Silver lines.”
As of Monday, June 13, Metro crews and contractors have exceeded many of the key tasks originally planned for the first Surge period, including:
- Insulator Renewal (113% completed)
- Fastener Renewal (118% completed)
- Track Bed Cleaning (110% completed)
- Drain Maintenance (131% completed)
- Leak Repair (294% completed)
- Intrusion Detection Warning (IDW) System Renewal (160% completed)
The first Surge project began on Saturday, June 4, involving continuous single tracking between East Falls Church and Ballston stations so that miles of deteriorated wooden rail ties could be removed, the substructure of the railroad could be rebuilt and thousands of new rail ties, fasteners, ballast and other infrastructure could be installed.
Wiedefeld said he awaits a final report on the progress made when Surge #1 is complete and his independent quality assurance team finishes its inspections to verify that the track work was completed satisfactorily.
