At midnight last night, the Washington, D.C. region's trains stopped for a sudden, potentially alarming safety inspection. Commuters, rerouted and upset, were only given a day's notice of the impending systemwide shutdown.
D.C. Metro officials took surprising, drastic measures today, announcing the systemwide closure of the Metrorail system today, March 16, 2016.
The announcement came only the day before the sudden closure, announced by Metro General Manager and CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld, with support from the Authority's Board of Directors. According to the press release announcing the closure,
The inspections of approximately 600 "jumper cables" will occur along all tunnel segments on the Metrorail system. At the conclusion of the inspection process, there may be a need for additional rail service outages. Any further service impacts will be announced to the public as soon as they are known.
The press release also notes that the Metro bus system would still be in operation, and provided link to the variety of bus services available in the Metrorail service area.
Unsurprisingly, the announcement produced no small amount of shock and news coverage. Here's a sample of coverage—varying from hard news coverage of the coverage, to the responses of lawmakers at the state and federal levels, and the impact of the closure on the commute around the nation's capital:
- Robert McCartney and Lori Aratani report on the safety concerns that inspired the closure.
- Mike DeBonis reports the initial responses of lawmakers to the surprising development.
- T. Rees Shapiro, Mike DeBonis, and Emma Brown report on the impacts of the closure on the many varieties of commutes that take place in the D.C. region.
- Luz Lazo provides a list of alternative transportation options—from Metrobus to Taxis to Capital Bikeshare. The only mode lacking in the article is the original form of transportation—walking.
- WTOP staff reported that federal employees would spend the day telecommuting or taking leave as a result of the closure.
- Recommended reading for satirical relief from the whole messed up situation: the @unsuckdcmetro Twitter feed.
FULL STORY: All Metrorail service will be suspended Wednesday, March 16, for emergency inspections
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.
Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”
Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)