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

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service