Washington, D.C., was in a state of chaos Wednesday after Metro subway’s chief officers shuttered the busy transportation system for a 29-hour period in order to make emergency repairs.
The move came on the heels of a fire on the Metro tracks that investigators said came from a malfunctioning electrical component.
“While the risk to the public is very low, I cannot rule out a potential life safety issue here and that is why we must take this action immediately,” said Metro’s general manager, Paul Wiedefeld, in a press conference.
The system-wide shutdown, dubbed on social media as “Metromageddon” and “Metropocalypse,” came on the heels of an emergency inspection of its third rail, the one that transmits power.
The shutdown promises to have wide-reaching effects on the region’s transportation process. Metro is the country’s second-busiest transit network and has more than 700,000 daily riders from Maryland and Virginia and Washington.
Wiedefeld said the shutdown would be in place until 5 a.m. Thursday, for a total of 29 hours.
“It’s really frustrating,” said one Justice Department employee, waiting for her train to Bethesda, Maryland. “It’s how everybody gets to work. The whole system shuts down, the whole city shuts down.”
And another, a federal contractor from Hagerstown, Maryland, said: “I guess I won’t be coming to work.”
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser tasked additional police officers to help with the expected traffic problems, and suspended construction work for certain well-traveled city spots. Meanwhile, parents of school-aged children were forced to make last-minute transportation plans.
“This is a significant disruptioon for many of our families,” said D.C. Council member David Grosso, speaking to the fact the city doesn’t have traditional school busing, but rather relies on Metro to provide free rides for students.
A year ago, a similar electrical malfunction caused a train to fill with smoke, which killed one passenger and sickened dozens more.
