Metro's 7000-Series Trains Return To Service Friday After Being Sidelined For 2 Months

WASHINGTON, DC — The first 7000-series Metro trains reentered service Thursday under new safety inspection protocols, according to a post on Metro's official Twitter account.

On Tuesday, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) said it would be gradually returning the trains to service after being ordered by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) to remove all 7000-series train, nearly 60 percent of its fleet, due to safety concerns in October.

WMSC made this decision based on the results of a National Transportation and Safety Board inspection that uncovered problems with the axle assemblies of 700-series trains.

For two months, WMATA worked with railcar manufacturer Kawasaki and the NTSB to develop a plan to inspect all 7000-series trains, so that they could be safely returned to service. The plan included new protocols, such as swapping trains out every week for inspection. In the past, trains were inspected every 90 days.

WMSC told Metro on Tuesday that it did not have any technical objections to WMATA's latest plan. The transit authority said it would gradually reintroduce half of its 7000-series trains and then wait 90 days before reintroducing the rest. This will allow time to make any adjustments to the new inspection process.

Related: Metro To Begin Returning 7000-Series Trains To Service

"From now until after the first of the year, customers may see some 7000- series railcars transition safely back to service," said GM/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld, in a release on Tuesday. "This is part of the process that will enable Metro to announce a more definitive service plan after the first of the year. Until that time, the transition of the 7000-series railcars through the end of the year will allow us to improve reliability."

In October, a Metrorail train traveling on the Blue Line in Virginia derailed between the Rosslyn and Arlington stations. No one was injured, but the incident prompted the NTSB's review, which revealed defects in the axle assemblies of 7000-series trains.

This morning, the first 7000-series train reentered service under Metro’s new inspection protocols. More 7000-series trains will gradually be put back into service in the coming weeks. #wmata pic.twitter.com/8aockpLMCl
— Metro (@wmata) December 17, 2021