By Stephen Manning
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Metro transit agency officials blamed aging infrastructure and a possible lightning strike for causing electrical problems that hobbled train service in the capital region for two straight nights.
Metro General Manager John Catoe said a power surge that may have been caused by lightning likely blew a transformer near Reagan National Airport on Sunday evening, sparking small fires and sapping power to trains running on the track.
The same problem re-emerged during the Monday evening commute, forcing Metro to close some northern Virginia stations for several hours. Smaller fires were reported at other stations both nights, but lightning was not considered a factor.
Trains were running Tuesday without major problems. The agency planned to reconfigure electrical power Tuesday evening to compensate for the blown transformer.
Trains between the Pentagon City and Braddock Road stations on the Yellow and Blue lines in northern Virginia were to run eight minutes apart instead of the normal six minutes Tuesday evening because of lower power levels.
Technicians were to be posted at all of Metro’s 98 power substations to watch for problems.
Catoe apologized to riders, calling the service disruption the largest in Metro’s 31-year history.
“The issues that caused the failures on Sunday and Monday are issues we will fix, but it will take time,” Catoe said.
Neither foul play nor terrorism was suspected, Catoe said.
Storms rolled through the area both Saturday and Sunday nights, and the National Weather Service said there were frequent lightning strikes.
The service problems highlight Metro’s aging system, which Catoe said needs billions of dollars to help fund upgrades to tracks, trains and other infrastructure.
Metro, which is among the busiest bus and rail systems in the country, also is struggling to meet growing demand. A bill in Congress would add $3 billion in federal and local money over 10 years if approved.