Houston Chronicle by Dug Begley May 8, 2019
Metro’s newest rail lines were taken out of service Wednesday, so transit officials could begin immediate repairs of a “wire fatigue†problem that, if left untreated, could put bystanders in the path of a live electrical line.
“We think we can have this all resolved in a week,†said Tom Lambert, CEO of Metropolitan Transit Authority, though a permanent fix could take longer.
The emergency closing affects all of the Green and Purple lines, including the tracks they share downtown, along with the Red Line north of the University of Houston-Downtown station. All of those segments opened in the last six years, and were constructed together.
Lambert estimated 19,000 daily trips are affected by the shutdown, which covers 15.2 miles of rail. Buses will operate as shuttles, mimicking the rail route to provide service. Signs and employees will be positioned at stations to warn riders and direct them to the buses.
The work and shutdown will not affect service on most of the Red Line, from downtown to Fannin South. That portion of the Red Line carries about two-thirds of the agency’s light rail trips. Opened in 2004, the original line’s electrical system was designed differently and has not experienced the issue.
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