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Metro Prepares for Some Serious Snowfall Rail and bus service could be suspended by storm conditions
8 inches The amount of snowfall that affects above-ground Metrorail service. Snow and ice making contact with the third rail can also create power issues and impact service. (T WP)
For highway crews and Metro, the chatter of snow has become routine this winter, officials at the agencies said Tuesday as they checked weather forecasts for what could be a serious winter storm expected to arrive tonight with possible snow totals ranging from 5 to 14 inches. Metro said it will activate its emergency operations center and “monitor conditions as we go,” according to Metro’s chief spokes-
BONNIE JO MOUNT (THE WASHINGTON POST)
Washington
A Metro worker clears the platform at the Prince George’s Plaza station in Hyattsville, Md., during an earlier snowstorm this year.
man Dan Stessel. He warned riders that Metro’s rail service could be suspended depending on what he called a “number of factors,” including the speed of the snowfall and “how much can be cleared over the course of the storm to prevent it from contacting the third rail.” Metro shut down its service dur-
ing Hurricane Sandy because of the potential for high winds and a risk of debris and trees being blown onto the tracks, Stessel said. Metro’s 250 bus routes could also be impacted, depending on the extent of the snowfall and road conditions. At the Maryland Department of Transportation, officials said crews were preparing for the expected snowfall. “It’s been a very busy winter so far,” said Charlie Gischlar, a spokesman for the Maryland DOT. “The crews just came off [last week’s] ice event and the little storm over the weekend.” DANA HEDGPETH (THE WASHINGTON POST)