Metro
Safetrack

by the Numbers

Safetrack, the monthslong system-wide maintenance project that has seen several safety surges cripple parts of the Washington Metro, has drawn its fair share of ire in the national capital region.




The project didn't treat each line equally, and a CNS data analysis shows that the lines most affected also _________. Surge-by surge, ____________. And while it may have been a pain, the magnitude of Safetrack's literal nuts and bolts is pretty staggering. The amount of supplies replaced during the project is just about as massive as you'd expect.

With the end of this massive undertaking forming a slow but steady light at the end of the tunnel, let's take a look at the statistics behind Safetrack.

Supplies

0feet of rail renewed and/or replaced
Here
0crossties replaced
Here
0fasteners replaced
Here
0insulators replaced
Here
0signals replaced, upgraded or refurbished
Surge 1

Surge 1

June 4 through June 16, 2016

  • Single tracking between East Falls Church and Ballston
  • 73,000 weekday trips affected
Surge 2

Surge 2

June 18 through July 3, 2016

  • Shutdown between Eastern Market and Minnesota Avenue or Benning Road
  • Potomac Avenue and Stadium-Armory stations closed
  • Shutdown between Rosslyn and Arlington Cemetery
  • 61,000 weekday trips affected
Surge 3

Surge 3

July 5 through July 11, 2016

  • Shutdown between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Braddock Road
  • No Yellow Line Rush+ service
  • 50,000 weekday trips affected
Surge 4

Surge 4

July 12 through July 18, 2016

  • Shutdown between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Pentagon City
  • Crystal City station closed
  • 86,000 weekday trips affected
Surge 5

Surge 5

July 20 through July 31, 2016

  • Singe tracking between East Falls Church and Ballston
  • 73,000 weekday trips affected
Surge 6

Surge 6

Aug. 1 through Aug. 7, 2016

  • Singe tracking between Takoma and Silver Spring
  • 94,000 weekday trips affected
Surge 7

Surge 7

Aug. 9 through Aug. 21, 2016

  • Singe tracking between Shady Grove and Twinbrook
  • Weekend shutdown between Shady Grove and Grosvenor-Strathmore
  • 32,200 weekday trips affected
Surge 8

Surge 8

Aug. 27 through Sept. 11, 2016

  • Singe tracking between Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street
  • Weekend shutdown between Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street
  • No Yellow Line Rush+ service
  • 18,000 weekday trips affected
Surge 9

Surge 9

Sept. 15 through Oct. 26, 2016

  • Singe tracking between Vienna and West Falls Church
  • Weekend shutdown between Vienna and West Falls Church
  • Weekend shutdown between Vienna and Dunn Loring
  • 30,000 weekday trips affected
Surge 10

Surge 10

Oct. 29 through Nov. 22, 2016

  • Shutdown between Fort Totten and NoMa-Gallaudet U
  • Brookland-CUA and Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood stations closed
  • 108,000 weekday trips affected
Surge 11

Surge 11

Nov. 28 through Dec. 20, 2016

  • Single tracking between West Falls Church and East Falls Church
  • 65,000 weekday trips affected
Surge 12

Surge 12

Feb. 11 through Feb. 28, 2017

  • Shutdown between Rosslyn and Pentagon
  • Arlington Cemetery station closed
  • 12,000 weekday trips affected
Surge 13

Surge 13

March 4 through April 12, 2017

  • Single tracking between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Van Dorn Street or Huntington
  • One-time late night shutdown between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Franconia-Springfield or Huntington
  • One-time late night shutdown between Braddock Road and Franconia-Springfield or Huntington
  • No Yellow Line Rush+ service
  • 50,000 weekday trips affected
Surge 14 Phase I

Surge 14, Phase I

April 15 through April 29, 2017

  • Shutdown between Greenbelt and Prince George's Plaza
  • No Yellow Line Rush+ service
  • 12,400 weekday trips affected (across both phases)
Surge 14, Phase II

Surge 14, Phase II

April 30 through May 14, 2017

  • Shutdown between Greenbelt and College Park-University of Maryland
  • No Yellow Line Rush+ service
  • 12,400 weekday trips affected (across both phases)

Credits



Safetrack by the Numbers

Writing, data analysis and design by Evan J. Berkowitz
with additional data analysis by Jack Paciotti

Supplies section based in part on jQuery CountUp" codepen by Simon Shahriveri

Sources: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, The Washington Post

    Copyright 2017 Capital News Service

Methodology:To calculate the regional affects of Safetrack, line-by-line service reductions were calculated by multiplying the distance from one stop to another by the percentage of service reduced. For example, a 1 mile span seeing a 60% service reduction would earn a "train miles" value of -0.6. This figure was then multiplied by the number of weekday morning peak periods that the specific reduction would be in place. If the reduction mentioned above lasted for 10 morning peak periods, for example, the value for the whole surge would be -6 "train miles." This figure, totaled up over all surges, begins to provide a portrait of how Safetrack affected certain parts of the system. The Washington Metro features many stretches where two or more lines run over the same route. In many cases where these routes saw reduced service, only one line was technically affected. For instance, there were periods when construction on the southern portion of the Yellow Line led to reduced Yellow Line service to stops where it parallels the Green Line. While only one line technically saw a reduction in trains, the perceived result for that segment of a route was a reduction in general, no matter which actual trains were absent. To account for this, "train mile" deductions were assessed to both lines in a route segment. For example, if service was reduced between, say, L'Enfant Plaza and Archives stations, both the green and yellow lines would see a "train miles" deduction for that stretch, even if only the Yellow Line saw fewer actual trains dispatched.