WMATA gears up for final SafeTrack repair project

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) next month will conduct its final repair surge as part of its SafeTrack maintenance plan.

To complete the work, the agency on June 17 will shut down a 5-mile segment of the Red Line between the Shady Grove and Twinbrook stations in Montgomery County, Md. The work includes crosstie replacement, rail renewal and welding.

At the conclusion of the repair project, WMATA will have completed three years worth of track work in a single year, agency officials said in a press release. The SafeTrack plan included the replacement of more than 50,000 crossties compared with about 15,000 in a typical year.

The last repair effort marks WMATA's 16th safety surge as part of SafeTrack.