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10/1/2014
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) in Texas has delayed the opening date of its new METRORail Green and Purple light-rail lines from December to April 2015, agency officials announced last week.The completion of the Houston agency's additional 10 miles of rail is behind schedule in part because of non-METRO construction projects in the city's central business district and performance of axle counters used to regulate the agency's light-rail traffic, METRO officials said in a press release.Additional work, including reinstallation of fiber optic cable, signal testing and re-testing, brought delays to a total of 12 weeks.
Problems with performance of Siemens axle counters, which monitor light-rail vehicle location, and control traffic signals and gate arms were noted during early testing of the new North Line extension, METRO officials said. In addition, a May 2014 report cited temperature variations and moisture penetration as the root cause. METRO is actively exploring all available options to resolve the axle counter issue, agency officials said.
The delay is the second announced in recent months. Less than two months ago, METRO officials said the lines would open in December. Four years ago, the opening date was delayed to 2014 from 2012 due to a federal investigation that prompted METRO to rebid its rail-car procurement, according to an article in the Houston Chronicle.