Metro service to return to normal
Metro officials said they hope to have rail service back to normal for Monday morning’s commute after a trying week for the mass transit system.
Spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein told WJLA that trains were being repaired after being damaged by ice-coated tracks from the weekend blizzard.
The ice-laden rails damaged about 200 cars in the Metro system, Farbsein said, meaning fewer cars were in service through the weekend.
Compounding the already strained system, more commuters used mass transit rather than navigating snow-covered or snow-clogged roads around the District.
Metro had 26,000 more riders Thursday than it had the previous week, WJLA reported
Farbstein said there’s been, “plenty of frustrated commuters, but she added, “most people have been patient and understanding.”
Storm collapses roofs in area
The weekend’s snowstorm collapsed several area roofs of businesses and homes as heavy rain and leftover snow proved too much for the regional buildings. Warm temperatures combined with heavy rainfall flooded roads across the city.
A Toys ‘R’ Us in Prince George’s County caved in, injuring nine in the most serious accident of the weekend. The store’s roof caved early in the morning, injuring a young boy and several employees and customers. All were treated at local hospitals for minor injuries, The Washington Post reported.
Manhole explodes on M street
Police and emergency officials evacuated parts of M Street and Wisconsin Ave. Friday after a manhole cover exploded.
The emergency alert system was activated in Georgetown, alerting students and residents to the potential danger.
D.C. fire officials told the Hoya that their measurements indicated a strong presence of natural gas in the area, though no cause was officially reported.
The explosion resulted in traffic jams that held up commuters by several hours, especially because of the still-unplowed conditions of many Georgetown-area roads.
“We still have a couple of streets up here that need work or haven’t been plowed yet,” D.C. Transportation Director Dan Tangherlini said in a Feb. 20 Washington Post article. “We needed this like a hole in the head.”
