Metro GM releases major announcement

Just days after the WMATA board chairman said some lines might have to shut down for up to six month for repair work, the Metro GM is now saying not so fast.

Paul Weidefeld says he is crafting and aggressive plan to deal with metro's backlog of repairs. But shutting down lines for six months is not part of those plans.

The announcement came during a meeting with the Montgomery County council on Tuesday. Many passengers who have been wondering about how they would get around if the metro shut down certain lines for months on end. Passengers wondered this because WMATA board chair, and D.C. Councilman, Jack Evans, warned last week that could be a possibility. Lawmakers are wondering if Weidefeld shut down that possibility too quickly.

"Sure I mean I am NOT considering that extensive of a shutdown anywhere, but I am looking at how we have to deliver what we have to deliver and what makes the MOST sense," explained Wiedefeld.

The red line still has some serious water leakage said Wiedefeld and those need to be fixed.

Sharp questions about the short notice on last month's one day shutdown were raised, as well as safety and security. And although the GM said that closing down an entire line for six months probably won't happen, metro cant reduce it huge repair backlog by just doing work in short burst over night and on the weekend. In some cases one of two stations may have to be shut down to get work done.

Montgomery Council members, Roger Berliner said, " I think what Mr. Evans who is the board chairman is trying to convey was the system has a lot of hard decisions to make and I think he perhaps 'gilded the lily' perhaps a little in describing that scenario."

A spokesperson for Jack Evans said that the councilman's remarks were designed to give people a framework of what could happen if metro does address its safety repairs immediately. Evans office says he will support whatever Paul Wiedefeld decides.