WASHINGTON 鈥� Metro鈥檚 SafeTrack program, a large-scale reconstruction project that will require trains to share a聽single track and will create聽delays all over the system for close to a year, is only a few days away, and a local business official says commuters aren鈥檛 ready.
Jim Dinegar, president and CEO of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, told 海角社区app that the scale and scope of the disruptions that the SafeTrack program will cause aren鈥檛 sinking in with commuters. This program, he says, is a different animal.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not saying this is Armageddon,鈥� Dinegar said on 海角社区app Wednesday morning. “But we are not saying this is just another day dealing with the inconveniences of Metro. This is a very big disruption. And people need to know about what鈥檚 coming and plan for it.鈥�
Based on his observations and conversations with the business community, Dinegar said that Metro has done a 鈥渧ery good job of getting the word out鈥� about the disruptions, which begin on Saturday. But people aren鈥檛 paying enough attention.
“People aren鈥檛 ready, that they haven鈥檛 really figured out what the deal is going to be overall, and they have not created their plan or put things into motion.鈥�
Dinegar said that the seemingly constant reports of single tracking and other delays have left commuters聽numb to the idea that this won鈥檛 be just another Metro inconvenience.
鈥淚t will be substantially disrupted.鈥�
Another factor, he said,聽could be that the original draft of the SafeTrack plan had called for work to start at the eastern end of the Blue Line, which Dinegar said wouldn鈥檛 have been as much of a headache for commuters.
Now, however, the work will begin with 13 days (June 4 to 16) of continuous single tracking聽between Ballston and East Falls Church on the Orange and Silver lines with trains running only every 18 minutes, 鈥渨hich will stuff the trains,鈥� Dinegar said.
He said聽the Board of Trade聽has sent a preparedness plan to area businesses, and on Wednesday the board鈥檚 task force on the Metro program was set to meet for the third time. The Board of Trade is working with the Washington Business Journal to put out a supplement with a guide to resources such as carpools and ride- and car-sharing services.
Dinegar added that the board has composed a survey for employers to send to workers asking where they live, what Metro line they take and their commuting routines. They鈥檙e also asking employers to work 鈥渙n a case-by-case basis (with) their employees who are going to need some workarounds.鈥�
