Rare Closure for Washington Metro System

With Hurricane Sandy bearing down on the mid-Atlantic region, officials in Washington D.C. decided to shut down the metro system.

Concerns included the loss of power due to high winds and the “threat of stuff blowing into the tracks” in outdoor sections of the rail system.

If you’re curious, yes, it is very rare for the system to be shut down. From the Washington Post:

Metro’s announcement appeared to have little, if any, precedent since the rail system opened in 1976. The system is the second busiest in t he United States; bus and rail systems combined provide about about a million trips each workday.

The announcement came hours after the decision to shut down the New York City transit system, the nation’s busiest, in anticipation of the storm.

Something to consider as Honolulu considers its transit future.

— Michael Levine