# No one find this odd?



## RetPara (Mar 17, 2016)

Basically this shut down the federal government yesterday....  Interesting that NOTHING I have seen indicates WHY the Metro had to be shut down on short notice.  If you have not had the please of living or working in DC; getting to work there can be nightmare.  When I was there in late 80's if you worked in the Pentagon troops and employees who used van pools had to be given 48 hour notice to find alternative and parking if required to work late.  It's that bad.



*Rail shutdown forces some D.C.-area feds to take leave or telework*
The Officer of Personnel Management on March 16 gave federal employees in the Washington area the option to take unscheduled leave or perform unscheduled telework due to a shutdown of region’s Metrorail system.


By FederalSoup Staff
Mar 16, 2016
The Officer of Personnel Management on March 16 gave federal employees in the Washington area the option to take unscheduled leave or perform unscheduled telework due to a shutdown of region’s Metrorail system.

With no advance warning the prior day, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced that the entire Metrorail system—the six rail lines and 91 stations that serve the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia metro region—would shut down March 15 and not restart service until 29 hours later, at 5 a.m., March 17.



About 700,000 riders use the Metrorail system each day.

Metrorail management made the unprecedented decision to shut down the entire system and conduct emergency inspections of its 600 third-rail power cables following an early morning tunnel fire March 14. WMATA warned that once the inspections are completed, there may be a need for additional rail service outages.

American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David
Cox Sr. blasted OPM for not authorizing the use of administrative leave due to the suddenness of the shutdown.

“Employees who rely on Metro to commute to work should not be forced to use personal leave because of Metro’s decision to close its doors,” Cox said. “While many employees are able to work from home, that’s not an option for most federal and D.C. government employees. That’s especially true for employees at the lower end of the pay scale.”

Cox called on OPM to reverse its decision and grant administrative leave to employees who were unable to report to work due the Metro shutdown.









Rail shutdown forces some D.C.-area feds to take leave or telework -- FederalSoup.com


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## compforce (Mar 17, 2016)

I saw it in one of the news stories.  There was a fire in one of the tunnels caused by a bad "jumper cable" (the cables that connect the rail sections on the third rail).  They shut the metro down to conduct a complete safety inspection of all of the jumpers, which are beyond their normal life.  BTW, the last time they had this issue, 1 died and something like 8 were hurt from smoke inhalation.

ETA: Your post actually says it...


> Metrorail management made the unprecedented decision to shut down the entire system and conduct emergency inspections of its 600 third-rail power cables following an early morning tunnel fire March 14. WMATA warned that once the inspections are completed, there may be a need for additional rail service outages.


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## Devildoc (Mar 17, 2016)

I was there very briefly in the early 90s, then back numerous times for vacations and conferences.  The Metro is the glue that holds that city together.  I can't imagine trying to get around without it.  Sure, for a one-off or a special need I would use a taxi or even consider a bus, but they get pricey.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Mar 17, 2016)

Wait, so you can shut down the government by shutting down the metro? 

That can't be good...


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## Brill (Mar 17, 2016)

Cover for action...as I adjust my tin foil hat.


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## Grunt (Mar 17, 2016)

I think it inconvenienced them, but it didn't shut them down other than by choice. Now, a communications break-down, yep...that could shut them down.

If they truly needed to function, they wouldn't have given the opportunity to not show up.


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## AWP (Mar 17, 2016)

Really, what was shut down? Obviously this is a huge deal for anything more than a day or two, but did it put our country in a bind? I guess it will take time to sort out the impact, but short term this is just a learning point.


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## Brill (Mar 17, 2016)

If everyone HAD to drive, there isn't enough parking for all the vehicles.  In at least one agency in MD, Congress only funds parking for 60-70% of total employees because it is an incentive to use mass transit.  Plus the USG actually pays for WDC based employees who use mass transit.


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## TLDR20 (Mar 17, 2016)

I say I e make a big deal about it. Congressional hearings, stump speeches, political terrorism, everything. This will not stand.


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## Gunz (Mar 17, 2016)

Hillary needs to email somebody about it.


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## Red Flag 1 (Mar 17, 2016)

Ocoka One said:


> Hillary needs to email somebody about it.



. DC has been like this forever. The Capital Beltway can grind to a halt, any time night or day. The Metro, and "Ride Share" has been huge help in lessening the vehicle traffic load. The fact is that travel in NOVA, and Metro/suburban is a headache, and easy to disrupt. Hell if you took out the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on a summer Sunday afternoon, there are quite a few folks who will not be at their desks/cubes Monday morning. Perhaps some more time looking at who can 'work from home' is called for. 

My &.02.


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## Devildoc (Mar 18, 2016)

Red Flag 1 said:


> . DC has been like this forever. The Capital Beltway can grind to a halt, any time night or day.



And for no discernible reason.


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