In other words, except for rush hour on weekdays, a rider is at risk of a delay. I know Metro is making up for deferred maintenance, but can anyone tell me when this will all be done?

It just seems to get worse and worse. Particularly galling is that parts of the Red Line were shut down starting at 10 p.m. Friday. Do passengers matter so little that Metro could not wait a few more hours so that the people spending a Friday night downtown could get home? Who makes these decisions?

Joseph C. Anselmo,
the District

DG: The transit authority says the overall state of the system is getting better under this aggressive work schedule, but I can’t tell that by listening to people who ride the trains.

The Red Line, oldest of the five, was the first to be targeted for a major rehabilitation. That continues. Moreover, the Red Line is part of the track circuit and switch replacement programs recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board for all the lines.

On Metro’s schedule for major weekend work through June are five more projects that will close long sections of track on the Red Line. Riders will have to board buses to continue their trips through those work zones. March will be a particularly active month, with three of those weekend projects scheduled.

It’s scant comfort, but the pain is shared on all the lines. The Orange Line, for example, is in for seven such weekend disruptions through June. (June is as far as the schedule projects, but there’s more to come.)

That’s not counting maintenance that shuts down segments of one track and requires trains to take turns on the other track, slowing trips through some areas by half an hour or more on weekends.

Work starts late on weeknights to allow the crews a few extra hours when the ridership is relatively low. Metro officials acknowledge this is an extra hassle, especially for those going out after work Friday who might find the trains operating normally on their way out, then find themselves boarding buses to get home.

This aggressive work plan was designed under the leadership of General Manager Richard Sarles and approved by the Metro board, which is regularly briefed on its progress.

so, howlong?

Another Red Line rider can’t believe it’s going to take 8 ¹ / ₂ months to replace the escalators at the south entrance to the Dupont Circle station.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

That outage seems excessive to me. The worn-out Metro excuse that it must wait for, search for or create the parts needed to repair old escalators doesn’t hold; these are all new. Metro is clearly not treating this and many other critical repairs as the urgent situations they are.

I believe they should not start this or any major job until every piece is available and ready to install. At that point, a 24-7 schedule must be implemented, deploying as many workers who can be placed on the job at once. My guess is that the time to complete this critical replacement could be cut in half, or better.