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2 Metro problems in Va. delay morning commute

WASHINGTON — A pair of Metro problems snarled the morning commute in Virginia Tuesday. The Orange Line ran on a single track between West Falls Church and Vienna for about an hour and a half after a high rail excavator, similar to a small crane, which pulls out old rail ties, derailed. A Metro spokeswoman said that there were no injuries and no damage to the track. At about 6:30 a.m., Adam Tuss, of WTOP’s news partner NBC Washington, reported that the unit had been put back on the track; it was moved out shortly thereafter.

And service on the Blue Line was suspended between Franconia and Van Dorn Street due to a track problem outside the Van Dorn Street station. It was also cleared up after about an hour and a half. In both situations, delays remained after the tracks were cleared up.

Audit: Metro put millions of federal dollars at risk in failed Buy America program

WASHINGTON — Oversight and contracting failures at Metro risked an immediate loss of millions in federal funding, a new audit report from Metro’s Office of Inspector General found. The audit of Metro’s Buy America contract award and oversight process found $68 million in bus, paratransit or rail car vehicle and parts purchases did not meet federal contracting requirements, and $517 million of the $1.4 billion in contracts reviewed did not follow the Federal Transit Administration’s nonbinding suggested best practices.
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