Advertisement

Header Utility Menu

  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Events

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

  • Login

Virginia Business

Mobile Menu

  • Issues
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Law
    • Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • COVID-19
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • Women in Leadership
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read The Issue
    • Order a copy
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Suggest execs for 2022

Advertisement

Header Primary Menu

  • Issues
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • Issues Archive
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Law
    • Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • COVID-19
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • Women in Leadership
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read The Issue
    • Order a copy
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Suggest execs for 2022

Home News Regions Northern Virginia Metro delays create hassles for businesses, workers

Metro delays create hassles for businesses, workers

Published March 30, 2022 by Courtney Mabeus

Metrorail 7000 series cars, shown here at the West Falls Church station, have been offline since October 2021. Photo by Will Schermerhorn
Metrorail 7000 series cars, shown here at the West Falls Church station, have been offline since October 2021. Photo by Will Schermerhorn

Metrorail delays played a factor in Danielle Romanetti’s decision at the beginning of the year to close fibre space, her Old Town Alexandria yarn and knitting supplies shop, an hour earlier each day.

“We now close at [7 p.m.] instead of [8 p.m.], just so staff can get home in time to eat a proper dinner and spend time with their families,” says Romanetti.

In January, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced the suspension of all 748 of its 7000 series rail cars — which represent about 60% of Metro’s fleet — through at least mid-April while it investigates a wheel problem that caused a derailment in October 2021. This happened after the authority pulled all 164 of its 6000 series cars following separate incidents in 2020 involving couplers that link railcars. Sixty-two of those cars had been restored as of early March, says Metro spokesperson Sherri Ly, and the authority has accelerated efforts to return its 6000 series cars to service. In early March, Metro had 330 rail cars in service.

Rail riders have faced delays since last October, but the impact on the area’s workforce was limited by the pandemic, which has significantly cut weekday Metrorail demand from an average 638,000 daily riders during February 2020 to weekday ridership in the high-100,000s in early March. Most federal workers continued to work from home early this year.

“At any other time, this would be catastrophic,” says Julie Coons, president and CEO of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce. “We need to be on a path to resolving this problem. It is imperative to the long-term success of our region. Metro is an integral part of our transportation system.”

For workers who must show up to work in person, employers say they are being lenient. Around the corner from Romanetti’s shop, Ellen Klein, who owns Hooray for Books!, says some employees now leave early to avoid delays.

Dane Scott, a managing partner of Seasons 52, a restaurant in Tysons, says as many as 30% of his 25- to 30-person morning kitchen staff is late on any given day. Some are coming from night jobs and are resorting to alternatives, including paying for Uber rides.

“In an already difficult environment to hire and retain staff,” Scott says, “the Metro right now is certainly not doing anything to help that.”

  Subscribe to Virginia Business. Get our daily e-newsletter.

Related Stories

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority photo by Larry Levine

Metro committee approves $4.7B budget for FY2022

Metro will be able to maintain current service levels, avoid cuts

Metro unveils major Falls Church redevelopment agreement

West Falls Church Metro station will have more than 1M sq ft of mixed use space

Wiedefeld announces retirement as Metro CEO

Will leave in six months

Trending

Need a job? Fairfax wants you

Taking the reins

CAROLYN BISHOP

Dollar Tree overhauls C-suite

Williamsburg apartments sell for $100M

Sponsored Stories

What can Supply Chain Consultants do for me?

The Lowdown on Downloads for Your Online Experience

5 Benefits of Treasury Management Services from Atlantic Union Bank

Creating An Urban Destination in Chesapeake

Advertisement

Advertisement

Trending

Need a job? Fairfax wants you

Taking the reins

CAROLYN BISHOP

Dollar Tree overhauls C-suite

Williamsburg apartments sell for $100M

Sponsored Stories

What can Supply Chain Consultants do for me?

The Lowdown on Downloads for Your Online Experience

5 Benefits of Treasury Management Services from Atlantic Union Bank

Creating An Urban Destination in Chesapeake

Get Virginia Business directly on your tablet or in your mailbox!

Subscribe to Virginia Business

Advertisement

Advertisement

Footer Primary Menu

  • virginiabusiness.com
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Footer Secondary Menu

  • Industries
  • Regions
  • Reports
  • Company News
  • Events

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Sign Up

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Footer Utility Menu

Copyright © 2022 Virginia Business. All rights reserved.

Site Maintained by TechArk

wpDiscuz