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MTA Administrator: Baltimore Metro Subway Repairs Are On Track

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- One week into a full shutdown of Baltimore's subway system, transit authorities say repairs are on track as about 17,000 daily customers remain confused and frustrated.

Still, for the next three weeks, commuters will have to take buses instead of trains.

RELATED: 'Unexpected Wear' On Tracks Led To Baltimore Metro Shutdown

Track repairs for Baltimore's Metro SubwayLink were scheduled for summer, but Maryland Transit Administration authorities say, last week, inspectors found so much wear and tear on the tracks that they had to shutdown.

"It was like, uh, where do we go? Where do we go? It was crazy. It was confusing," metro rider Aaron Androh said.

The MTA announced the full closure Sunday, after safety inspections showed track repairs scheduled for summer can't wait.

"They identified that that wear had increased at a rate that we had not expected," MTA administrator Kevin Quinn said.

Quinn says the tracks were failing to the point of being unsafe. The infrastructure problems were discovered last Friday, prompting emergency maintenance. He also says normal wear and tear deteriorated into dangerous territory.

"It's especially problematic on curves, where that force as a train goes around a curve can wear down, kind of the edge of that rail."

All fourteen stations are currently offline.

The state is picking up the $2.2 million bill for buses to run the metro routes until it reopens.

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