Baltimore Metro Reopens After Month-Long Closure
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore's Metro SubwayLink has reopened -- three days ahead of schedule.
It was announced in early February that the system would be closed for up to four weeks for emergency repairs.
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The closure was expected to last through Sunday, but ended a few days early.
"It's just finding much more wear and tear than we expected to see," Maryland Transit Administration Director Kevin Quinn said when the closure was announced. "Out of pure just abundance of caution for riders, because we don't take any risk with our riders, we made the decision to close to the system."
The unprecedented decision came after major problems were found with elevated tracks from Owings Mills to West Cold Spring Lane that needed to be repaired.
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An estimated 17,000 commuters rely on the trains daily to get to and from downtown Baltimore and parts of Baltimore County, so the impact of the closure was widespread.
"We've done a full thorough safety inspection so people should feel really confident about riding on a safe system," Quinn said.
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As a thank you for commuters' cooperation, transportation officials are giving out free rides through the weekend.
Rail work is still scheduled for the summer.
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