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Washington subway to shut down for 29 hours for inspection

Xinhua, March 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

The entire subway system of U.S. capital city of Washington would shut down for at least 29 hours for emergency equipment inspection, local metro officials said on Tuesday.

The inspections starting from midnight Tuesday would cover 600 "jumper cables" in the massive transit system, said Metro General manager Paul Wiedefeld here at a briefing.

Friction on the insulated cable can cause deterioration that could spark fires, said Wiedefeld, adding that if problems were found, the shutdown could continue for longer on certain part of the metro system.

"While the risk to the public is very low, I cannot rule out a potential life-safety issue here," Wiedefeld said.

The shutdown of the second-biggest U.S. subway system from 12 a.m. EDT (0400 GMT on Wednesday) to 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT) on Thursday would cause transport headaches for hundreds of thousands of commuters and tourists.

Washington's metro system carries over 700,000 passengers daily, and serves as a crucial link for commuters to Washington from neighboring Maryland and Virginia. Endit