INTERVIEW — MARTINE POWERS – Transportation reporter for The Washington Post @martinepowers – discussed the latest DC metro news.

• Abandon hope, all ye who use Metro: With two weeks of single-tracking and shutdowns, agency urges riders to ditch the system (Washington Post) — Metro launches a track reconstruction project Saturday that will shutter part of the Blue Line, initiate round-the-clock single-tracking on the Orange and Silver lines, and close two busy downtown stations on two weekends. And that’s in addition to the six-week shutdown on the Red Line — which, well, is only halfway finished. So, the pamphlets distributed by Metro to commuters in recent weeks sum up the impending situation quite nicely: “Only take Metro if you have no other option.”
• Metro no longer considering separate trains for white nationalists attending ‘Unite the Right’ rally (Washington Post) — Metro is no longer considering running separate trains for protesters participating in the Aug. 12 “Unite the Right” white nationalists rally in the District, the transit agency’s board chairman said Saturday. Metro Board Chairman Jack Evans had previously said that running a separate train was among options being weighed by officials. “Metro will not be providing a special train or special car for anyone next Sunday,” Evans said.
• Wires Crossed: All Of Metro’s 7000-Series Trains Need To Be Rewired (DCist) — The wiring on Metro’s new 7000-series trains needs to be inspected and parts may need to be re-done, according to a new report from the agency’s Department of Quality Assurance, Internal Compliance & Oversight. Wires were improperly crimped or twisted together during the manufacturing process. All 548 cars currently in use will need to be taken out of service in phases over the next year. It will not affect daily service, Metro says.
• Latest unions strike threat