Reduced Metrorail service will continue through at least Nov. 15, the transit agency announced yesterday, prolonging the region’s transportation headache.

Driving the news: Metro general manager Paul Wiedefeld said inspections have been completed on all 7000 series cars, but they remain out of service since being pulled on Oct. 18 after a derailment revealed wheel-based issues dating back to 2017.  

• “I think it’s too soon,” he said about who should be held accountable. “I think we let the investigation take its course.”
• The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the derailment and wheels on the 7000 series, which is the system’s newest train cars.
• Wiedefeld said Metro is working with the independent watchdog group Washington Metrorail Safety Commission on a “testing plan that will allow the trains to safely return to service.” Metro has 748 of the 7000-series cars, making up about 60% of its fleet. 

Details: Metro is aiming to increase the number of trains running daily from 31 to 50, Wiedefeld said, by bringing older cars back into service after safety inspections.

• Red Line trains will continue running every 15 to 20 minutes and every 30 to 40 minutes on other lines. Silver Line service will still only run between Wiehle-Reston East and Federal Center SW.

What they’re saying: EatWell DC restaurant group owner David Winer says many of his employees have long given up on Metro as a reliable source of transportation.

• “It’s just one more nail in a system that seems to be rife with incompetence, and our staff has little faith,” Winer tells Axios.

Read the full story.

It seems we were too easy on Metro last week when we raced from National Airport to Axios HQ in Clarendon.

Why it matters: A second trip from the airport Wednesday evening highlights how bad service has become and what we’ll be dealing with for at least two more weeks.

After returning from a visit to our Axios Local friends in Austin, Texas, our publisher Nick Johnston faced a 20+ minute wait for a Yellow Line train going downtown.

• The full trip to Chinatown was 43 minutes! That’s crazy for a subway platform from where you can see the Washington Monument.
• That’s compared to about 10 minutes in an Uber. And Google says you can bike it in just 31 minutes!
• It’s one thing to ride home, but boy, Metro’s delays are making it hard to plan a commute, a trip to the airport, or anything else for that matter.

The bottom line: Metro isn’t a reliable mode of transportation right now—a huge problem for thousands of DMV residents.

📢 Let us know: How are Metro delays impacting how you get around to work, school, dates, doctor’s appointments, and more?

• Reply to this email to share your stories.

🚨 D.C. residents can now sign up for U.S. Capitol Police security alerts through Alert DC.

• D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton pushed for the change after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

🏠 Seven D.C. council members yesterday sent a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser asking her to use local funding to increase emergency rental assistance after the federally funded Stay DC program stopped accepting applications Wednesday night.

• Bowser said she’s pushed for expedited funding from the U.S. Treasury Department to continue to provide rental assistance. 

💉 Get your COVID-19 shot at the National Zoo today. 

• The National Zoo will be hosting a vaccine clinic, with all three types of vaccines and boosters available, from 9am to 2pm in their visitor’s center.
• DC Health will also host a clinic at the zoo next Friday, Nov. 5 from 9am to 2pm.
• Vaccine cards and personal ID will be required for boosters, and the clinics are open to both D.C. and non-D.C. residents over the age of 12. 

D.C. officials returned yesterday to finish permanently clearing two encampments in NoMa, continuing a pilot program aimed at providing some residents temporary leases and clearing multiple encampments. 

Why it matters: This particular clearing had been paused last month when an unhoused man was hospitalized after being lifted by a piece of heavy machinery operated by the city. 

• Following the incident, deputy mayor for Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage said protocols would be changed to tighten perimeters around encampments and to check tents before removal. 
• Photos sent yesterday to Axios by a mutual aid group on-site show the city putting up police tape around the encampment’s remaining tents, resuming the use of a small Bobcat, and then placing concrete barriers on the now-cleared sidewalks. 

Some residents of the encampment told Axios they’ve since moved into apartments or were awaiting placement last month. 

The bottom line: Encampment clearings have garnered attention in recent months, after being paused during the pandemic. At least one more is planned for Nov. 3, and others have been proposed.  

• Some D.C. council members have praised DMHHS for offering residents housing but expressed concern about the speed and safety of encampment clearings.
• Housing advocates and mutual aid groups have launched a letter-writing campaign asking officials to stop clearing encampments until every resident who chooses to participate is in permanent housing.

Logan Circle’s Barbie Pond on Q St. NW features a rotating display of Barbie dolls.

• The pond’s curator has featured displays ranging from Kamala Harris dolls to a “9 to 5” movie display.

Currently, the Barbie pond is a graveyard full of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) dolls.

• Some of them have signs that say “I did my own research," a not-so-subtle message to unvaccinated passersby.