Breakfast links: Turning the corner

A new era?

WMATA GM Paul Wiedefeld’s decision to shut down Metro last week may come to symbolize a new era of strong leadership, decisive action, and possibly more shutdowns.  He may have considered quitting had the board not supported the shutdown. (Post, NBC4)

Behind the Metro mess

WMATA has had inadequate funding since day one.  This has led to decades of deferred maintenance and is made worse with rising repair costs and system expansion. (WAMU)

More safety inspections

The Federal Transit Administration will start an “inspection blitz” on the Metro system this week.  Last Friday, NTSB inspectors found uninsulated power cables near the McPherson Square station. (WTOP, City Paper)

Stuck in the door

Last Friday morning, a Blue Line train at L’Enfant Plaza dragged a man for a short distance on the platform after his arm and bag became stuck in a door.  WMATA, the victim, and witnesses are disputing exactly what happened. (NBC4)

Good news for CaBi

Capital Bikeshare was the clear winner on the day Metro shut down.  The stations logged over 8,000 minutes as empty or full last Wednesday, compared to just under 3,000 the day before. (City Paper)

Fountain’s revival

The Andrew W. Mellon Fountain near the National Gallery will run again for the first time since 2008. Its original owner, the National Park Service, lacked the funds to maintain it and many other fountains in the area. (Post)

Alexandria skyscraper

Alexandria could have a new tallest building, if the city approves Carlyle Plaza Two. At 354 feet it would edge out the existing tallest, the Mark Center Hilton, by 16 feet. (WBJ)

Take two for gas-to-condos

Eastbanc is trying to develop the gas station at the entrance to Georgetown. It tried to reduce the minimum size required for a Planned Unit Development, which can grant extra density, and instead shrank the project. (WBJ)

Taming transit costs

Construction costs for infrastructure projects in the US are outrageously high. Transit suffers most, but transit industry groups haven’t researched why this is happening or how to fix it. (Vox)

And…

Petworth is once again the hottest US neighborhood for flipping homes. (Curbed) … This map shows how often Uber’s surge pricing affects different DC neighborhoods. (Washingtonian) … Arlington is home to the nation’s richest millennials. (DCist)