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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — The installation of thousands of new electrical insulators has helped reduced track fires and smoke. Tens of thousands of new railroad ties are making for a smoother ride. Deep-cleaning crews have visited many of the grimiest concrete subterranean stations — in some cases, for the first time in years. For a region whose beleaguered Metro transit system more often inspires groans than confidence, something strange seems to be happening this summer: Things might — just might — finally be getting better. “We saved the patient from dying,” said Jack Evans, the transit agency’s chairman, who has taken on the role of town crier on its behalf. His latest message for the hundreds of thousands of riders who rely on the system each day is only slightly less dire: “The patient is still very, very sick.” As if to prove the point, Friday morning’s commute brought not one but two electrical breakdowns, hobbling the Red Line, the system’s oldest, for hours. In a scene that has become all too familiar here, thousands of riders were forced to get off trains and search above ground for another way. So goes the split-screen state of affairs these days as Metro wraps up a yearlong, more than $150 million maintenance blitz aimed at bringing its aging infrastructure back from the brink of collapse. Its leaders say the program, SafeTrack, was a success, making the system significantly less dangerous — and, as riders returning after the blitz ends Sunday will hopefully find... Link to the full article to read more