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AUSTIN, Texas - "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night"…that's actually the U.S. Postal Service motto. Not entirely the same for Capital Metro.
As a wintry mix fell from the sky Tuesday morning, Cap Metro operated on a Sunday-level schedule.
"This is due to the winter storm advisory. We are doing this to ensure the safety of our riders, operators and the community," said Cap Metro spokesperson Mariette Hummel.
MetroRail stations were empty and icy. The train wasn't running at all, along with MetroExpress, Pickup, Round Rock and Georgetown services.
"I usually take the Express bus so it's faster but -- I mean you have to plan longer," said Steve Allen.
We ran into Allen getting off a bus at Republic Square. To him, this weather is just a mild inconvenience. He says he's from Canada!
"I'm used to it but yeah there was a lot of scratching when the windows were all frozen this morning," Allen said.
After the MetroRail announcement came Monday night, "Diego" tweeted "Seriously? Trains are the one thing that should be running tomorrow. SMH."
"Tim" chimed in "Wouldn't it make more sense to actually expand service at these times to keep people off the roads?"
"It has to do with the track conditions just to make sure that it's safe to operate the rail that they can safely stop where it's needed, at signals, at crossing, at stations," Hummel with Cap Metro said.
We called Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Like Cap Metro, DART says ice is a problem for trains. They've had to shut down for days at a time in the past due to ice. They say it can affect the switches and getting traction.
Cap Metro says Monday evening they'll be in touch with city and other local emergency services.
"I'm sure that we will again get to together tonight and evaluate the situation and then decide what we're going to do overnight and tomorrow morning," Hummel said.