Med Center tests for effects of MetroRail current leaks

We talked the other day about MetroRail's ongoing problem with electricity leaking into the ground and claims that the stray current could be undermining the foundations of highways that cross the rail line. And now there's something else: According to KHOU, the Texas Medical Center is testing the foundations of several hospitals to make sure they haven't been affected.

Stephen Swinson, president of Thermal Energy Corp., said tests of the foundations of a dozen buildings, including Methodist Hospital, St. Luke's Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital and the UT Health Science Center, show above-average levels of stray current when MetroRail trains are running. "The thing is, it's relentless," Swinson told Channel 11. "It's like shore erosion. It’s like every day. Every wave." Though Swinson said there's no danger of any buildings collapsing now, there could be the need for reinforcing structures in the future. (Thermal Energy Corp., by the way, is a nonprofit company owned by nine TMC institutions whose primary job is to provide Med Center buildings with chilled water and steam.)

Earlier, Metro spokeswoman Raequel Roberts compared the amount of current leaking from the rail line every day to the amount of power a 9-volt battery would put out, but she said the agency has spent more than $900,000 trying to solve the problem because it expects the line to be working properly. Results of the Med Center testing won't be back for a couple of months, according to KHOU.