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Did Metro get "Back2Good" in 2017? Maybe not completely, but one thing Metro watchers can agree on is that the challenged system was rarely boring.

There were highs and lows, symbolic moments and not-so-pleasant surprises. And through it all, Metro plugged along in its slow and fitful march toward safer and more reliable service.

Here are some of Metro's most notable moments of the year, in no particular order:

SafeTrack comes to a close, sort of

It was the finale that Metro riders thought would never come.

After 13 long months, the disruptive (and exasperating) SafeTrack maintenance program officially concluded. The $150 million project was deemed a resounding success by management, with tens of thousands of deteriorated rail components replaced and three years of maintenance work completed in one.

And then, two days before SafeTrack's official June 25 end date, two arcing insulators and a Red Line meltdown struck in the middle of the morning commute. Throngs of riders were delayed, angry and confused.

What, riders wondered, was the point of all the SafeTrack disruptions if the system was still rife with problems?

But the inopportune timing of the mid-commute chaos was probably a perfect metaphor for the continued state of Metro: Though SafeTrack is over, the system remains far from perfect.

"We fixed the 13 or 15 worst parts of the system, and now we have a system that has a lot of bad parts but not the worst parts," Metro Board Chairman Jack Evans said. "And so, the ongoing maintenance will continue for the rest of eternity."

[With two arcing insulators and a Red Line meltdown, Metro riders wonder: What did SafeTrack achieve?]

Metro grabs the spotlight in the White House briefing room

The day after President Trump's inauguration, Metro ridership data became the nexus of a bizarre news-conference condemnation by newly minted White House press secretary Sean Spicer.

Spicer, concerned that Trump was receiving inadequate credit from journalists, declared that Inauguration Day ridership was significantly more than during President Barack Obama's second inauguration.

That claim turned out to be an "alternative fact": About 570,000 people entered Metro stations on the day of Trump's inauguration, more than 200,000 fewer than during the 2013 Inauguration Day.

Spicer later apologized for the inaccuracy but maintained that it "wasn't like we made them up out of thin air."

[Trump White House admits its Metro ridership figures for Inauguration Day were wrong]

Metro muddles through the Women's March and earns praise

In the lead-up to Jan. 21, when hundreds of thousands of women descended on the Mall to protest Trump's election, Metro had made only modest preparations: Stations opened two hours early, and extra trains were added for an "enhanced" Saturday schedule.

And the system performed with flying colors. Yes, there were long waits at fare machines, crowded trains and slow rides into downtown D.C. But Metro got through the day without any major system malfunctions — and logged its second-highest ridership day.

For Metro administrators and riders alike, the relatively smooth sailing was nothing short of a miracle.

"I think Metro did a splendid job with such packed cars and platforms," Marilyn McMorrow wrote in a message to The Post's Dr. Gridlock. "I know times have been bad. But Saturday, Metro did more than get 'back to good.' Saturday, I think Metro was at its finest."

[Women’s March leads to 2nd-busiest day in Metro history]

Who you gonna call? Paul Wiedefeld, apparently

In the hours before a mid-March snowstorm, acute interest in local weather preparedness came from an unlikely place: the Oval Office.

On March 13, Trump summoned D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) for an in-person discussion about snow preparations, and he invited her to bring a plus-one. She chose Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld.

By all accounts, it was a quick and straightforward meeting. And the storm delivered an underwhelming 2.5 inches. But savvy observers still viewed the meeting as a golden opportunity for Wiedefeld to curry favor with Trump and drum up federal support for Washington's transit system.

[Metro GM: White House visit was ‘a lot to take in’ for a Baltimore kid]

The one-two punch: Fare increases and service cuts

The announcement was like a bad practical joke.

After a year of SafeTrack disruptions, ongoing reliability problems and looming bus and rail service cuts, Metro officials voted March 23 to raise fares.

Train fares increased 10 to 25 cents. Bus fares went up 25 cents. And riders felt a keen sense of injustice.

"Hey Metro — high fares are part of the reason ridership has decreased, along with decreased service," one Post reader wrote. "You can't just keep squeezing those who have stuck with you more and expect them to stay."

[Mark your calendars: Metro rail and bus riders will see fares rise, schedules change on June 25]

Long-term funding for Metro? TBD.

As the year comes to a close, Metro's financial future remains uncertain. The District, Maryland and Virginia can't agree on how to provide a long-term dedicated funding source that would help pay for the aging transit system. And there's still disagreement on whether it's necessary, or politically feasible, to institute a Metro-specific tax.

The prospect for a regional agreement looked most bleak in early September. It was revealed that the region's leaders had "clashed sharply" during a closed-door meeting focused on Metro funding strategy, according to The Post's Robert McCartney, "with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) saying the transit agency would get no additional money from his state."

Since then, there's been a stalemate: Hogan has backpedaled and floated a four-year, $500 million funding plan. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), who leaves office in January, has proposed dedicated funding in the form of a suite of tax increases for Northern Virginia. And Bowser is sticking to her preferred approach, a regionwide sales tax. There also are bills in the Maryland legislature and Congress.

[Behind closed doors, region’s leaders clashed sharply over Metro funding]

Her cup runneth over — on a Metro bus

It was a sordid tale, the kind that's both horrifying to read and impossible to ignore.

On Aug. 26, 38-year-old Opal L. Brown sat in the back of an X2 bus and relieved herself in a cup. Then, as she waited to disembark, she threw the contents of the cup at the female bus driver.

Later, Brown explained that her attack was prompted when the driver told her to "have a nice day." (The greeting was delivered with a sarcastic intonation, Brown later insisted.)

Brown was sentenced to 120 days in jail, along with three years of probation.

[Woman who allegedly threw urine on bus driver for telling her ‘have a nice day’ says driver ‘could have been more courteous’]

The Great Paint Debate

Call it #PaintGate. When Wiedefeld instructed maintenance crews in March to apply a coat of white paint to the concrete walls inside Union Station — part an effort to brighten its appearance — the seemingly innocuous action incited the enmity of the region's architectural purists.

Metro's underground stations were created in a distinctive style known as Brutalism. Historical preservationists argued that white paint would ruin the exposed-concrete aesthetic.

Still, Wiedefeld never seemed to understand the fuss.

"It looks dirty, [and] it makes people feel like the system is not being taken care of," Wiedefeld said.

[Metro decision to paint Union Station vault rubs some the wrong way]

As Metro riders eye New York woes, a sense of subway schadenfreude

This year was, unequivocally, a bad one for New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority. America's largest subway system experienced a crescendo of breakdowns, malfunctions and delays. In June, a serious derailment resulted in 30 injuries. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) declared that the MTA was in a state of emergency.

And all the while, Washingtonians experienced a profound sense of schadenfreude as they watched another of America's great subway systems fall apart at the seams.

"Not that misery loves company," Evans, the Metro board chair, said at the time, "but I think this is another indicator that every one of the six subway systems throughout America is struggling with the same issues. . . . We're not alone in this."

[Call it Metro schadenfreude: As New York’s subway woes worsen, Washingtonians offer sympathy]

Nats vs. Metro, the 2017 edition

It's become an annual tradition: The Washington Nationals make it to the postseason. Fans get optimistic and snap up tickets to a crucial home game. There's an 11th-hour will-they-or-won't-they drama over whether Metro stays open to accommodate the crowd.

[The Nats lost — but at least it wasn’t Metro’s fault]

And in the end, the Nats lose in an epic disappointing fashion.

This year was no different. In the hours before a do-or-die Oct. 12 game against the Chicago Cubs, the energy company Exelon agreed to sponsor Metro and put up $100,000 to keep the trains running for an extra hour. Fans rejoiced.

Of course, the Nats still came up short. Their World Series hopes were dashed in a 9-8 heartbreaker. But there's always next year.

And as Washington's transit system continues to grapple with operational, financial and political challenges, the Nats' mantra might be a useful one for Metro, too.