Delays on Blue, Yellow Lines Due to Track Problem
There are significant delays on the Blue and Yellow lines due to a track problem near Reagan National Airport.
The delays are impacting both inbound and outbound trains on both lines. From WMATA:
Metrorail customers on the Blue and Yellow lines will experience delays of approximately
2030-35 minutes this morning as trains share a single track between Braddock Road and Pentagon City. Shortly before 5 a.m., an accidental leak of hydraulic fluid on the outbound track created a slippery condition for trains. Personnel are on the scene working to clear the fluid to allow two-track train operations to resume. The clean up effort is expected to last through rush hour.
Morning Notes
Mother’s Day Weekend — Sunday is Mother’s Day and, just in case you’re the type to make last minute plans, here are some brunch ideas from around Arlington.
Route 1 Streetcar Compromise? – Arlington and Alexandria officials are considering a compromise that could end their reported impasse over the planned Route 1 streetcar project. Under the compromise, the streetcar line that starts in Crystal City would end at the new Potomac Yard Metro station in Alexandria, instead of at the Braddock Road Metro station, as originally proposed. [Connection Newspapers]
Employee Fired Over Rosslyn Derailment — A Metro track worker has been fired following last month’s derailment at the Rosslyn Metro station. [WTOP]
Cocaine Trafficking Ring Busted — Twenty-eight individuals have been arrested and charged with operating a cocaine trafficking ring in Northern Virginia. Five of those arrested are said to be Arlington residents. The Arlington County Police Department and other local agencies assisted the FBI in the investigation. [U.S. Attorney's Office]
MMA Studio Coming to Columbia Pike — A new mixed martial arts studio called Pentagon MMA is coming to the former Kayak Station space on S. Edgewood Street, along Columbia Pike. [Along the Pike]
Metro Single Tracking Due to Derailment at Rosslyn
Blue and Orange Line trains are single tracking between D.C. and Arlington due to a derailment at Rosslyn station.
The incident was first reported by WMATA as a “track problem” around 7:15 p.m. Minutes later the agency announced that Blue and Orange Line service was temporarily suspended in between D.C. and Arlington due to a “minor” derailment. No injuries have been reported and WMATA says passengers on the train were “safely moved to platform.”
Trains started single tracking around 7:30 p.m. and are now running with a 20 minute headway, according to Metro. The agency is advising Blue Line passengers to use the Yellow Line between D.C. and Virginia, if possible.
Transit Alert: Metro Delays Due to Person on Tracks
Update at 3:10 p.m. – WMATA reports the Foggy Bottom station has reopened.
Earlier: Metro riders should expect to experience delays on the Orange and Blue lines due to a person struck by a train at Foggy Bottom.
The Foggy Bottom station is currently closed. Orange lines are single tracking between Clarendon and Foggy Bottom. Blue lines are single tracking between Arlington Cemetery and Foggy Bottom.
Delays are expected to continue during the police investigation into the incident.
If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is a phone call away. Call CrisisLink at 703-527-4077.
Metro Single-Tracking Due to Cracked Rail at Rosslyn
Update at 1:00 p.m. — Metro says via Twitter that crews have completed repair work on the cracked rail.
Blue and Orange Line Metro trains are single-tracking through parts of Arlington due to a cracked rail at Rosslyn. As of 11:55 a.m., Metro crews were reported to have repaired 50 percent of the crack.
From WMATA:
Blue and Orange line trains are experiencing delays due to a cracked rail at Rosslyn. At this time, Orange Line trains are single tracking between Ballston and Foggy Bottom, and Blue Line trains are single tracking between Arlington Cemetery and Foggy Bottom.
An estimated time of repair will be provided when known.
Customers traveling on the Blue or Orange line during today’s midday hours should allow 15 minutes of additional travel time.
WMATA also said via the agency’s Twitter account that every other Orange Line train heading toward Arlington from D.C. will “turn at Foggy Bottom back to New Carrollton.”
This is the third cracked rail that Metro has reported in as many weeks.
Morning Notes
Metro Apologizes for Thursday Night Delays — WMATA has apologized for leaving riders stranded for up to an hour on Thursday night. A power failure at Metro’s command center in Landover, Md. caused a communications breakdown that disrupted service between 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. late Thursday night/early Friday morning. [TBD]
Arlington Student Honored for Essay — An Arlington high school student has won an essay contest sponsored by Dominion. Sam Bosley, of the Langston High School Continuation Program, wrote an essay for Dominion’s Strong Men Strong Women program — which seeks “essays about African American leaders who make an impact on students today.” Bosley’s essay on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was named the winner for Northern Virginia. As a winner, Bosley will receive a laptop computer from Dominion and Langston will receive a grant for $1,000. [Dominion]
W-L Gymnastics Champs Chow Down on Donuts — After winning a third straight National District championship, the Washington-Lee High School girls gymnastics team indulged in a bit of a tradition for Arlington’s gymnastics squads: stopping for donuts at a Krispy Kreme store on Route 1 south of Alexandria. [Sun Gazette]
Morning Poll: ‘Nightmare’ Orange Line Commute ‘Handled Well?’
Just before 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11, a man was struck by an outbound train at the Clarendon Metro station, throwing the evening commute into chaos.
As rescuers worked to free the man from underneath the train, power was shut off to the third rail and trains were stopped around the station. With almost nowhere else to go, Orange Line trains started offloading passengers at Rosslyn. Soon, the Rosslyn station started filling up with people — so many people that the escalators were shut down so they wouldn’t become overloaded.
Shortly after that, police were called in to help with crowd control. Via police radio, officers expressed concern that the crowds were so heavy on the platforms that people might start falling onto the tracks. Later, a mass casualty medical response was dispatched to the station as people started getting ill while trying to walk up the long escalators.
Many riders that night expressed complaints about a lack of communication and direction from Metro personnel at the Rosslyn station. After a two-week review, however, Metro has concluded that while some mistakes were made, the shutdown was, in fact, handled well.
How would you grade Metro’s overall response on Oct. 11?
Flooding Splits Blue/Yellow Line at Potomac Yard
Update at 9:40 a.m. — Normal service has been restored between Braddock Road and Reagan National Airport. That will likely result in a couple of crowded trains running through Arlington stations, as residual crowds of stranded riders at Braddock Road clear out.
Thanks to flooding near Potomac Yard, the Blue and Yellow Lines have been split in two between Braddock Road and Reagan National Airport this morning.
But while riders were treated to disaster movie-like scenes at the Braddock Road Metro station, where a crush of humanity lined up for shuttle buses to Reagan National, Yellow and Blue Line riders in Arlington said the morning commute was pretty average.
“Pentagon City crowded but not terrible,” Twitter user @smmccue told us. “No trains listed on arrivals board.”
“Not too bad. Slightly crowded, but nothing out of the ordinary,” said @nemesisgal. “Yellow Line train seemed a bit empty, but I just thought it was the August Effect.”
WMATA says it is pumping water in the flooded area.
“Service will be restored as quickly and safely as possible,” the transit agency said.
