Transit

Photo by PoPville flickr user Barbara.K

From WMATA:

Normal Blue and Orange line service has been restored for the Wednesday morning commute following a minor derailment last evening near Rosslyn Station.

Metro crews successfully re-railed the wheels that had come off track and, working through the night, made repairs and tested the track and switch equipment near the location of the incident.

Incident Background

Shortly after 7 p.m. yesterday, one set of wheels on the first car of a Franconia-Springfield-bound Blue Line train derailed as the train was departing Rosslyn Station. There were no injuries aboard the train, and all passengers were safely offloaded from the train to the platform in less than 10 minutes. Metro estimates that there were approximately 1,000 passengers aboard the train.

The cause of the incident remains under investigation.

Photo by PoPville flickr user pablo.raw

From WMATA:

Metro is hosting a system-wide collection day for the George Washington University’s GW+Phones=Hope campaign. Donate your used cell phones and other portable electronic devices (digital cameras, iPods, laptops). The devices will be recycled and the proceeds will fund maternal and child health mobile technology projects in Mali, Malawi and Nepal.

You can donate your used cell phone and portable electronic devices on Wednesday, April 25th from 7:00 AM-9:30 AM at 15 busy Metro stops. Donation boxes will be located at the entrances/exits of the following stations:

• Capital South
• Dupont Circle
• Farragut North
• Farragut West
• Federal Triangle
• Foggy Bottom
• Franconia-Springfield
• Gallery Place-Chinatown
• L’Enfant Plaza
• McPherson Square
• Metro Center
• New Carrollton
• Pentagon City
• Rosslyn
• Union Station

For more information, please refer to the GW+Phones=Hope webpage.

Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

From WMATA:

Metro’s efforts to rebuild the rail system will continue over the weekend of April 20-22. The work will begin at 10 p.m. tonight (Friday, April 20), and continue through system closing on Sunday, April 22.

Red Line: Buses will replace Red Line trains between Rhode Island Avenue and Silver Spring stations to allow for tie work, rail fastener replacement, grout work, rail and insulator renewal, and station platform reconstruction at Fort Totten and Takoma stations. For more information, please see the Red Line advisory.

Blue Line: Buses will replace Blue Line trains between Rosslyn and Pentagon stations to allow for replacement of wooden rail ties. Arlington Cemetery Station will be closed. Blue Line trains will operate in two segments: between Rosslyn and Largo Town Center, and between Franconia-Springfield and Mt Vernon Square (via Yellow Line bridge). For more information, please see the Blue Line advisory.

Orange Line: Trains will single track between East Falls Church and West Falls Church to allow for testing associated with the Silver Line extension. No significant delays are expected from this short stretch of single tracking, and Orange Line trains will operate at regular weekend intervals. For more information, please see the Orange Line advisory.

Photo by PoPville flickr user available_photons

From WMATA:

Following several weeks off for Cherry Blossom season, Metro’s massive rebuilding effort, known as Metro Forward, will resume with midday track work on Monday, April 16, and with weekend track work on Friday, April 20.

During major track work projects, free shuttle buses replace trains along a portion of a rail line where rebuilding is underway, an approach that allows Metro to work faster and safer while minimizing the number of customers inconvenienced elsewhere on the line.

Metro is encouraging community organizations and local businesses to consult the track work calendar when planning special events.

The major track work calendar is posted at wmata.com/trackwork. Customers should take special note of the following scheduled outages:

Buses will replace trains on portions of the Red Line over eight weekends this summer, including four consecutive weekends from late July to mid-August. The Red Line is Metro’s oldest, and is the first to undergo major reconstruction.

Over Labor Day weekend, August 31 through September 3, Metro will perform its annual inspection of the Yellow Line bridge over the Potomac River, along with other track work in the area. As a result, buses will replace Yellow Line trains between Pentagon and Archives, and between Waterfront and Archives on the Green Line.

During the weekend of September 7-9, the Red Line will be shut down between Dupont Circle and New York Avenue (NoMa-Gallaudet). Metro Center will remain open for Orange and Blue line service, and Gallery Place will remain open for Green and Yellow line service.

Buses will replace trains on the eastern leg of the Blue Line, from Stadium-Armory to Largo, during the weekend of October 5-8. On the Orange Line, buses will shuttle customers between Stadium-Armory and Minnesota Avenue stations.