BL/407:
* At this point, no reported injuries or issues onboard the train; no headcount yet
* BL running Franconia to Mt. Vernon Sq only
* The train op, railcar maintenance, and a rail supervisor are on the train
* Details TK #wmata
BL/407:
* With FD assistance, #wmata is currently planning to evacuate passengers from the down train to Arlington Cemetery (~2000 feet)
* About 125 pax are reported onboard the train
* BL service suspended Foggy Bottom to Pentagon
* Delays to OR/SV #wmata
BL riders: do not try to take the Blue Line past Foggy Bottom towards Franconia. Transfer at L'Enfant, you can catch a Blue Line train on the upper level towards Franconia. #wmata
BL/407:
* Train operator reported a brake pressure issue at about 4:55p
* Supervisor boarded the train & confirmed 1 set of wheels of car 7200 off the rails at ~5:25p
* BL running Largo<->Foggy Bottom and Franconia<->Mt Vernon Sq
For a slight bit of context: each 8-car 7000-series train has 4 axles (32 total). 1-2 axles are reported to be off the tracks. #wmata delays continue for *checks notes* all lines
* RD delay, track circuit problem @ Brentwood Yard
* YL/GR bypassing Georgia Ave & Columbia Heights; police investigation
* BL running Franconia<>Mt. Vernon & Foggy Bottom<>Largo; derailed train near Arlington Cemetery
* FD facilitating pax evac; no injuries
6:15pm update:
No real change. All statements remain true. #wmata ERT personnel are inspecting the tracks around the BL/407 derailment, and other personnel working w/ACFD to evacuate pax to Arlington Cemetery station.
* YL/GR continue bypassing Georgia Ave & Columbia Heights
* Pax from BL/407 derailed train being offloaded, walking to Arlington Cemetery
* Delays on OR/SV/YL/GR/BL
* BL running Largo<>Foggy Bottom and Mt. Vernon Sq<>Franconia
As pointed out to me, these pax shouldn't be sitting in the dark. Part of the @MetrorailSafety investigation will likely cover response to the derailment and if this caused issues w/making announcements to pax, impacted emergency intercom/CCTV, etc. #wmata
* BL running Largo<>Foggy Bottom, Mt. Vernon Sq<>Franconia. Transfer @ L'Enfant
* BL/407 being evacuated to Arlington Cemetery. Pax began reaching station platform @ 6:45pm
* YL/GR bypassing Columbia Heights, Georgia Ave; police investigation
* BL running Largo<>Foggy Bottom, Mt. Vernon<>Franconia. Transfer @ L'Enfant
* GR/YL bypassing Columbia Heights, Georgia Ave; police investigation
* BL/407 derailment outside Arlington Cemetery continues
* All pax have left the train twd platform
Blue Line riders: Check @Metrorailinfo or your MetroAlerts before heading out tomorrow morning. At this point w/damage from the derailment unknown, it's possible that service tomorrow could still be interrupted. #wmata crews have a number of recovery steps ahead of them tonight.
#wmata has mobilized a prime mover track unit to respond to the BL407 derailment location to rerail the car that may be off the tracks and to ensure the train can be moved to a rail yard.
NEW: the NTSB says they'll send two investigators to tonight's #wmata Blue Line derailment
Blue Line riders, remember: trains run only between Franconia-Springfield and Mt. Vernon Square today. Transfer @ L'Enfant to Orange/Silver service towards Virginia or Maryland.
6am:
Orange/Silver line trains are single-tracking via the inbound track @ Foggy Bottom, Rosslyn, Court House, due to a work zone set up around last night's derailment. Delays to both lines. #wmata
#wmata press release updated to reflect single-tracking:
Orange/Silver line single-tracking @ Rosslyn is to allow #wmata track + equipment inspection crews access to the outbound switches just west of the lower-level platform. No ETA how long that's going to take. The derailed train has not yet been moved.
Orange and Silver Line trains are running about every 25 minutes due to single-tracking between Clarendon and Foggy Bottom.
Blue line trains are running Franconia to Mt. Vernon Square. #wmata
8am:
Orange/Silver/Blue service has slightly improved; the three lines are running about every 20 minutes, half the usual for rush hour.
Expect delays through the rest of today while the NTSB-led investigation of yesterday's derailment continues. #wmata
This publicly-accessible audio is a key source of info for this author's still-ongoing thread covering yesterday's derailment. Unlike MTPD radio, which was recently encrypted and now no longer public, we are able to hear how #wmata bus + rail operate.
Delays continue on the Orange and Silver lines due to single-tracking between Foggy Bottom and Clarendon. Trains are about half as often as they usually would be.
Blue line trains are running between Franconia and Mt. Vernon Sq. #wmata
4pm:
Orange/Silver line trains are running at about 1/3 normal rush-period frequencies.
Blue are running only between Franconia and Mt. Vernon Sq due to yesterday's derailment.
Delays on all 3 lines through evening close are expected. #wmata
This appears to be 3 of the 8 cars of the derailed Blue Line train, which would leave 5 more still in the tunnel.
Interestingly, that would mean that #wmata separated a pair of railcars meant to semi-permanently stay together with a drawbar inbetween.
(Why would #wmata do this? The likely answer is that this provides better access for personnel inspecting, investigating, and re-railing the derailed car by removing the unaffected cars)
It's no better than before. Orange/Silver line trains running every ~30 minutes. Blue Line trains run only between Franconia & Mt. Vernon Sq. Delays will continue through system close. #wmata
Indeed, my afternoon commute home, which on average takes 34 minutes during the afternoon, took 48 minutes today (14 minutes above average) from tap in to tap out. #wmata
#wmata appears to have offloaded SV/Largo train 608 at Virginia Square, leading to some station crowding.
The non-revenue train behind it (776) is going in service at Virginia Square to take its place, but delayed behind the offloaded train ahead of it.
#wmata has crossed the train offloaded earlier @ Virginia Square over to the outbound track (presumably to head back to West Falls Church railyard). The trains behind should be able to move in a few minutes, barring no other issues.
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#wmata ATC personnel cleared up trains on the southbound track first, moving to the northbound track second. Yellow/Green line trains remain delayed towards Greenbelt.
The ROCC has declared a "Code 34" - meaning that Rail Traffic Controllers are blind and cannot remotely see where trains are. This is *not* an imminent safety risk - the underlying ATC system continues to work - but may cause some train delays.
On Kojo, #wmata GM/CEO says the agency was lagging behind the region in its vaccination rate, but he didn't say what the agency's current percentage is.
Sherwood: Gondola???
Wiedefeld: "Tom, I run buses and trains, not gondolas"
Wiedefeld: #wmata didn't investigate taller or more difficult-to-jump faregates; he says the system's architecture presents a limitation
I defer to @dcmetrohero on the accuracy of the data, but it appears #wmata@Metrobusinfo has missed about ~100-140 bus trips over the past 3 hours this morning across its network.
Red Line delays due to a signal problem near Silver Spring. Trains in both directions will experience delays. #wmata
Red Line delays are primarily affecting Glenmont-bound tracks, as train operators are still going to the roadway and clamping switches. This'll impact Shady Grove-bound service as the gap in trains propagates. #wmata