Washington, D.C., Metro riders on the red, yellow and blue lines were slammed with delays during the Thursday morning rush-hour commute after two arcing insulator incidents that filled one station with smoke.
Officials responded to the first arcing insulator at roughly 5:30 a.m. after reports of smoke. The incident filled the Friendship Heights Metro station with smoke and forced officials to single-track red line trains between Van Ness and Medical Center Metro stations.
Authorities were called to another report of an arcing insulator at the Grosvenor Metro station at around 8 a.m.. Although there were no reports of smoke, officials single-tracked trains between the Grosvenor and Medical Center stations on the red line, causing rush-hour delays upwards of 30 minutes, reports Fox5.
.@wmata Waiting for 30 min. Only 3 trains have passed. Every train was overcrowded. Told us not to get on. #dcmetro pic.twitter.com/chlGTsnTvj
— Rachel Shabad (@RBShabad) June 16, 2016
I like how the news is “#dcmetro is on fire” and everyone’s reaction is a melancholy “yeah that’s about right”
— Philip R Byrd (@PhilipRByrd) June 16, 2016
Wow, riding the #dcmetro is soul crushing.
— Larry Bafundo (@LarryBafundo) June 16, 2016
I just spent about an hour on the train, that was ridiculous DC metro is some trash today
— Andrew Clark (@JustMrClark) June 16, 2016
Additional track malfunctions delayed passengers on two other Metro lines. A track switch problem near the Braddock Road Metro station caused minor delays on the yellow and blue lines. (RELATED: Officials Warn DC Metro’s Next Phase Of Repairs Will Cause MAJOR Headache)
Commuters will face massive delays on the Metro as the next phase of SafeTrack repairs kick off this weekend with a 16-day shutdown of the orange, blue and silver lines between Eastern Market and Minnesota Avenue and Benning Road. Significant delays on these lines are expected, as well as overcrowding on platforms and trains. The first phase of SafeTrack which is single-tracking trains between the East Falls Church and Ballston stations ends Thursday.
The Stadium-Armory and Potomac Avenue stations will close for the entirety of the 16-day shutdown repairing sections of the orange, blue and silver lines. The stations will reopen July 3, but in the meantime, officials implore passengers to find alternate modes of transport.
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