Results tagged “delay”

Greetings, fellow Metro riders, and welcome to yet another edition of Should You Even Bother Riding the Metro this Weekend? Based on the weekend track maintenance schedule WMATA has just released, our answer is likely "hell no." Track work is going to affect each and every Metro line this weekend.

WMATA says the McPherson Square Metro station is temporarily closed as of 11:48 a.m. due to smoke inside the station. A burned out cable is being blamed on the smoky conditions. All Blue and Orange Line trains are currently turning back at Farragut West and Federal Triangle, meaning there is currently no Orange or Blue Line service to either McPherson Square or Metro Center. Expect major delays of more than 40 minutes on both the Orange and Blue Lines until the station reopens. Shuttle bus service has been established. UPDATE 12:44 p.m.: McPherson Square has reopened, but trains are now sharing one track between Farragut West and Federal Triangle, so continue to expect delays on the Orange and Blue Lines. Metro says the station was closed for a total of about 35 minutes, from 11:48 to 12:27 p.m.

WMATA reported delays on the Red line earlier this morning due to a disruption at the Bethesda station. Metro station announcements said there had been a track malfunction, and that trains were single tracking between Friendship Heights and Medical Center. WAMU and WTOP are both reporting that smoke at the Bethesda station is the cause of the trouble—debris on the tracks was the apparent source of the smoke. Montgomery County officials told WTOP that commuters can exit trains at Bethesda, but no one can board trains there. Expect delays in both directions. Photo by staceyviera

WMATA has put out its weekend track work alerts. The Red line looks to be the most affected, as switch replacement work at the Friendship Heights station will be underway this weekend.

WMATA says an earlier train malfunction near the Clarendon Metro station, which has since been cleared, is still causing residual delays in both directions on the Orange and Blue lines. This doesn't look like a total Orange line catastrophe like the sort we've seen earlier this summer, but plan ahead for delays, especially considering the Nats have a home game tonight.

The electricity is back on! Traffic was more or less flowing normally through downtown just after 11 a.m. Pepco reports that power has now been restored to the entire affected area.

Dogs and cats, living together!

WMATA has officially closed the Dupont Circle Metro station as a result of the power outage. The station was closed at 9:25 a.m. because there wasn't enough electricity to power the station’s lengthy escalators.

While trains can serve the Red Line station, the escalators are extremely long, and customers were experiencing difficulty exiting, so officials closed the station for safety reasons. Trains will pass through Dupont Circle and not stop there.

Continue reading "Dupont Circle Metro Station Closed Due to Power Outage"

If you're reading this right now, you're one of the lucky people in D.C. with electricity right now. A power outage at a Pepco substation on 10th Street NW has cut electricity to about 10,000 customers in the middle of the city, and at several Metro stations near downtown. Power is currently out at the Duport Circle, Shaw, Farragut North, Farragut West and McPherson Square stations. Trains are still moving at those stations, but the lack of electricity means that only emergency lights are on there, plus fare card machines, elevators and escalators are not working.

If you're sitting near a regular Orange line passenger in your office right now, consider bringing them a paper bag to prevent impending hyperventilation. There's a new WMATA alert posted just after 4:30 p.m. that indicates some as yet undefined track problem outside the Ballston station, and that customers should expect delays in both directions.