Results tagged “delays”

WMATA put out its November track work advisories today, and it looks like Metrorail riders on most lines are in for more of the weeknight delays that made October such a joy, not to mention plenty of weekend work to contend with. A brief outline of what to expect this month is below, but see the two advisories for full details.

It's Thursday, which means the weekend is blissfully close. But apart from a break from the office and a chance to unwind, you know what weekends also mean: Metro track maintenance delays! This weekend's work schedule isn't as bad as recent episodes, but Red and Orange Line riders should make a note of the following potential delays. Also keep in mind that the entire Metrorail system will open at 5 a.m. on Sunday to accommodate the Marine Corps Marathon. We'll have more detailed information on the street closures that will come along with that event this weekend.

How's everybody enjoying this weekend's Metro delays? Oh, what's that? You say that you laugh in the face of mass transit delays because you have an automobile? No worries, that can be fixed. Tomorrow -- just like any normal Sunday -- the District will feature several delays on select patches of heavily-trafficked pavement. Bike for the Heart, a fundraiser for heart disease prevention, will close F Street between 6th and 7th from 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will also feature rolling closures along Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues and First, 7th and 15th Streets NW. The National Equality March will also force delays along its route between McPherson Square and the west side of the U.S. Capitol tomorrow afternoon. March participants will maneuver south on 15th Street, NW, West on H Street, south on 17th Street, and east on Pennsylvania Avenue to 3rd Street, NW between noon and 2 p.m. Plan your Sunday travels accordingly.

A friendly Friday afternoon reminder from your pals here at DCist about this weekend's Metrorail closures along the Green and Yellow lines. Don't forget that the Waterfront-SEU and Archives-Navy Mem’l-Penn Quarter stations will be closed completely, along with Green Line service at L’Enfant Plaza, starting at 10:30 p.m. tonight and lasting through closing on Monday, Oct. 12.

Four and half months after the fatal June 22 Red Line crash and much to the relief of frustrated commuters, Metro announced today that Red Line service near the Fort Totten station has returned to normal. From the press release:

Red Line trains are no longer traveling at reduced speeds or taking turns moving one at a time between the Fort Totten and Takoma Metrorail stations. Maintenance program repairs in the Fort Totten Metrorail station area have been implemented, including replacing original track equipment dating back to the 1970s.

Continue reading "WMATA: Red Line Service is Back to Normal "

Reports of smoke on the tracks at Metro Center starting at about 9:20 a.m. caused major delays on the Red Line this morning, with trains sharing the same track between Judiciary Square and Farragut North. WMATA says the situation had been resolved by about 9:40 a.m., but delays persist in both directions on the Red Line. UPDATE 11:09 a.m.: Metro says the cause of the smoke at Metro Center this morning was a fire that broke out after one of the train's collector shoes, which are attached to the third rail, fell off. WMATA is investigating what could have caused such a piece of equipment to disconnect from the train. Each train has four collector shoes.

It should be interesting trying to get around town tomorrow, as the combination of the Army Ten-Miler roads closures and Metro track work should cause some delays.

WMATA released its October weekend track maintenance schedule on Monday, which details the Columbus Day Weekend closures of the Waterfront-SEU, Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter and L’Enfant Plaza stations on the Yellow and Green lines they had previously warned us about, in addition to myriad other work that will affect the Red and Orange Lines during three other weekends throughout the month. It'll be a busy month for weekend track work, but considering the average month, par for the course.

Due to celebrations on H Street NE and U Streets NW, there will be several roads near major intersections which will be closed to cars today. The Greater U Street Parade and Festival kicked off at 11 this morning: the parade route winds from 10th to 13th Streets, 13th Street from U to V Streets, and then on V Street from 13th to 14th Street -- the latter of which will be closed to traffic until 6 p.m., after its official renaming to "Langston Hughes Way" at noon by Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham. H Street NE, meanwhile, will be closed to traffic between 10th and 14th Streets NE for the 2009 H Street Festival until 9 p.m.

A man was struck by a Yellow Line train at the Columbia Heights station at around 2 p.m. this afternoon, Metro officials have confirmed. Preliminary reports indicate this appears to be another suicide attempt, making this the ninth such attempt this year on the D.C. Metro system. Trains are currently stopped while rescue workers attempt to reach the man, who is under the train. More soon. UPDATE 2:27: Reader Matthew writes in to say that while traveling between Fort Totten and U Street stations just after the incident, a crowd of people got on at Columbia Heights and some of them said that they had witnessed a man jump in front of the Yellow Line train. D.C. Fire/EMS confirms rescue and treatment attempts are still ongoing, so no word yet on the man's condition. 2:39 p.m.The Columbia Heights station is now closed, according to Metro. Green Line trains are single-tracking between Georgia Ave. and U St./Cardozo, but for now they are not stopping at Columbia Heights. 3 p.m. Columbia Heights station has reopened, but trains continue to share the same track. 3:10 p.m.D.C. Fire/EMS spokesperson Pete Piringer said the person struck was a teenage male. He was removed from under the train by firefighters, treated by paramedics and transported to a local hospital with serious and life threatening injuries. 3:40 p.m. Metro is saying the teen was "fatally struck," which is the first we've heard that he died from his injuries. Columbia Heights station is now open, but Green Line trains are single tracking between Georgia Ave-Petworth and Shaw.

The Red Line is a total mess this morning after a man died after being struck by a train at the Gallery Place-Chinatown station around 8 a.m. this morning. Metro reports that the man placed himself on the tracks intentionally. There is no Red Line service moving through bothe Gallery Place and Metro Center -- Metro is operating shuttle buses between Farragut North and Judiciary Square while police conduct an investigation. Service on other lines at Metro Center and Gallery Place has not been affected. While Sunday is usually the slowest day of the week for Metro, today was already chock full of delays for track maintenance -- those of you taking the Red Line anywhere this morning would be wise to factor in quite a bit of extra time to get to your destination. UPDATE: As of 11:11 a.m., Metro reports that regular Red Line service has been restored to both stations.

Red Line service has been temporarily suspended between the Van Ness-UDC and Dupont Circle stations from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Metro announced the closure less than an hour ago, explaining that it was necessary while they secure a loose communications cable hanging from the tunnel ceiling between the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle stations. Free shuttle buses are operating between Van Ness-UDC and Dupont Circle during this time. The loose cable was discovered during rush hour this morning, and Metro says Red Line trains have been at reduced speeds in the area since then.

Metro reports that as of 12:43 p.m., regular service has resumed on the Blue and Yellow Lines after this morning's collision. A Metro employee is believed to have been struck by a six-car train while on the tracks between the Braddock Road and National Airport stations. The male employee, whose identity has not been released, is said to be alive but in serious condition at a nearby hospital. The incident is currently under investigation, but earlier delays on the Blue and Yellow lines should soon be abating.

A man who is believed to be a Metro employee was struck by a train at about 10:40 a.m this morning on the tracks between the Braddock Road and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport stations. The employee, whose identity Metro has not yet released, was taken to a local hospital and is in unknown condition at this time. and is believed to be in serious condition.

Drivers may be suffering from Terrible Traffic Tuesday, but Metrorail riders don't look to be having an easy night of it, either. The Blue and Orange Lines are delayed (we're hearing some trains are just completely stopped right now) as of about 6:30 p.m. in both directions due to a train experiencing mechanical difficulties outside Farragut West. Add that to the expected delays on the Red Line due to ongoing track circuit repairs at Fort Totten, plus track maintenance-related delays at the Braddock Road station on the Blue and Yellow Lines, and it makes for a not so comforting graphic on WMATA's web site right now. Good luck out there.

WMATA announced today it completed the work it intended to do during this past holiday weekend, work which forced the complete closure of three Metro stations, including National Airport, Pentagon City and Crystal City. Metro's track workers replaced four track switches at the Pentagon City station, along with 2,000 feet of rail and more than 735 ties. They also performed repairs along the National Airport station's aerial structure, conducted fire line maintenance and installed cable to upgrade cell phone service at those stations.

WMATA announced this afternoon that it intends to make the holiday weekend travel plans of people who will be flying in and out of National Airport a lot more difficult.

Metro has its latest weekend track maintenance update ready for those of you busily planning your Saturday and Sunday travels. WMATA is advising that customers on the Red, Orange and Green Lines should all add an additional 30 minutes to their travel times due to expected delays.

WMATA announced today that it is relocating the headquarters for MetroAccess, the transit agency's service for disabled customers, to new offices in Hyattsville, Md. The office will relocate to 6505 Belcrest Road, near the Prince George’s Plaza station, on Friday, August 28. Due to the move, Metro is warning MetroAccess customers that they might experience delays in service or getting through to the call center if there are technical difficulties during the move. While customers can typically book MetroAccess rides by phone, Metro is recommending booking online during the transition to avoid any call center-related problems. The office that handles MetroAccess eligibility will remain at Metro Headquarters at 600 5th Street NW. More information on the transition can be found here.

Ongoing track circuit repairs on the Red Line and scheduled maintenance on the Blue, Orange and Yellow Lines this weekend will lead to delays across the Metrorail system. Here's the details:

DDOT reports that there is a disabled furniture delivery truck blocking the right northbound lane of Chain Bridge as of about 5 p.m. Road Operations Patrol is on site to help facilitate traffic until the truck can be hauled away. They say traffic on Canal Road is backed up and additional traffic delays should be expected. Motorists are advised to take alternate routes such as Key, Theodore Roosevelt or Memorial bridges.

1. There's a cracked rail on the Red Line, between Friendship Heights and Bethesda, because Red Line riders don't already have enough to deal with. Trains are single-tracking this afternoon between Grosvenor and Friendship Heights while temporary repairs are made, causing 15 minute delays. A more permanent rail replacement will be performed tonight after Metro closes.
2. A subcontractor who was installing wiring for a new air compressor at Metro’s Bladensburg Bus Garage in Northeast died earlier today after apparently being electrocuted.
3. DC Fire/EMS were called to a fire on the tracks at the Deanwood station earlier today. The small fire was quickly put out by a Metro maintenance crew.

Metro's scheduled weekend track maintenance, which includes ongoing track circuit repairs on the Red Line as a result of the June 22 crash, will continue to cause delays for Red and Orange Line riders this weekend.

Metro says that Orange Line service in the area around the West Falls Church-VT/UVA station has returned to normal. At 11:18 a.m. this morning, a man was killed in an apparent suicide by a six-car Orange Line train heading in the direction of New Carrollton. Trains were single tracking through the station until approximately 2 p.m., but WMATA says the incident has now been cleared.

Metro has announced that it will begin work to replace the track circuits at the site of the June 22 Red Line crash starting tonight, with work continuing throughout August. These are the same track circuits that the NTSB has connected to the cause of the accident, though an official cause has yet to be determined. Late night Red Line riders will be forced to contend with numerous schedule changes and station closings as a result of this work.

WMATA put out its weekend track maintenance schedule this morning, and thankfully the work in store looks significantly lighter than last weekend, when all five lines were affected. Unfortunately the long-suffering Red Line riders will continue to see the worst of it this weekend.

President Obama is starting bilateral talks with China here in Washington today, which means residents can expect to be inconvenienced in one way or another for the next two days by the roughly 150 Chinese dignitaries currently in town. Expect additional motorcades and intermittent, temporary road closures in the vicinity of the Ronald Reagan Building and the White House. DDOT says minor delays due to closures should be expected on both inbound and outbound 14th Street between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues until at least 6 p.m. Drivers intending to head southbound out of the city on 14th Street this evening are advised to use the 9th Street tunnel instead, while those heading into the city should use 12th Street or 7th Street.

One press release we got from WMATA today that wasn't dated 2003 was the announcement that the Takoma Metro station will be open all day, from 5 a.m. to midnight, on both Thursday and Friday. There will, however, still be fewer and slower-moving trains on the Red Line for the next two days. Metro stopped short of promising that the end of the Red Line related to the ongoing NTSB investigation is nearly here, noting that it's still "unclear what the NTSB’s needs may be after Friday." So expect another update before the weekend starts.

Red Line delays related to the ongoing NTSB investigation will continue through at least Thursday morning's rush hour, Metro announced on Sunday night. The last time WMATA gave us an estimate for how much longer delays affecting the Red Line due to the June 22 crash would go on, they offered July 19 as the best case scenario, but it seems that was overly optimistic. Metro's announcement also makes it plain that they can't be sure that Thursday will be the end of it: "At this point, it is unclear what the NTSB's needs may be after Thursday morning’s rush hour and the impact on Metrorail service. In the meantime, passengers can expect that their trips may take an additional 30 minutes or possibly more to complete, and they should build that added time into their plans." The delays are caused by trains being forced to move one at a time at a reduced speed between Takoma and Fort Totten, while investigators continue their work at the crash site.

WMATA released its July weekend track maintenance schedule earlier this week (there was no work scheduled for the 4th of July holiday weekend), and it's a big 'un. The combination of so many repair and maintenance projects with the ongoing Red Line crash investigation should make for slow going in many areas across the Metrorail system for the next several weekends.