June 9, 2008
Orange Line Train Derailed Between Rosslyn & Court House
This just in from Metro:
A six-car Orange Line train headed in the direction of Vienna derailed at about 2:45 p.m. today. The third car of train 905, with an unknown number of passengers on board, experienced the derailment between Rosslyn and Court House Metrorail stations. Emergency crews are on the scene. There are no reports of injuries at this time.You Orange line folks are really having a bad time of it lately.Trains are sharing one track (single-tracking) between Clarendon and Foggy Bottom Metrorail stations. The Blue Line is operating regular service.
Customers can expect major delays on the Orange Line throughout the remainder of the day.
We're trying to get more information on the derailment. If you're near that part of Arlington, tell us what you see happening.
UPDATE 3:50 p.m.:Reader Sarah sends in phone snapshots from her friend who is stuck on the derailed train. "My friend has been sending me texts. He's stuck and there's no air conditioning. Apparently they're sending a rescue train momentarily," Sarah wrote in an email. Photos from her friend are below. From the looks of things, it's relatively calm, if no doubt really hot, down there.
UPDATE 3:58 p.m.: More from WMATA:
Rail officials are using a second train to get the passengers off of the incident train by backing the second train up to the incident train to off-load the passengers.
Free shuttle buses are being set up at the Foggy Bottom, Virginia Square and Court House stations along the Orange Line ... but given that Metro is advising that customers can expect lengthy delays for those shuttles, we'd recommend starting trying to figure out an alternative for your evening commute right now.
UPDATE 4:07 p.m.: Another text from Sarah's friend Mike: "Awesome. On rescue train. Have been for 15 min. It isn't moving." Hang in there, stranded passengers!
UPDATE 5:06 p.m.: Metro says stranded passengers were taken to the Court House station at about 4:25 p.m., and that no injuries have been reported. A pregnant woman, however, was taken to a local hospital for observation.
Car 2000, the third car of Train 905, experienced the derailment between Rosslyn and Court House when the front wheels came off the track.
Trains continue to share one track between Clarendon and Foggy Bottom.
Metro officials said they have notified the Tri-State Oversight Committee and the National Transportation Safety Board of the incident.
“We will be calling our best people together from our Departments of Safety, Rail and Track to determine the cause of the derailment,” Metro General Manager John Catoe said. Officials said it will take several days before they know the cause of the derailment.
WMATA's web site appeared to be down for at least ten minutes in the aftermath of the derailment, but it's back up now.
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I'm not even sure how the Blue Line can be operating normally if they're single tracking the Orange Line? They share the same tracks to begin with!
As if the heat wasn't enough.
Don't get out to VA much do ya? Blue and Orange don't start sharing tracks until Rosslyn going into the city.
Effing scary. I'm glad that the people seem relieved, quizzical, or unnerved, and not worse.
As a Ballston-working reverse commuter, this is creepy, I'll admit.
That really sucks, but at least nobody seems hurt?
At least we can take a free metrobus home because it's a code red air quality day!
it sure looks like, from the photos angrypenguin, that this wasn't a "flipped over train car, burning, and explosions" derailment. just a car slipping off the tracks. probably because of the heat, i'd wager, demonfafa.
So when they were building this stinking turd of a metro system, why didn't anyone think to put in a center track so this doesn't cause such a mess?
Ha! More proof that God hates Virginia!
~EEE~
@ angrypenguin
Yes, I'm rather aware of how the metro lines converge, idiot.
If you READ the text, the derailment is in the direction of Vienna. If one picks up the orange or blue line from Downtown, you're talking about the same track until you get past Rosslyn. But according to Metro, they're single-tracking it between Foggy Bottom & Clarendon. My concern was that I don't understand how they can single-track the Orange Line that shares two stations with the Blue Line and that the Blue Line is still running normally. I
It's entirely possible they're not communicating exactly what the Blue line is doing effectively, but as far as what the text reads, I'm not sure how much more I can spell it out for you.
So being fairly new here, does anyone know how (if at all) this would impact eastbound orange/blue trains? Say from Metro Center to Eastern Market?
Well wmata.com claims to have actually gotten shuttles to the incident, which is more than I can say for any metro debacle I've ever had the privilege of attending.
I'm confused about the blue line supposedly not being affected as well. How can they "single track" the orange line only between foggy bottom and court house? I reverse commute from dc to rosslyn, so i need to decide whether to chance taking the blue line from rosslyn downtown tonight. Might be best to just take the 38b.
Some passengers are being evacuated by the tunnel airshaft at 16th & Queen St. Only appears to be one minor injury.
What I want to know is why it took more than an hour to get people off the train.
Somehow, this train derailment will cause delays between Farragut North and Dupont due to fire in the tunnel.
I can't get anything on Metro's website to respond know; so much for finding alternative bus routes to take home!
"so much for finding alternative bus routes to take home!"
If you normally take the Orange Line, I guess you could try 38B the "Orange Line with a View". I think that only goes to Ballston though.
I took the 38B every day for two years. As far as an alternative, it's not the best. It has to go through G'town and with metro being the way it is, it will be just as overcrowded and I don't trust metro to send extra buses along that route.
Franconia bound blue line trains should be able to operate normally, but the backup from single tracking the Orange line through the tunnel to Foggy will back things up a bit across both lines eventually.
Interesting Metro schematic:
http://mysite.verizon.net/cambronj/wmata/sys_schematic_ars-2008.gif
(If that doesn't hyperlink, somebody else feel free to do so)
I was lucky enough to get a ride home with someone last week w/ the problems at electrical problems last week but today everyone's out of office. I'm trying to figure out my reverse commute from Dunn Loring back into the city.
*yay*
I take Metrorail from King Street (blue) to Tysons (West Falls Church, orange). I am depending on the kindness of strangers to get me home today! Or, at least a coworker who lives a zip code away.
The Orange Line looks to be completely FUBAR out this way, folks.
I'm trying to find out about **EAST** bound orange/blue metro trains, and there is no status available, and the Metro website won't let me look up bus routes going EAST from downtown... Anyone know of anything? If not, I will just head down to Penn Ave and see what I can find. Glad to at least have that option!
Can anyone report on the decency of rosslyn inbound to DC?
It seems fitting that my first post to DCist would be about bad metro service, and unfortunately, it always seems that first time I post on sites like this, it's to bitch about something.
At this point, I think I'm just going to catch dinner and drinks in the city because I head back to the burbs, because I could either spend those hours sitting on a metro, or eating dinner, and still probably get home at the same time.
I feel like NoVa has been cursed as of late. Storms, derailed metro cars, and now what? A plague of locusts? Do I need to hide the firstborn?
Take the Yellow or Blue lines to the Pentagon. Something like 30 bus routes go from there to Arlington and Fairfax Counties.
@ demonfafa:
WTF? Read more carefully, please. Are you sure you're talking to me? I might be an idiot, but how can you get that out of my post?
I really hope everyone's OK.
I happen to be spending a couple of weeks in that paragon of modern technology, Santiago, Chile, and OMG all I can say is that I wish the DC Metro was as nice as the one down here. The initial lines of the Santiago system were built roughly (give or take a few years) at the same time that DC's was, but they've almost doubled the size of the system over the past few years and are currently working on another couple of extensions.
The trains are clean, some even have TV (my head exploded a little when I first saw that), they run quickly and frequently (at intervals of about 1 minute during peak times), many of the stations have retailing and dining options, and they even have customer-service staff in bright yellow jackets standing around to answer questions. Not at all like the surly Metro "customer service" idiots that run away if you approach them.
All this, mind you, in a country where the PPP per capita GDP is about $14,000 a year.
DC is truly a 3rd-world shithole.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAxra7hRVCw&feature=related
@ crsndc:
If that suggestion was in response to my post, why in the world would I go to the Pentagon if I'm trying to head EAST from downtown (originally on Orange or Blue)?
If it wasn't directed toward me and was a suggestion for others trying to get to VA, then never mind!
heartbreaking photographs and story. I smell a pulitzer for sure....
hope these people get free metro rides for a month or something.
@ Angrypenguin
I am so sorry! I misread which poster that responded to my first comment. My comment was directed at "Registeringsucks." Not you.
Again, 1000 apologies.
Does anyone know if they have the delays that have supposedly been affecting the Green and Yellow Lines in both directions since this morning through L'Enfant Plaza finally cleared up? Trying to get information from the metro website has been useless, and I assume that if there really is some sort of horrible switch problem, any and all maintenance people would have been shifted off that work to the Orange Line.
Barring that, anyone know of a bus line to the Pentagon or similar from the Hill or downtown. Their stupid trip planner keeps timing out- helpful.
My concern was that I don't understand how they can single-track the Orange Line that shares two stations with the Blue Line and that the Blue Line is still running normally.
Here's how:
Since inbound and outbound trains are at different levels at Rosslyn -- and in turn their connections to the Orange Line are different -- Blue Line trains can run nearly on normal operations.
Only trains on the lower level at Rosslyn can connect to the outbound Orange Line -- but Blue Line trains can still use that platform and continue on as normal since the derailment happened off the shared track and on the Orange Line.
Inbound/Outbound Orange Line trains will share one track into Rosslyn as the inbound track only connects to the upper level platform. They'll share this through the tunnel until the interlocking just past Foggy going into DC.
Blue Line trains to Largo will have to compete with those inbound/outbound Orange Line trains, which will slow the rest of the line up.
That's how I understand it.
@ formergr
I was suggesting the Pentagon for folks going into VA.
Connie Dobbs for example, could take the Blue line to Pentagon and then the 25B (or whatever it is) that goes to Tysons.
@demonfafa - were you trying to call me the idiot? You clearly DON'T underdstand how the lines converge, or you wouldn't be so perplexed. I'm not sure you should be lecturing about reading comprehension.
Sounds like Arlington Fire Dept is wrapping up the evacuation and everyone is off & out of the tunnels safely.
" why in the world would I go to the Pentagon if I'm trying to head EAST from downtown (originally on Orange or Blue)? "
Depends on how far East you're heading. If it's this side of the Anacostia, I'd say take the D6. That would get you to within walking distance of most Orange/Blue Line stations east of downtown.
@registeringsucks
Okay, so I misread the screen-name.
But everything else I said still stands. Eat it.
This explains everything perfectly. Thanks!
If only WMATA press releases could be this forthcoming.
Mainland describes the track configuration at Rosslyn correctly, but the Blue Line trains to Franconia-Springfield will still be stuck behind the Orange Line trains lining up to go into the single-tracking area.
Last I saw (before the website went down) the Yellow/Green line delays are still going on.
Hmm, should I walk across the mall to get on the Blue at Smithsonian, or just suck it up and take Yellow-to-Blue at Pentagon like usual?
Wow some of you people are cranky and from what I can tell you weren't stuck on the derailed train. Take a chill pill people. Better yet go to happy hour and delay the inevitable delay. Or just walk home. You'll sweat out all that bad kharma. Kisses!
If you go to the WTOP web site, they have a picture on the lower right hand side that makes it look like they brought a Panda in to rescue all the stranded passengers. Silly Panda.
I feel really sorry for the people trapped on the train and I hope no one was injured. There's a couple of spots on the Red Line where you can feel the cars lift off of the tracks, and it is scary. Add being stuck in the tunnels in this heat, and it pretty much must be hell on earth.
I also nominate Mainland for both poster of the week and as unofficial Metro spokesperson for that clear explanation.
Uh, oh...the Metro site is back up and it looks like were all hosed.
Metrorail is currently experiencing a service disruption at All Stations station.
Indeed nashpaul, so all be warned.
And hopefully there's nothing wrong with the switch at Rosslyn, which I'm sure they'll be investigating, since that can cause problems for a long time.
registeringsucks is my evil twin!
Metro's official solution to the problems of unreliable public transportation, bumming rides:
Metro spokesperson Lisa Farbstein tells WTOP...
If you've got a really good friend, today might be a good time to give them a call if they can get you home another way.
So can Metro help us arrange for car pools?
Unbelievable.
(@ slawsonator: it does look like a panda is trying to break through a train-like glass window in that pic on the WTOP site.)
It looks like, from Metro's website, they've officially shit themselves.
"Disruption details: Due to a derailed train outside Court House station, rail service on the Orange Line has been significantly disrupted. Orange Line customers should seek an alternate form of travel."
Only Butterstick can save us now.
Good gravy! Heaven forbid there be a real emergency in this town or none of you folks from VA would know how to get home....geez, it's really not that hard to learn alternate routes in advance of a problem so you don't have to rely on the WMATA Web site....
I also nominate Mainland for both poster of the week and as unofficial Metro spokesperson for that clear explanation.
Whoo hoo!
Blue/Yellow Line stations (how could we forget about you?) look a bit hosed on wait times for trains too since Blue Line trains are holding up around Rosslyn. Go Red Line, no trouble!
Bad, bad day for Metro -- lets hope this doesn't turn into a bad tomorrow morning...
There's no way single tracking L'Orange between Foggy Bottom and Clarendon couldn't affect Teh Blue.
On the westbound tracks shared tracks downtown, westbound Blue trains will stack up behind westbound Orange trains waiting to switch over to the eastbound tracks.
Eastbound Blue trains will stack up at Arlington Cemetery waiting for the westbound Orange trains to clear the eastbound track, and for the normal eastbound Orange trains, which are also stacking up waiting for the westbound Orange trains to pass.
Blue trains will begin stacking at ArlCem (perhaps one or two trains will sit on the track between ArlCem and Rosslyn). Depending on how many there are, they could begin to stack all the way back to the Pentagon, thereby disrupting northbound Yellow trains.
Even at the best of times, the Blue/Orange tunnel under the river is at capacity. Increase the number of trains on a track by 50%, and you've got a real Charlie Foxtrot on your hands.
Blue line sucked. Was in tunnel for about 1/2 hour.
PlanBdextrous!
Waited at Farragut West while an Orange to Vienna chillaxed on the platform for around 10 minutes, then got on (or squeezed into) a Blue to Franconia. The only delay was at Foggy Bottom, for about five minutes. This was beginning at around 5:45pm.
@ nowisthetime
My PlanBDexterity usually involves me walking home (maybe an hour) - not something I would ever, ever, ever do on a day like today.
At least they have shuttles this time. When DuPont caught on fire in 2004, they didn't even have that.
Is this really that difficult? Either take a cab around the problem if you need to be home instantaneously, or wait out the problems, or just wait in the tunnel period. I swear, people spend more time trying to figure out ways around these problems than they would actually getting on the train and waiting it out. If you're aware of the problem at all before you get on a train, you're at a huge advantage over those who got stuck in the tunnel in the first place.
Jeez, it was really hot down there!
Townies ought to realize that those of us who have representation with our taxation don't live a couple miles away. At 8:00, the Orange and Blue lines were still backed up by 30 to 45 minutes. If you generally like getting home in a reasonable amount of time, that's more than a bit aggravating. Anyone suggesting a cab either sleeps on a money bed or has never cabbed it from DC to Arlington.
See, you'd never have this problem if you had decent ski lift gondola transit to augment the Orange Line. So what if the system breaks down? You still have a great view and if you gotta go, you can take a leak onto unwary pedestrians and commuters. And if you're trapped up there for a while, it pretty much turns into a gibbet where you are sport for your own crows. You're reducing the region's carbon footprint while you're decomposing.
Or you could just flood the Orange Line and replace them with Venetian gondolas captained by underemployed Prince William County immigrants in pirate shirts and fezzes. Now that stifling underground hellscape becomes a romantic tunnel-of-love and every commute becomes a sexy subterranean picnic deep in the canals of Falls Church. Violin music, paint bucket drums, and Carlo Rossi roofies providing just enough mood music for you to finally get to third base.
Was anyone else thrown off by the "Delay fares in effect" notices? I was hopeful that metro wouldn't charge rush fare for getting me home 45 minutes later than usual, but it turns out "delay fares" refers to refunding your money if you come into the station and don't take a trip, but come right back out again after seeing the delay. That's fair for those who decide to turn around, but I found it misleading. Maybe the sentence structure of this post is misleading as well.
@PSUMark: I waited for 20 minutes at the Farragut West station on the blue line for you all to get on the train. The ride was relatively smooth sailing after Farragut West.
>DC is truly a 3rd-world shithole.>
...and that's damning with faint praise...
I think monkey wrote that post from his blackberry while deep in the tunnels of metro, slightly woozy from the heat.