NTSB’s Mike Flanagan briefs the media on yesterday’s Metro incident.

NTSB investigator Mike Flanigon briefs the media on yesterday’s Metro incident. Photo by Matt Cohen

Service disruption continues for numerous Metro lines this morning as the National Transportation Safety Board continues their investigation into yesterday’s Yellow Line incident that claimed one life and hospitalized 83 others.

In a briefing with media last night, NTSB investigator Mike Flanigon told reports that “there’s not a lot of very detailed information yet” as to what caused a tunnel in the L’Enfant Plaza, along with a southbound Yellow Line train, to fill with smoke.

Flanigon was able to confirm that the incident was caused by an “electrical arcing event involving the third rail” in the tunnel shortly before the L’Enfant platform. Flanigon also said that, shortly before the arcing event, the southbound Yellow Line train stopped about 800 feet short of the platform for unknown reasons.

As the NTSB, along with other authorities, investigate what went wrong, Metro has issued an advisory for this morning’s service:

All Yellow Line service will be replaced with additional Blue Line trains operating between Huntington and Largo Town Center, via Rosslyn. Trains on this route will depart every 12 minutes. Use Green Line trains for service between Greenbelt and Downtown D.C.

Blue Line trains between Franconia-Springfield and Largo Town Center will operate every 12 minutes.

Orange Line trains will run every eight minutes between Vienna and New Carrollton.

Silver Line trains will run every 12 minutes between Wiehle-Reston East and Largo Town Center, with many trains expanded to eight-cars long to provide additional capacity.

Green Line trains will run normal service every six minutes between Branch Avenue and Greenbelt.

Red Line service is unaffected and will operate on a regular weekday schedule.

A limited shuttle bus option is available between Pentagon and L’Enfant Plaza, running every 20 minutes. Board shuttle buses from Pentagon on the lower level of the Pentagon bus bays; from L’Enfant Plaza at 7th and Maryland Avenue SW.

In a statement, mayor Muriel Bowser said that she’s “been in contact with the WMATA leadership, and we will continue to keep the District’s resources available in the aftermath of the incident.”

Flanigon told reporters last night that it’s unclear at this moment if a fire sparked to cause the smoke incident. He added that the on-site investigation could last as long as a week, and that it could be six months to a year before a final report is filed.

We’ll update with more information as it becomes available.

Filed Under: l'enfant plaza, metro, metro info, metro smoke incident, metro trouble,