Photo by mosley.brianUPDATE 2: The station has now reopened.
UPDATE: The station is apparently still closed, but trains are sharing a single track between New Carrollton and Stadium-Armory. Metro also reports that the preliminary investigation indicates that the man on the tracks, who was fatally struck at 10:51 a.m., appears to have been there intentionally.
WMATA alerts us that the Cheverly Metro station on the Orange Line has been closed due to a person struck by a train. Shuttle bus service has been requested between Deanwood and Landover. Details are scant at the moment, but DCist has heard reports from people claiming to be eyewitnesses that an individual jumped in front of a train at around 10:50 a.m. With trains already running sluggishly today due to track maintenance and a bunch of sports games sure to clog the platforms as the day wears on, this station closure and subsequent investigation may cause some serious problems for Orange Line commuters making their way into D.C.
WMATA has released some details on the incident and how it may affect your ride today:
Metrorail customers travelling on the eastern end of the Orange Line can expect major delays the remainder of the morning and into early afternoon. A six-car Orange Line train heading downtown struck a person who was on the tracks at the Cheverly Metrorail station today (Saturday, April 17) at 10:51 a.m.
The Cheverly Metrorail station is currently closed with no trains passing through the station as emergency personnel are on the scene at this time. Shuttle buses are not expected to arrive until close to noon. Also, there will be long waits for the shuttle buses as a full train can hold hundreds of customers, but a full bus can only move 50 people at a time and they have to navigate crowded roadways. Once the shuttle buses are available they will move customers between Deanwood, Cheverly, Landover and New Carrollton Metrorail stations.
Meanwhile, WTOP is reporting that the struck individual “is trapped under the train and in between the train and the platform.”
WMATA is also reminding riders that all Orange Line customers should add at least 40 minutes to their travel time, even without considering delays from this morning’s incident at Cheverly.
