Photo by tvol

UPDATE: Well, good news, Metro says service on the Red Line has already returned to normal. Still, keep an eye out for residual delays.

Red Line riders, make your happy hour plans now, because it’s looking likely you’re going to have an annoying time getting home tonight. WMATA is warning of major delays on the Red Line this afternoon thanks to the combination of an “arcing insulator” near the Dupont Circle station and a track circuit issue at Farragut North. From the release:

A train operator first reported the arcing insulator at about 1:30 p.m. today on the outbound track between Dupont Circle and Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metrorail stations in the direction of Shady Grove.

And of course, any mention of track circuit issues should be taken seriously after that technology’s role in last year’s deadly crash.

Metro says Red Line trains are currently single-tracking all the way from Dupont Circle to Van Ness-UDC. Trains are also being turned back at several locations to help minimize delays, but as of right now, we highly recommend avoiding the Red Line this afternoon and likely into the early part of this evening’s commute.