Photo by Rich Renomeron

Riders who depend on Metro’s Red Line are having quite the crummy afternoon. The line has been backed up since about noon when a Glenmont-bound train departing the Rhode Island Avenue station scraped up against a metal service stairway between the platform and the tracks. The stairs became dislodged and damaged an adjacent signal box, Metro says.

Since the collision, which sent WMATA employees and Metro Transit Police officers scrambling to the station, Red Line trains have been single-tracking between the NoMa and Brookland stations. (The 63 passengers aboard the train that struck the stairs were offloaded and picked up by a replacement train, with The Washington Post reporting that two were taken to a local hospital.)

Crews are still out on the Red Line trying to repair the damage in time for the evening rush, though as of 4 p.m., the single-tracking is stil in effect. Metro riders are advised to allot for at least an additional 10 to 20 minutes of additional commute time if they cannot avoid the Red Line.

UPDATE, 4:45 p.m.: Trains are once again running along both tracks between Brookland and NoMa, Metro says, though riders can expect residual delays of 30 minutes or longer.