This post has been updated with additional comment.

Two cars of a Silver Line train derailed at the East Falls Church station this morning, and 75 passengers were offloaded. The station is now completely closed and service is suspended on the Orange Line between West Falls Church and Ballston and between Ballston and McLean on the Silver Line. It is expected to remain offline through the evening.

Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said one person requested treatment for minor injuries, while the Arlington Fire Department said two passengers were evaluated.

The fourth and fifth cars of the westward-bound train derailed within sight of the East Falls Church station after the operator switched tracks.

Metro is going through “protocol where we are examining every possible factor of this from operator to track condition to everything,” Wiedefeld said at a press conference this morning. “We’re not going to assume anything until we get through that.” However, he did say that the derailment occurred “totally outside” of the SafeTrack zone.

The tracks, switch, and railcars all have significant damage, and the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Transit Administration have been notified of the incident.

Refunds will be given to affected passengers.

The transit union took the opportunity to put in a plug for dedicated funding, and a rally they have planned for Saturday. “This incident is a stark reminder of the need for dedicated funding for Metro so that the basic needs of maintenance and upkeep of our rail system can be addressed before someone else gets hurt,” ATU Local 689 said in a statement.

While the derailment may have been the most dramatic, there were also issues on several other lines, including an evacuation and reports of smoke at the Petworth Metro station.

Filed Under: derailment, metro, wmata,