Derailment Makes for a Hot, Slow Ride on Metro

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THERE WAS A TIME — say, around 6:45 p.m. or so last night — when I thought I might never leave the Rosslyn Metrorail station.

I thought I had found a clever way to avoid dealing with the aftermath of the Metro derailment that snarled traffic on the Orange Line for the evening. After my workday came to an end, instead of using the Court House station as I typically do, I hoofed it to the Rosslyn station to catch the Blue Line. Problem solved, right?

Wrong. Although plenty of fellow Orange Liners seemed to have the same idea — the sidewalks on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington were more crowded than usual — I realized when I made it down into the belly of Rosslyn that single-tracking on the Orange Line meant that Vienna-bound trains were using the upper level of the station instead of the lower level as usual. Which meant that my bullet Blue Line train had to cool its heels — in record heat, of course — at Arlington Cemetery while discombobulated Orange Line trains cycled through the station.

I was bored. So like any nerdy reporter, I whipped out my notebook. Here's how the trip went down:

» 6:15 p.m.: Left the office.
» 6:37 p.m.: Made it to Rosslyn's upper platform a sweaty mess. The place is packed, but nowhere near as crowded as the lower platform.
» 6:42 p.m.: The first train arrives: An Orange Liner bound for Vienna. It's not terribly crowded.
» 6:44 p.m.: A Blue Line train to Franconia-Springfield chugs up to the lower platform. It's a mob scene, with passengers packing through every open door.

» 6:45 p.m.: Another Orange Line train to Vienna arrives on the upper platform. Some people on this one are standing.
» 6:47 p.m.: A third Orange Line train to Vienna appears. The station is so muggy due to the outside temps and body heat from the crowd that my clothes are sticking to me. Some fellow commuters on the platform begin to grouse about the abundance of trains heading west. I begin to feel like I'm being punished for something.
» 6:50 p.m.: Finally, a Blue Line to Largo arrives. There are barely any standers. The train smells like humanity and a little like baby formula.

The Gerbermobile got a little crowded, but we didn't experience any real problems on the ride.

How did you fare last night, fellow Orange Liners? Leave your thoughts and horror stories in comments.

Photo of the Rosslyn station by Greg Barber/Express