GREENLINE

METRORAIL track maintenance and a special safety training exercise are scheduled for the following areas this weekend:

WMATA map» YELLOW LINE: Due to a safety and emergency response exercise on the Yellow Line's Potomac River bridge, trains will not run between Fort Totten in the District and the King Street station in Alexandria via L'Enfant Plaza, from opening to noon on Saturday. In the District, use the Green Line. For access between Alexandria and the District, use the Blue Line via Rosslyn.

Yellow Line trains will share the same track between the King Street station and Huntington terminal because of maintenance on a switch at Huntington starting at 10 o'clock this evening through closing Sunday. Following Saturday's safety exercise, Yellow Line trains from the District will service the Blue Line's Franconia-Springfield terminal instead of Huntington.

» ORANGE LINE: Trains will share the same track between the New Carrollton and Cheverly stations on Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Every other outbound train will terminate at Cheverly before returning to the District and Virginia.

» GREEN LINE: Because of cable work between the Prince George's Plaza and College Park-U of Md. stations, trains will share the same track through that section of the Green Line tonight and Saturday from midnight to closing.

Regularly scheduled testing of new rail cars will force Green Line trains to share the same track in and out of the Greenbelt terminal on Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Expect minor delays.

» "Weekend Track Work to Affect Metro's Yellow, Orange and Green Lines" [WMATA]

Track maintenance is scheduled for the following areas this weekend:

» RED LINE: Trains will share the same track between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations on Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Add 20 minutes of travel time through that section of track.

» GREEN LINE: Regularly scheduled testing of new rail cars will force Green Line trains to share the same track in and out of the Greenbelt station on Saturday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. and on Sunday, from opening to 3:30 p.m. Expect minor delays.

» "Weekend Work to Cause Red and Green Line Delays" [WMATA]

SCHEDULED METRORAIL TRACK WORK will affect the following lines this weekend ...

» RED LINE: Trains will share the same track between the Fort Totten and Takoma stations, Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Add 20 minutes of travel time through that section of track.

» ORANGE LINE: Trains will share the same track between the New Carrollton and Cheverly stations 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday. Add 30 minutes of travel time through that section of track. Alternating outbound trains from the District will terminate at Cheverly and return to Vienna-Fairfax via downtown.

» GREEN LINE: Trains will share the same track between the Congress Heights and Branch Avenue stations starting midnight to closing, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Add 15 minutes of extra travel time on the southern end of the Green Line.

Also, regularly scheduled testing of new rail cars will force Green Line trains to share the same track in and out of the Greenbelt station, Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

AFTER ANOTHER SERIES of smoky eruptions shut down another batch of Metrorail stations during Monday's evening rush, Metro officials are considering the possibility that the incidents could have been caused intentionally.

"This is not normal," Metro General Manager John Catoe said, according to The Post's Lena H. Sun and Martin Weil. "This is highly, highly irregular."

Report Sun and Weil:

Asked whether he thought the incidents might be intentional, [Catoe] said: "Could it be something else [other than an accident]? Everything now is suspicious."

A spokesman for the D.C. fire department said that the department was "very concerned" about the large number of incidents in a brief period and that the department would try to assist Metro in determining whether they were more than accidental.

Monday's delays began at around 7 p.m. after several trains lost power between the Pentagon City and Braddock Road stations on the Blue and Yellow lines, according to a Metro press statement. A track fire was reported at the Pentagon City station. A fire was also reported at the U Street-Cardozo station, which shut down both that station and the stop at Columbia Heights from 7:20 p.m. to 8:40 p.m., the statement said.

Shuttle buses ferried passengers between L'Enfant Plaza and Huntington and also between the Georgia Avenue-Petworth and Shaw-Howard University stations.

Continue Reading "Smoke, Fire Cause Another Messy Metro Commute" »

HOPEFULLY, MORNING COMMUTES on Metrorail ran pretty normally, because after Sunday night's massive disruptions on all five lines, Metro could probably use a breather.

It all started at 5:30 p.m. when there was a report of smoke at the Mount Vernon Square-7th St.-Convention Center station. Following that were four separate incidents involving smoke or fire that ushered in "a series of disruptions that appeared to be without precedent in the system's 30-year history," The Post's Martin Weil and Elissa Silverman report.

Fortunately, these events didn't take place during a weekday rush hour. But try telling that to anyone who was caught in yesterday's misery.

» "Outbreaks of Fire, Smoke Shut Down Metro Stations" [WaPo]
» "Smoke and Fire Incidents Impact Metrorail Service on Sunday" [WMATA]

METRO IS WARNING of possible delays on the Orange and Red lines this weekend, in addition to regular rail car testing on the Green Line. Here are the affected areas.

» ORANGE LINE: Due to track maintenance between the West Falls Church station and the Vienna terminal in Fairfax County, trains will share the same track starting 10 p.m. Friday. Alternating outbound Orange Line trains to Vienna will terminate at West Falls Church and return to New Carrollton via downtown Washington. Those traveling between West Falls Church and Vienna could experience delays of 30 minutes. The work is scheduled to last through the end of Sunday.

» RED LINE: On Saturday, trains will share the same track between the Judiciary Square and Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood stations between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. That could spawn delays of 15 minutes.

On Sunday, trains will share the same track between the Grosvenor-Strathmore and Medical Center stations, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Expect 15 minute delays.

» GREEN LINE: As part of ongoing new rail car testing, Green Line trains will share the same track in and out of the Greenbelt terminal on Saturday, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Expect 10 to 15 minute delays.

METRO IS WARNING commuters to expect significant delays during the afternoon rush on the Green Line going through the Georgia Avenue-Petworth station — where a woman was struck by a train at 3:42 p.m. Trains are sharing the same track.

» "Major Delays on Green Line" [WMATA]

TRACK WORK and rail car testing will lead to delays on the Red, Orange and Green lines this weekend. Here's what to expect:

» ORANGE LINE: This is where you'll find the heaviest of the weekend's work. From 10 p.m. Friday until midnight Sunday, trains will share the same track between Vienna and West Falls Church. Alternating trains will turn around at West Falls Church rather than proceeding to Vienna, so keep an eye on your train's final destination. Metro warns customers to add 30 minutes to their travel time.

» RED LINE: Track maintenance between Grosvenor and Medical Center could cause delays of up to 15 minutes, with trains in both directions sharing the same track. The work's scheduled to take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

» GREEN LINE: New railcar testing between Greenbelt and College Park will force trains in both directions to share one track from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Add 10-15 minutes to your travel time.

» "Weekend Track Maintenance and Rail Car Testing to Affect Metro's Red, Orange and Green Lines" [WMATA]

WITH TRACK MAINTENANCE or railcar testing scheduled for all five Metrorail lines, many Metro riders will face delays of up to a half-hour this weekend. District or Maryland residents planning to take Metro to a red-eye or morning flight out of Reagan National Airport should take special care, with track maintenance scheduled this weekend between the Crystal City and National Airport stations. Trains will share a single track in the following locations at the following times:

» RED LINE: Travelers should expect a 15-minute delay between the Grosvenor-Strathmore and Medical Center Metrorail stations. (7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday)

» GREEN LINE: Give yourself an extra 10 to 15 minutes when traveling between the Greenbelt and College Park stations from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

» ORANGE LINE: Expect a 30-minute delay between the New Carrollton and Cheverly Metrorail stations. (7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday)

» BLUE AND YELLOW LINES: Add 15 minutes to your travel time when traveling between the Crystal City and National Airport stations. (9 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday; 9 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday)

» "Weekend Track Maintenance and Rail Car Testing to Affect Metro's Red, Orange, Blue, Yellow and Green Lines" [WMATA]

RED AND GREEN LINE passengers should plan ahead when taking Metrorail this weekend. With track maintenance scheduled for the Red Line in Montgomery County and railcar testing scheduled for the Green Line in Prince George's County, trains will share a single track in the following locations at the following times:

» RED LINE: Expect a 15-minute delay between the Grosvenor-Strathmore and Medical Center Metrorail stations. (7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday)

» GREEN LINE: Give yourself an extra 10 to 15 minutes when travelling between the Greenbelt and College Park stations from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

» "Weekend Track Maintenance and Rail Car Testing to Affect Metro's Red and Green Lines" [WMATA]