Monday Morning Metrofail: Orange and Blue Lines

No Passengers

Orange and Blue Line riders had a hellish commute this morning thanks to a train down due to mechanical difficulties at Foggy Bottom station, causing single-tracking and trains held at stations up and down both lines in both directions. I waited on a Vienna-bound Orange Line train at Metro Center for about twenty minutes before wising up and getting on a taxi. You know it’s bad when the train operator doesn’t even use the word “momentarily.”

Unsuck DC Metro has collected TWITTER RAAAGE from the delays.

Update: From Get There blog, Orange Line problems explained. A combination of brake problems and communications dead zones led to a fifty-one minute delay on the failed Orange Line train before a Blue Line train could come within range to pick up communications. Both trains had to be offloaded before one could push the other to a rail yard.

Roving Asian mendicant, can occasionally be seen wandering the streets of downtown Washington, muttering unintelligible gibberish to passers-by while pushing a “bag lady” shopping cart full of old blankets, American flags, soda cans, and healthy secondhand snacks from organic food shop dumpsters. Used to live in a cardboard box at 16th and K but the rent was too expensive.

One thought on “Monday Morning Metrofail: Orange and Blue Lines

  1. I was stuck on Blue at Arlington for about 20-30 minutes… then they said the train was going to move on to Rosslyn and hold there. Great, I’m going to Rosslyn!

    …They didn’t specify ‘move on to Rosslyn SOON’. My bad.

    We sat in the tunnel for another 15 with the LIGHTS AND AIR OFF for some reason before finally arriving in Rosslyn.

    I’ve tried to stand by Metro. I know its tough to keep it all maintained and all. But that was ridiculous, even by their standards.