Update: 2:30 p.m.: Just before 2:30 p.m., Metro said normal service was restored to the Orange and Blue lines, nearly five hours after the service came to a standstill.
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Update: 1:58 p.m.: Metro said service has been restored to the Orange and Blue lines with residual delays in both directions.
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Update: 12:55 p.m.: Some 300 Metro riders were stuck underground in smoky trains for more than two hours Tuesday morning, and thousands more were delayed after a single piece of train equipment brought the Blue and Orange lines to a halt.
A friction ring that is part of the brake system on trains fell from a railcar, apparently hitting the third rail, according to Metro. Riders reported hearing an explosion and a flash of light. Smoke then filled the tunnel.
Metro turned off power to the third rail on both sets of tracks between Metro Center and Federal Center SW around 9:45 a.m., meaning no rail service for much of downtown on those lines. The agency ran limited shuttle service between the affected stations.
Metro spokesman Dan Stessel initially said all riders had been evacuated but riders stuck underground used Twitter to say they were still waiting for help.
</div> <p>One rider reported that a handful of his fellow passengers opened the emergency exits and walked back to L’Enfant Plaza.</p> <p>The scene caused traffic above ground to come to a standstill as more than 75 firefighters rushed to the area. They helped evacuate some 300 riders from the trains at Smithsonian station, with riders walking through dark trains into the tunnels.</p> <p>Just before noon, the last riders were evacuated from the trains, according to D.C. Fire & EMS.</p> <p>But train service has not been restored as of 12:55 p.m. Metro crews had to inspect the tracks and move the stuck trains. The transit agency estimated that service would resume in the early afternoon.</p> <div style=”float: right; width: 490px;”> <object width=”410″ height=”300″> <param name=”flashvars” value=”offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F71440963%40N06%2Fsets%2F72157628503763111%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F71440963%40N06%2Fsets%2F72157628503763111%2F&set_id=72157628503763111&jump_to=”/><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615″/><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”/><embed type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” src=”http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615″ allowfullscreen=”true” flashvars=”offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F71440963%40N06%2Fsets%2F72157628503763111%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F71440963%40N06%2Fsets%2F72157628503763111%2F&set_id=72157628503763111&jump_to=” width=”400″ height=”300″/></object></div> <p>**********</p> <p><strong>Original post:</strong> Metro riders on the Orange/Blue lines faced lengthy delays Tuesday morning when a piece of equipment blocked the track, shutting down service for a major stretch of downtown and trapping riders underground.</p> <div style=”float: right; width: 490px;”> <iframe width=”480″ height=”280″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/DBInnHO07FM” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=””/></div> <p>Metro said the “obstruction” started blocking trains around 9:45 a.m. Riders reported seeing a fireball, then smoke filled the trains. Some trains were stuck.</p> <p>Metro initially said all riders had been evacuated, but some 300 were being evacuated as of about 11:10 a.m.</p> <p>Power was shut off to the track between Federal Center SW and Metro Center, and the transit agency set up shuttle bus service to ferry riders between the downed stations.</p> <p>Elsewhere, a train had a malfunction on the Blue/Yellow lines at Arlington Cemetery, causing delays to Franconia and Huntington. Red Line riders also suffered in the morning commute earlier after a man was found on the tracks near Judiciary Square. </p> <div style=”float: right; width: 640px;”> <script src=”http://storify.com/DCExaminer/metro-s-tuesday-meltdown.js”/><noscript><a href=”http://storify.com/DCExaminer/metro-s-tuesday-meltdown” target=”_blank”>View the story “Metro’s Tuesday Meltdown” on Storify</a>]</noscript> </div> <p>Follow our tweets for the latest …</p>
