A man was struck and killed by a Metro train at the King Street station in Alexandria during Friday’s evening rush, the latest suicide in the transit system. The man jumped from the platform and was hit by a Yellow Line train that was traveling toward Mount Vernon Square at about 5:40 p.m., Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said. Stessel said Saturday the man was 38 years old and from Alexandria.
“All indications are that he intentionally placed himself in the path of the train,” based on information from witnesses, Stessel said.
| Track work continues Sunday |
| Metro riders face maintenance-related delay this weekend with trains single-tracking on parts of the Red, Blue and Yellow lines through closing Sunday. |
| » Red Line: Single-tracking between Grosvenor-Strathmore and Twinbrook and between Takoma and Forest Glen |
| » Blue Line: Single-tracking between Stadium-Armory and Addison Road-Seat Pleasant and between Braddock Road and Van Dorn Street |
| » Yellow Line: Single-tracking between Braddock Road and Huntington |
| Metro says riders should add an extra 20 minutes to their travel times. |
He said the man jumped into the train’s path as the train was approaching the station’s platform. The train operator saw the man and applied the emergency brakes, but couldn’t stop in time, Stessel said.
The incident snarled evening commuters for hours. Trains were single-tracking between the Braddock Road and Van Dorn Street stations on the Blue Line and between Braddock Road and Huntington on the Yellow Line. Stessel said some trains were turned back at certain locations to maintain service while rescue crews responded to the suicide scene.
The train involved in the incident was moved from King Street about an hour and a half after the incident. Delays were fully cleared at about 9 p.m., Stessel said.
Metro has been battling a surge in suicides over the past two and half years. More than 15 people have killed themselves on agency property since 2009.
The most recent incient happened in May, when a 55-year-old Arlington man jumped in front of a Blue Line train at Metro Center on May 25. The man was alive when emergency workers pulled him from underneath the train, but died from his injuries later that day.
Metro announced plans last fall to roll out a long-delayed suicide-prevention program that was first announced in September 2009. It was delayed due to budget issues.
The program is meant to train employees to observe and report potential suicidal situations.
