Metro riders are used to scrolling alerts on the transit agency’s Web site warning them about service disruptions on particular rail lines or at certain stations.
But passengers were baffled by the one that popped up Monday evening: “Metrorail is currently experiencing service disruptions at All Stations station,” it read. “Rail line(s) affected: All Lines.”
“Basically, the computers went down in our operations control center from about 5:30 p.m. until about 8 p.m.,” Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato said. “It happens on occasion.”
Metro’s control center workers were unable to monitor train movements on their computer screens and instead used the agency’s radio system to communicate with train operators to gaugethe schedules.
Metro disabled the automatic train control system that moves six-car trains during rush hour and ordered all train drivers to operate in manual mode.
“It did cause delays, but we don’t know the extent,” Asato said.
That’s because the control center’s downed computer system is the one that monitors delays.
Asato said Metro’s information technology department is looking into the cause of the outage.
