An early-morning signal outage on a stretch of Metro’s Blue Line track led the transit agency to cut off service at the Van Dorn Street Station for Monday’s morning rush.
Commuters coming from or going to Franconia-Springfield, the Blue Line’s busy final station, were forced onto buses that ran between Van Dorn and Franconia.
The problem started at 6:40 a.m. on the track between the two stations and wasn’t fixed until just before 10 a.m.
The cause remained unknown even after the problem was solved, said Candace Smith, Metro spokeswoman. The outage left Metro, a fully automated system, completely dark with regard to a train’s speed and location, leaving the agency no choice but to cut off service.
Commuters wishing to stick with the Blue Line had the option of driving to Van Dorn, but the station only offers 361 all-day spaces. Franconia-Springfield provides more than 5,000 garage spaces.
The Franconia station averages more than 7,000 morning riders, Smith said, though ridership drops in August — and Mondays and Fridays are lower still, thanks to long weekends.
