Metro is experiencing major delays on the Red Line this evening after a train dispatched to rescue 84 passengers on a broken train derailed, leaving both trains trapped in a tunnel.
Now Metro is dispatching a third train to rescue the passengers who have been stuck on the stalled train for more than a hour, according to Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel.
But it means long delays on the Red Line the rest of the night, he warned. The agency recommends riders avoid the area altogether.
The first train broke down between the Bethesda and Friendship Heights stations about 4:24 p.m., Taubenkibel said.
A second train was cleared of its passengers to go rescue it.
But it derailed before it could join up with the broken-down train, he said. Then the first train also derailed, he said.
As of 5:30 p.m., he said, there had been no reported injuries among the 84 passengers stuck on the train.
A third train was evacuated of its passengers to go rescue the trapped passengers, he said.
Metro officials do not know how long it will take to return to normal service.
