Metro safety equipment struck other equipment it was supposed to help safeguard on the Red Line early Thursday, according to Metro.
Two flat train cars carrying pump and water equipment struck a contractor’s grinding machine around 2 a.m. outside the Medical Center stop, said Metro Chief Safety Officer James Dougherty.
No Metro workers were injured in the low-speed crash, he said. But he was not sure as of midday Thursday whether the contractor’s employees were injured.
It also was not immediately clear how much damage was done. The grinder’s door where the operator sits was damaged, Dougherty said. The train cars with the pump equipment were traveling about 3 to 5 mph when they hit the stationary grinder, he said.
The pump mechanism is supposed to work closely with the grinder to keep the area moist to prevent dust and sparks as the machine grinds down the rail during the track work, he said.
But they are not supposed to hit each other. Dougherty said investigators are trying to determine where the breakdown happened, such as looking at whether hand signals were properly used. All work was halted in the area after the incident, he said.
