Metro restores limited service after reports of smoke cause major delays for riders

Service remains limited on Metro's Orange, Blue and Silver lines after reports of smoke caused major delays for many riders on Monday morning.

Metro says they received a report of smoke in the tunnel between the Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom stations just before 8 a.m. They say both tracks were taken out of service while fire crews investigated.

That caused service on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines to be suspended between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom, and of course, there were significant delays on all three lines as a result. Limited shuttle bus service was established as an alternative, and they also ran a shuttle train between Rosslyn and Pentagon.

Just after 2 p.m., Metro shared a statement with riders apologizing for the delays they experienced. Metro acknowledged that despite the alternatives, they know there were extremely long delays and very crowded trips for some riders this morning.

Just after 11 a.m., Metro says they restored limited service on a single track after the replacement of multiple third-rail insulators that showed signs of electrical sparking, which is also known as arcing. They said they were waiting for the delivery of additional parts so that the rest of the repairs could be completed before the evening rush hour.

According to fire crews, smoke dissipated as firefighters were investigating at the Foggy Bottom station Monday morning, and crews at the Rosslyn station only reported the odor of smoke.

LATEST DELAY INFO: http://www.wmata.com/

To our Blue, Orange and Silver line customers - Monday, May 11, 2015

Metro apologizes for the significant delays, crowding and inconvenience many of you experienced this morning. Shortly before 8 a.m., Metro's Operations Control Center received a report of smoke in the tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom stations. For your safety, both tracks were taken out of service while appropriate fire department personnel, along with Metro response crews, investigated and rectified the issue.

Please know that the actions taken this morning were with your safety as our highest priority. Despite the fact that there was no significant smoke in any station, Blue, Orange and Silver line service was suspended between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom out of caution, resulting in significant delays in service on all three lines.

We established limited shuttle bus service as an alternative, and ran a shuttle train between Rosslyn and Pentagon, enabling some riders to switch to the Yellow Line. Despite these alternatives, we know that many of you experienced extremely long, crowded trips this morning.

Rail service was restored shortly after 11 a.m. on a single track following the replacement of multiple third-rail insulators that were showing signs of electrical sparking (known as "arcing"). Additional repairs required that parts be brought to the location from Maryland, further contributing to the length of our response. We expect to have these repairs completed by mid-afternoon, with normal two-track service in time for this evening's rush hour.

Again, we sincerely apologize for your experience this morning. Should you wish to share feedback with us, please contact Metro Customer Service at (202) 637-1328 or online at wmata.com/contactus.