Metro News Release

For immediate release: July 4, 2006

Metro safely evacuates a Yellow Line train after power line falls on track, gets caught under train

Approximately 100 passengers on a Yellow Line train to Franconia-Springfield were safely evacuated from a Metrorail train this afternoon after a Virginia Dominion Power electrical cable that fell onto the tracks became entangled beneath the train.

At 3:22 p.m., Yellow Line train #308, a six-car train operating a special route for July 4th service from Mt. Vernon Square to Franconia-Springfield, lost power due to an electrical cable that fell onto the tracks and became entangled underneath the lead car of the train at just south of the Van Dorn Street Metrorail station, causing it to lose power and come to a stop.

Metro does not own the downed power line.

Metrorail trains single-tracked around the incident from 4:10 to 5:11 p.m.

Metro officials sent an rescue train behind the stopped train to evacuate passengers. However, since power was down on in that location, the emergency train could not pull directly behind the first train. Instead, Metro pulled a six-car Yellow Line train (#313) that was headed in the opposite direction next to the stopped train and passengers were evacuated onto that train.

At 3:52 p.m., Metro officials escorted the passengers from the back door of the last car of the train onto the awaiting train on the opposite track. The evacuation process took about 10 minutes. Once the passengers were aboard the second train, it headed to Franconia-Springfield, allowing those passengers to reach their final destination.

Metro officials removed the electrical cable from the tracks and regular service resumed at 5:11 p.m. The cable was removed from beneath the train, which was not damaged.

Metro is working with the Virginia Dominion Power company to identify the cause of the downed cable.

News release issued on July 4, 2006.