Metro News Release

For immediate release: April 17, 2010

Major Delays on Orange Line Saturday afternoon

Train fatally strikes person who was on tracks intentionally at Cheverly

Metrorail customers travelling on the eastern end of the Orange Line can expect major delays the remainder of the afternoon. A six-car Orange Line train heading downtown fatally struck a person who was on the tracks at the Cheverly Metrorail station today (Saturday, April 17) at 10:51 a.m. The preliminary investigation indicates that the person was on the tracks intentionally.

The Cheverly Metrorail station is currently closed with no trains passing through the station as emergency personnel are still on the scene conducting their investigation. Shuttle buses are not expected to arrive until noon. Customers should expect long waits for the shuttle buses as a full train can hold hundreds of customers, but a full bus can only move 50 people at a time and they have to navigate crowded roadways. Once the shuttle buses are available they will move customers between Deanwood, Cheverly, Landover and New Carrollton Metrorail stations.

The Orange Line is split into two segments—a very short segment has trains moving back and forth between Landover and New Carrollton Metrorail stations. The larger segment has trains moving between Deanwood and Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metrorail stations.

Orange Line customers should keep in mind that on the other end of the Orange Line, people traveling between the Court House and Foggy Bottom Metrorail stations should expect lengthy delays throughout the weekend and add at least 40 minutes to their travel time because Metro is installing a new rail switch at the Rosslyn Metrorail station. A switch is an intersection of the track, where trains can “switch” from one track to another, depending on their destination and route. Trains will share the same track between these locations through Sunday. Track work is also taking place on the Green, Red and Blue Lines with delays of up to 40 minutes.

News release issued at 11:57 am, April 17, 2010.