Metro News Release

For immediate release: April 17, 2010

Expect delays on Orange Line Saturday afternoon

Train fatally struck man who was on tracks intentionally at Cheverly

Metrorail customers travelling on the eastern end of the Orange Line can expect delays the remainder of the early part of the afternoon. A six-car Orange Line train heading downtown fatally struck a man 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 man was on the tracks intentionally.

Cheverly Metrorail station remains closed. Trains are single-tracking (sharing one track) through the Cheverly Metrorail station but are not servicing the station and shuttle buses are moving customers between New Carrollton, Landover, Cheverly and Deanwood Metrorail stations. Customers can expect 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.

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 12:36 pm, April 17, 2010.