Metro News Release

For immediate release: April 30, 2010

Broken track equipment near West Hyattsville station slows Green Line

Customers can anticipate delays

Customers on the Green Line continue to experience delays this morning (April 30) due to a piece of track equipment that broke down at 4:30 a.m. near the West Hyattsville Metrorail station.

Trains are single-tracking (sharing one track) between the Fort Totten and Prince George’s Plaza Metrorail stations until the piece of equipment can be moved off the tracks.

The equipment that broke down is a track tamper, which is a machine used to pack or “tamp” the track ballast under the tracks to make the tracks are more durable. The track tamper was returning to the Greenbelt rail yard when its axle broke, causing the equipment to halt. There were no injuries.

Customers can continue to expect delays up to 30 minutes on the Green Line throughout the morning rush hour. Once rush hour passes, delays will lessen due to the lengthier intervals between trains.

As a result of the delays on the Green Line, all Yellow Line trains that normally operate between the Huntington and Fort Totten Metrorail stations between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. will instead terminate at the Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail station.


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News release issued at 8:58 am, April 30, 2010.