Metro News Release

For immediate release: April 30, 2010

Service Returns to Normal on Green Line

Track equipment broke down shortly before system opened

Service returned to normal at about 1:27 p.m. today (April 30) following a major disruption on the Green Line due to a piece of track equipment that broke down shortly before the rail system’s 5 a.m. opening near the West Hyattsville Metrorail station.

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 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.

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

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News release issued at 1:42 pm, April 30, 2010.