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A Metro train that had a wheel derail near Reagan National Airport on Friday struck an object that fell off a preceding train, Metro said, triggering an investigation into the integrity of the transit system’s oldest rail cars.
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The incident disrupted commutes on the Blue and Yellow lines and led Metro General Manager Randy Clarke to order inspections of the system’s 2000- and 3000-series train sets. No injuries were reported during the derailment.
The Blue Line train heading southbound toward the Franconia-Springfield station was carrying 43 passengers when it hit the object about 10:45 a.m. The train started weaving and the first axle on the wheel assembly came off the track south of the airport station’s Metro platform, Clarke said.
He said there was no indication of a malfunction on the derailed train.
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The train is part of Metro’s 7000-series, which is the subject of a federal safety investigation that uncovered a wheelset defect after a 2021 derailment. Friday’s incident was a setback for a transit agency that has recently notched pandemic-era ridership records while seeking to move beyond the dual crises of the defect and the pandemic.
Video captured from aboard the derailed train shows it moving along a curvy stretch of track when it strikes an object, then comes to a stop a few seconds later. Officials said the object — about 20 inches in diameter — appeared to be part of a brake assembly.
“The object was a component of a 3000-series train that preceded the incident train through the station,” Clarke said, adding that the train completed its trip with no issue before being pulled from service. “We have to do a very comprehensive investigation but we have no indication, right now, that there’s any issue with the 7000-series train.”
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The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, the rail system’s regulatory agency, sent investigators to the derailment site, spokesman Max Smith said.
“Anything at this stage is very preliminary, but it does appear that the train struck something as opposed to some other type of issue,” he said. “We’re still looking into the details and trying to understand what Metro can do to mitigate the risk of this happening in the future.”
Trains in both directions were operating every 12 minutes while sharing a track between the Potomac Yard and Pentagon City stations as crews repaired and inspected the track through Friday’s evening commute.
The train was stopped on an elevated track approaching the airport while yellow-vested workers walked along the tracks. Firefighters, as well as law enforcement officials from Metro and National Airport, responded to the incident.
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Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) posted on social media site X, previously known as Twitter, that he was seeking more information about the derailment.
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“Obviously very, very concerning but the most important thing is that everyone on the train appears to be safe and unharmed,” he wrote.
ATU Local 689, the union that represents Metro workers, called for a full investigation.
The incident comes about two years after a derailment that prompted the removal of Metro’s 7000-series cars from service — which make up about 60 percent of its fleet — amid a National Transportation Safety Board investigation. No one was injured in the Oct. 12, 2021, derailment, which prompted the evacuation of 187 passengers outside the Arlington Cemetery station, but it led the safety commission to pull all 748 cars out of service.
From 2021: Wheel assembly on Metro rail cars had failed repeatedly, NTSB says
Metro slowly restored the cars over a span of several months under a plan that involves regular wheel inspections.
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The transit agency is spending $55 million to reassemble thousands of 7000-series rail car wheels over three years, based on federal data released earlier this year that indicated flaws in how they were pressed onto train axles. Metro plans to reassemble the wheels on about 20 cars each month as part of a massive undertaking to refit 5,984 wheels onto 2,992 axles of all cars in the series.
The NTSB released about 1,400 pages of evidence in February as part of its probe.
Friday’s incident led to confusion among passengers on Friday as train service was suspended in the area and airport travelers encountered delays.
“Metro just running the most service in its history and now this,” one rider said in a social media post.
The transit agency earlier this month boasted it highest levels of service ever.
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Clarke said he has ordered a visual inspection of all 358 of its 2000- and 3000-series trains by Saturday and a more complete inspection within a week. He said he does not expect the inspections to affect service.
Crews were deployed Friday to inspect the Blue Line track from Franconia-Springfield to Largo to ensure no other components fell off the 3000-series train. That train likely entered service in the mid-to-late 1980s, Clarke said, noting that the incident highlights the need to replace the fleet’s oldest cars.
Metro has ordered 256 of its next-generation 8000-series rail cars at an average cost of $2.15 million apiece, with an option to purchase up to 800 total. Metro is expected to receive the first cars in 2025.
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