Event Date: Thursday, August 4, 2016
Event Time: About 10:53 AM EDT
Railroad Involved: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Event Location: Orange Line Track D1 (D1 308+10)
Event ID: 16.0206
Event Type: Track Defect
On Thursday, August 4, 2016 at about 10:53 AM EDT, a track inspection team reported to the Rail Operations Control Center (ROCC) that there was a break in the traction power third rail on track D1, which carries Orange Line trains toward New Carrollton, at chaining marker D1 308+10. At 10:58, the damage was deemed unsafe for train passage and removed from service. Damage photographs were requested. ROCC implemented single track operations from the pocket track at D98 junction (D&G) to the interlocking outbound of Cheverly, with revenue operations being conducted on Track 2 (Vienna) track. Blue and Silver line operations were unaffected as the event was located beyond where the two routes diverge.
At about 11:07 AM, Orange Line Train 900 traveling to New Carrollton was removed from service at Stadium-Armory and reversed in the pocket track at D98 to return to Vienna to cover a gap in the direction of Vienna. Orange Line Train 910 traveling to New Carrollton serviced Stadium-Armory at about 11:09 AM and was the first affected train to traverse the single tracking area. During the duration of the repair and single tracking, approximately every other Orange Line to New Carrollton was reversed or short turned at Stadium-Armory to maintain spacing.
At about 11:32 AM, traction power was removed from the third rail to allow for repairs, which continued until 1:40 PM.
At about 1:55PM, a test train which was offloaded at Stadium-Armory passed through the repair area, and at about 1:59PM the track unit cleared the third rail for normal revenue service.
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