Open thread: A Metro train derailed this morning outside Farragut North
A rider waits as a maintenance train passes in Farragut North station, January 2017. Image by the author.
This morning at around 6:40am, a 7000-series Red Line train derailed between Farragut North and Metro Center stations. 63 passengers were safely evacuated approximately 90 minutes after the derailment occurred, according to WTOP.
National Transportation Safety Board officials are expected to begin investigating later in the day. Martin Di Caro suggests some preliminary questions in need of answers:
Some thoughts about this morning's derailment: immediate focus will be on condition of the tracks, whether there was a known track condition that went unaddressed (like the East Falls Church incident) and for how long, 1/?
— Martin Di Caro (@MartinDiCaro) January 15, 2018
… whether recent track work caused new problems in that area, etc. Also, will be interesting to see if emergency response personnel's radios worked, whether all protocols were followed and if there was cooperation among agencies — 2/?
— Martin Di Caro (@MartinDiCaro) January 15, 2018
— these are all legacies of the L'Enfant Plaza fiasco from Jan. 12, 2015. 3/3 #wmata
— Martin Di Caro (@MartinDiCaro) January 15, 2018
With legislative sessions in Annapolis and Richmond underway, the region is slowly moving toward considering dedicated funding and reform. This latest failure is certain to raise questions amid elected officials and the public.
GGWash is off today, so we're establishing this open thread. What are your thoughts about this morning's derailment? Sound off in the comments.