WASHINGTON — Subway cars on a Green Line train came apart on the tracks during Wednesday morning’s rush hour.
Metro spokesman Sherri Ly says the train immediately came to a stop, and everyone on board was safe.
The second and third cars of the train separated by about 18 inches just south of the Navy Yard station at 8:12 a.m.
The train was recoupled and moved to the station where it was taken out of service.
In a message to riders released Wednesday afternoon, Metro says the investigation into the incident will be released at a future Metro Board Safety Committee meeting.
“Metro apologizes for any inconvenience you experienced as a result of this incident,” the statement says.
All cars on the train were 3000 series cars. Those cars were purchased between 1984 and 1988, with midlife overhauls between 2004 and 2008.
The problem forced Green Line trains to run in a single track between Anacostia and Navy Yard, causing delays until about 8:50 a.m.
Also, Wednesday morning, Red Line trains were delayed about 15 minutes after a switch malfunction at the Silver Spring station.
Trains destined for Silver Spring, Maryland, were turned around at the Brookland-Catholic University stop.
This is just the latest complication for the beleaguered transit agency, which is working to restore rider confidence.
Service and equipment failures have plagued Metro over the past year, including the L’Enfant Plaza smoke incident in January 2015 that led to one woman’s death. Also, there was a derailment in August that caused major delays, and a transformer fire in September at Stadium-Armory.
In October, Metro’s then-interim General Manager Jack Requa said the agency had hit a low point and it must begin to head in the right direction.
“We’ve obviously had our troubles in providing reliable service. I think people think about that when they know they have to go from point A to point B and they need to be there at a specific time,” Requa said.
