Rail service on Metro’s Red Line has been restored Monday morning between the Van Ness and Farragut North stations after it was suspended for a cable incident that happened on Saturday.
Metro said shortly before 10 a.m. on Monday that crews completed work and that trains will operate to all stations every 10 minutes.
Shuttle bus service every 7 to 15 minutes will remain in place for customers until 11 a.m.
The service disruption follows reports of smoke and fire Saturday night in the area of the stations as Metro crews make repairs.
The issue began around 9:30 p.m. Saturday with reports of a track problem, smoke and firefighter activity at the Dupont Circle Station, WMATA tweeted.
D.C. Fire and EMS said an electrical issue was discovered and around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, the department reported that the burning had stopped.
WMATA put out a statement following the fire, saying that within two minutes of a fire alarm activating at a drainage pumping station near Dupont Circle, a Rail Operations Control Center attempted to contact the train to instruct it to stay at Woodley Park Station.
But, contact with the train was not successful before the train departed, according to WMATA.
“Within moment, the operator reported that he saw sparks on the tunnel wall ahead and observed smoke,” the statement said.
WMATA says that evidence suggests that there was a “failure of a low-voltage electrical cable that led to an electrical fire, which damaged adjacent cables.”
Because of this, the General Manager, Randy Clarke, has directed rail management to undertake a system-wide inspection of the low-voltage power cables, starting with the underground portion.
Here’s a look at where to catch the shuttle bus if you need it:
Red 🔴 Line shuttle stops:
🚌 Farragut N: Connecticut & L St NW
🚌 Dupont: Connecticut & Q St NW
🚌 Woodley Pk: Connecticut & Calvert St (nb)/Connecticut & 24th St NW (sb)
🚌 Van Ness: Connecticut & Veazy Terrace
🚌 Cleveland Park: Connecticut & Ordway St NW#wmata— Metrorail Info (@Metrorailinfo) August 1, 2022
Service change on Blue, Orange and Silver lines
Starting on Monday, weekday Metro trains are arriving every 15 minutes instead of every 20 minutes on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines.
Clarke announced the change at a board meeting last week.
Metro said the wait times for customers on those lines will be shorter than that, at 5 to 8 minutes, as most of those stations are services by at least two of those lines.
Additionally, the Orange Line shutdown will continue for the summer Platform Improvement Project with shuttles provided when the rail is closed every 1 to 20 minutes.
In September, Metro plans to expand the service improvements on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines to weekends providing the same level of service, every 15 minutes, on Saturdays and Sundays at the weekend fare of $2 one-way.
