Highlights:
*Train service has been restored on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines, but trains continue to share a track between Foggy Bottom and Clarendon/Arlington Cemetery.
* An arcing insulator at the Foggy Bottom station caused reports of smoke extending to Rosslyn.
* No injuries were reported but major delays continue.
Updated at 11:16 a.m.
Metro said train service has been restored on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines after several hours of delays for riders.
In a Twitter message, Metro said train service was back but noted that trains were still sharing a track in some parts and that delays remained in both directions.
Updated at 11:11 a.m
Some commuters struggled still at mid-morning to get to their jobs after major delays on Metro’s lines in Northern Virginia.
Others told stories of long commutes, clogged lines and overall headaches.
In Clarendon at one point, the line of people waiting for buses stretched more than two blocks on North Highland and 11th streets near the station. Among the scores of commuters shuffling along was Jennifer Robbins, a Capital Hill lawyer who lives in Fairfax.
“What do I think of Metro? Not much!” said Robbins, 52, as horns honked in the traffic jam around her and sirens sounded from the direction of Rosslyn. “It seems like this kind of thing happens a lot more often than it used to. So I’d like to ask them what they plan on doing about it.”
[What happens when Metro’s down? $34 for a three-mile Uber ride]
Farther back in the line, a young woman on a cellphone yelled to the crowd: “I got a ride to Foggy Bottom! Anybody want to come?” But Robbins stayed put.
“I’m sure they’re going to say it’s budget cuts and they’re doing the best they can,” she said. “But it’s certainly not good enough on a day like this. For one thing, they obviously need a lot more buses.”
A little ways behind her, John Palacini, who works for an international health organization in Northwest Washington, said: “I am missing work. A lot of work. Two hours and a half already,” and then he shook his head.
“I don’t know what they can do to overcome these situations,” said Palacini, 45, of Fairfax. “It is the organization, I think. I suggest they manage better what they are trying to do. Because they don’t manage.”
Paul Jamison, a downtown lawyer who lives in Oakton, took a calmer view, reading his tablet as he filed along in the mild spring air.
“Well, I guess it’s going to happen once in a while,” Jamison, 63, said of the delay. “I’ve been riding Metro since the ’70s, and I think it works pretty well most of the time.” But then he paused and sighed, because the line seemed not to be moving.
“Do you know about the buses?” he said, craning his neck to see far in front of him. “I mean, I have to get to work sometime.”
Updated at 11:03 a.m.
Metro said its service on the Orange, Blue and Silver lines remained suspended at the Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery stops and between Foggy Bottom and Clarendon stations. There are limited shuttle buses available. In a Twitter message, the transit agency said, “Main’t crews working to resolve.”
It did not say when the situation would be fixed and normal service would resume.
Updated at 10:50 a.m.
Arlington County fire officials said their units have cleared the scene at the Rosslyn Metro stop. There was a report of smoke there earlier in the morning and an arcing insulator at the Foggy Bottom stop. It created major delays for riders.
Updated at 10:43 a.m.
Plenty of riders had their angry and frustrated stories of loooonnnnnggggg commutes Monday morning as Metro had major troubles on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines because of an arcing insulator at the Foggy Bottom stop.
Updated at 10:24 a.m.
Have a story to tell of your horrible Metro commute this morning? Share it with me @postmetrogirl or call 202-334-7324.
Plenty of riders also expressed frustration that they were charged as they entered stations along the lines in Northern Virginia and then got caught up in long commutes and crowded stations and buses with little information on how to get around the delays from Metro officials.
Updated at 10:22 a.m.
Washington Circle has now reopened. The area was shut off to traffic earlier by D.C. police.
Updated at 10:16 a.m.
D.C. police have now blocked off the southbound lanes of 23rd Street NW at Washington Circle because of the fire department’s work in responding to smoke in Metro tunnels, officials said on social media.
Updated at 9:59 a.m.
Some frustrated Metro riders said there was a lack of information from the transit agency as to where commuters could go to get shuttle buses and avoid the mess on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines.
“It is an absolute nightmare,” said John Bevir, a TV cameraman from the U.K. He said he left his home near the Virginia Square Metro station and got stuck in the mess. Completely frustrated, he walked the three miles from that station into downtown near the White House, where he was scheduled to do a film shoot. He was not alone. He said 60 to 70 other Metro riders left the rail system and also walked across the Memorial Bridge.
Bevir’s commute went from being 25 minutes on a normal weekday to more than two hours.
“I walked past six bike racks and there wasn’t a single bike in any of them,” he said, referring to the Capital BikeShare program. “I haven’t yet seen a taxi that wasn’t full and there were 300 people trying to get on a bus at the Rosslyn stop.”
“There was just no other option,” he said as he hoofed it along M Street NW in Georgetown.
“The lack of information has made this spectacularly difficult.”
Updated at 9:45 a.m.
Metro riders shared their frustrations on social media at their long commutes from the morning of major delays in Northern Virginia.
Sally Dadjou said on Twitter that she left her Falls Church house and it took her two hours to get to the Federal Center stop. “Hellish day on Metro,” she said.
Other riders reported long waits at stops.
Updated at 9:13 a.m.
Officials said they expect to reopen part of the rail lines in Northern Virginia soon but warned that delays would continue and trains would likely be sharing a track. There was an arcing insulator earlier at the Foggy Bottom stop and that caused reports of smoke at the Rosslyn station.
Firefighters responded to the scene in Arlington and in D.C. There were no reports of injury.
For riders, the problem created major delays and overcrowding on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines.
Argh for lots of riders —
Major crowds were reported at stations.
Riders got off the train and took buses, taxis and Uber car services. There were reports of major price surges on Uber — in one case, almost five times the regular prices.
A separate incident that happened at the Capitol Heights Metro stop is now over. Fire officials in Prince George’s County said rail service has reopened between Capitol Heights and Addison Road stops. There was a report in that area of an arcing insulator there as well. Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said that incident at Capitol Heights was a “maintenance issue” and it was unrelated to the incident at Foggy Bottom. He said that it was not contributing to the delays at the Rosslyn stop.
Updated at 9:03 a.m.
Metro said riders should avoid its rail system in Northern Virginia as there are major delays from an earlier incident involving an arcing insulator near the Foggy Bottom stop.
Firefighters were on the scene and there were no reports initially of injuries. There were reports of smoke at the Rosslyn stop as well.
Dan Stessel, a Metro spokesman, said it was not immediately clear when the situation would be resolved. He said dozens of shuttle buses had been dispatched to the area but that it was tough to replicate the heavy amount of trains that go through the Rosslyn tunnel each day. He said tens of thousands of riders were impacted.
“That’s the busiest point, with the highest density of riders,” Stessel said.
Another incident in Prince George’s County at the Capitol Heights station also involved an arcing insulator but that was brought under control and not causing major delays, officials said.
Updated at 8:52 a.m.
Metro said there are significant delays Monday morning on its rail lines in Northern Virginia. There was an earlier report of an arcing insulator at the Foggy Bottom stop. No injuries have been reported at this time but there have been reports of smoke.
In a Twitter message, just before 9 a.m., Metro said that service was operating between the Franconia and Greenbelt stations, via L’Enfant stop. Riders should transfer at the L’Enfant stop for service in the direction of Foggy Bottom, they said.
Updated at 8:44 a.m.
An arcing insulator at the Foggy Bottom stop caused major delays on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines Monday morning.
Commuters reported crowded platforms and few trains. Metro suspended service on the lines between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery and between Foggy Bottom and Clarendon.
It is not clear how long the delays would last. Officials at Metro did not return phone calls seeking comments.
Firefighters in Arlington said they were on the scene at Metro’s Rosslyn stop and that there was no visible smoke but just an odor of smoke. An official with Arlington Fire department said there were no reported injuries.
D.C. fire officials are also said to be responding to a report of smoke at the Foggy Bottom stop.
Metro said it was sending buses and suggesting that riders use buses as an alternative to the rail system.
At the Clarendon stop, there were crowds and people on cell phones as they tried to figure out alternate routes. Some commuters just decided to set up and work outside in a plaza area. Outside the stop on Highland Street, there was a block long line of people waiting for Metro shuttle buses waiting for buses.
In addition, Prince George’s County Fire officials said in a Twitter message that they were also dealing with an issue at the Capital Heights Metro stop. They said there were no trains in the tunnel there but a report of smoke with light haze entering that station.
Updated at 8:34 a.m.
Arlington County Fire officials said they are at the scene at Rosslyn Metro stop and as of 8:30 a.m. had no visible smoke in that area but there remained an odor of smoke.
They also said there are no reported injuries.
They had been called to the scene for a report of smoke earlier in the morning. D.C. Fire was also said to be responding to the Foggy Bottom station.
Capt. Gregg Karl with the Arlington County Fire department said there was a report of an insulator fire at the Foggy Bottom stop. He said generally as the trains move, they pull smoke through the tunnel.
Updated at 8:17 a.m.
Metro said it is suspending train service on the Orange, Blue and Silver Lines between several stops after a report of smoke near the Rosslyn stop.
The service is suspended between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery and between Foggy Bottom and Clarendon. Firefighters are responding to the scene. Details about the incident were not immediately known.
Metro said it is requesting buses. It is not clear how long the delays would last.
Updated at 8:11 a.m.
Multiple riders on Metro said there are reports of heavy smoke at the Rosslyn stop in Northern Virginia on Monday morning.
At 8:15 a.m., Arlington County Fire officials said they had received a call from Metro for a report of smoke and are sending personnel to the Rosslyn stop.
Metro officials did not immediately return calls. Earlier in the morning, Metro had said trains were sharing a track between the Addison Road and Stadium Armory stops. They said riders should expect delays.
Updated at 7:45 a.m.
Trains are sharing a track between the Addison Road and Stadium Armory stops.
There was an earlier track problem outside the Addison Road station. It was not immediately known how long the delays — in both directions of the Blue and Orange lines — would last.
Original post at 7:29 a.m.
Riders on Metro’s Orange, Blue and Silver lines should expect delays Monday.
There was a disabled train at the McPherson Square stop.
And there was a track problem outside of the Addison Road station.
It was not immediately clear when the problems would be resolved.
