DC Metro Blue Line service suspended

The Washington, D.C., Metrorail subway system suspended service on its Blue Line on Friday after multiple trains became disabled, official with the transit agency said. 

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) said it was suspending service on the Blue Line, which has been the source of earlier service cuts, because “at least four Blue Line trains have become mechanically disabled this morning, resulting in significant delays that also affect Orange and Silver line trains. 

“Riders traveling inbound from Virginia should use Yellow Line trains and transfer at L’Enfant Plaza to get to their destination,” the agency said. “Blue Line service from Largo to Franconia-Springfield continues to operate. Track inspectors are walking the Blue Line now attempting to locate the problem area.” 

{mosads}Earlier this year, riders of the Metrorail system, which is the second busiest transit network in the U.S., launched a petition to stop service cuts that were planned for the agency’s Blue Line when its new Silver Line opened last month. 

The petition complained about Metro officials’ decision to reduce service during rush hour on the Blue Line to every 12 minutes to accommodate trains from the Silver Line extension in northern Virginia. 

Trains on most other Metro lines currently run about every six minutes during rush hours. 

Trains on the Silver Line share tracks in downtown Washington with Metro’s Blue and Orange lines, which the agency said Friday were experiencing delays of “30 minutes or more for some trains.”