Community Corner

Water Intrusion May Be Culprit for Red Line Problems

Metro again reported a smoking insulator near Bethesda Tuesday afternoon, prompting trains to single-track between Friendship Heights and Medical Center.

Metro again reported trains single tracking between Friendship Heights and Medical Center shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday as the afternoon rush was nearing. A Metro spokesman told Patch the cause was a sparking insulator near Bethesda, and a near Bethesda last week also prompted trains to single-track between the same stations.

Metro reported around 3:30 p.m. that the issue was resolved and trains had resumed running on both tracks, but residual delays were continuing.

TBD recently reported that problems near Bethesda have been ongoing, and commuters have been running into lots of incidents of single-tracking recently between Friendship Heights and Medical Center — some for scheduled maintenance, but others for track issues that have been cropping up.

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel told Patch that Metro is working to correct a water intrusion problem in the tunnels near the Bethesda station, and water coming into contact with the third rail may be accountable for the smoking insulators causing all the problems. Aging insulators may also be the culprit.

Taubenkibel said Metro is replacing insulators in the area along with working to fix the water problem, with work beginning in the last month or so. Metro will again be working on that area of track the first weekend in March, Taubenkibel said.

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Trains will be single-tracking between Friendship Heights and Medical Center from 10 p.m. Friday March 4 to closing Sunday March 6.


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