All articles tagged with #wmata
A Metrobus caught fire in the 9th Street Tunnel in Northwest DC around 7 p.m., sending a heavy black smoke plume over Downtown. The tunnel and the 9th Street Expressway were closed as firefighters fought the blaze; the driver was unharmed. Metro said the hybrid-diesel bus prompted a precautionary fleet inspection affecting all 32 buses.
An overnight collision at Metro Center where a work vehicle on the Silver Line hit a stationary train injured 11 people with non-life-threatening injuries. The NTSB is investigating; Metro says no signs of foul play or infrastructure issues. Expect significant delays on the Orange and Blue Lines with single-track service between McPherson Square and Smithsonian. Silver Line trains run between Ashburn and Clarendon. Riders heading to New Carrollton or Downtown Largo should use the Orange Line.
With the FBI headquarters moving to Maryland, there is an opportunity to expedite a Green Line extension to BWI Marshall Airport. The completion of the Silver Line provides a direct Metro link to Dulles Airport, making an airport link for BWI more viable. A Green Line extension would not only offer quick access to Maryland's largest airport but also lay the foundation for a possible branch into Columbia. While there are alternatives, bringing existing plans closer to fruition quickly is a significant argument for a Green Line extension.
A former contractor for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) retained access to "critical and sensitive" data from his computer in Russia after leaving his job, according to a report from the WMATA's inspector general. The report raises concerns about the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of the transit system, which serves hundreds of thousands of people each day in the nation's capital. The incident highlights the risk of outsourcing IT work to Russia, and the inspector general plans to review WMATA's cybersecurity practices and background investigations.