News4 video confirms the train that derailed Friday was a 7000-series train. The 7000-series trains were taken out of service after an October 2021 derailment outside Arlington Cemetery. After that derailment, it was discovered that the wheels on 7000-series railcars had been moving outward. That shift is what caused the October 2021 derailment. News4’s Adam Tuss reports.
A Metrorail train derailed late Friday morning between the Potomac Yard and National Airport stations in Northern Virginia, transit officials said.
No one was injured, they said.
The train was heading toward Potomac Yard when it derailed just south of the National Airport station. Metro said 43 passengers from the derailed train were transferred via shuttle to continue their trips.
News4 video and WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke both confirm the train that derailed Friday was a 7000-series train. Clarke added that the train was an 11 a.m. Blue Line train en route to Springfield, Virginia.
Friday's derailment was caused by a piece of a 3000-series train, possibly from a brake assembly, that was left behind on the tracks, according to Clarke. The 3000-series train involved had had its daily inspection, Clarke said, although its last wheel inspection was Sept. 1. Wheel inspections for Metro trains happen every 30 days.
The 7000-series trains were taken out of service after an October 2021 derailment outside Arlington Cemetery. After that derailment, it was discovered that the wheels on 7000-series railcars had been moving outward. That shift is what caused the October 2021 derailment.
In April of this year, Metro and the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission approved a plan to move to the final phase of returning all 7000-series trains to service.
Metro does not believe that the derailment on Friday was caused by issues with the 7000-series train, Clarke said.
On Saturday, Metro said it was ordering 2000-series and 3000-series trains that have not yet completed an inspection held from service "out of abundance of caution," after finding 12 cars with at least one loosening bolt on brake assembly.
It appeared that Friday's derailment occurred at a low speed as the train was leaving the airport. It happened in a tricky spot, on the tracks atop an elevated structure outside the airport. If the derailment had happened with more of a violent movement, the outcome could have been very different.
"But that being said, this is the worst-case scenario for Metro," News4 transportation reporter Adam Tuss said. "The transit agency has been trying to get these rail cars in particular back on the system and convince people that they are safe."
Metro trains continue to single-track in the area
Blue and Yellow line service was briefly suspended between the National Airport and Potomac Yard stations, with shuttle buses traveling between those stations to connect riders back to rail service.
Trains have been single-tracking through the area since service resumed about noon.
As of about 5 p.m. Friday, trains were running every 12 minutes, with additional trains between Largo and Arlington Cemetery.
Riders should continue to expect delays in both directions, Metro said late Friday afternoon.
Potomac Yard is Metrorail's newest station. It opened in May.
U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Virginia, posted on X: "I am working to get more information about this morning's Blue Line train derailment. Obviously very, very concerning but the most important thing is that everyone on the train appears to be safe and unharmed."
7000-series cars were previously pulled from the tracks after 2021 derailment
Nearly two years ago, on Oct. 12, 2021, a 7000-series Metro train derailed as it was traveling from Rosslyn toward Arlington Cemetery. Passengers had to be taken off the train and walked through a tunnel. That doesn't seem to be in a situation with Friday's incident, as it appears that another train came in and took everybody off and got them back to the platform.
"But after that issue two years ago, that's when really the curtain was pulled back on what was going on with these railcars, which were supposed to be the shining star, the savior, of the Metro fleet," News4 transportation reporter Adam Tuss said.
The 7000-series cars make up about 60% of Metro's fleet. As the transit agency's newest railcars, they're supposed to be stronger and last longer.
"But what we found out after that derailment two years ago is that something is going on with the wheel on these railcars, something that was known about and had never been raised up to the chain of command to then-Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld," Tuss said.
The wheels essentially were being pushed outward on the 7000-series cars.
"Metro mechanics had done everything they could up into that point, to kind of mitigate that issue," Tuss said.
After the 2021 derailment, the NTSB got involved, and Metro's top safety watchdog, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, started taking a hard look at what was going on with the 7000-series railcars. They found that the pressure that was used to push the wheels onto the train was changed for some reason, and it wasn't as strong as the requirements for Metro's other railcars.
The agencies started digging into what was going on with the manufacturer, trying to determine if the specification had changed where the wheel wouldn't be pressed onto these trains with the same sort of force.
However, since that 2021 derailment, we still haven't gotten a final conclusion about what exactly has been going on with those railcars. Metro has had to convince the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission and all of its safety oversight groups that it inspects those wheels regularly, first on a weekly basis and then on a biweekly basis.
Clarke, the current Metro GM, told reporters on Friday that wheels are currently inspected every 30 days.
"They were doing that much more frequently right after the derailment two years, and then gradually over time, I guess people became more comfortable with the fact that the wheels weren't that much more out of alignment," Tuss said. "They were able to increase the interval between when they actually inspected these railcars."
In addition to concerns that they haven't truly fixed this issue, Metro could be ordered to pull the train off the system again once again.
If Metro has to pull the 7000-series — which, again, comprise 60% of its fleet — the progress that Metro's made over the past couple of years, including the promises of shorter train wait times, would be put on hold again.
"All of the promises, 'You can go back to the office because we're going to be able to carry you,' all the federal workforce coming back, [will be] thrown out the window because these railcars are going to be taken off the track," Tuss said.
Metro would have to go back to their older railcars, which are much less reliable, and Metro would likely have to spend a lot of money to fix the wheels on the 7000-series cars.
Clarke said Friday that Metro does not believe the derailment was caused by issues with the 7000-series trains. He added that inspections on the 3000-series trains should not cause long-term service delays.
