DC Metro train derails near Reagan National Airport

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority had to temporarily suspended Metrorail service on the blue and yellow lines between two stations following a train derailment.

The derailment occurred between the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Potomac Yard stations in Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia, with service between the stations being suspended for nearly two hours on Friday.

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In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, WMATA said there were no injuries reported from the derailment and that shuttle buses would replace rail service between the two stations during the suspension in service.

WMATA confirmed that “approximately 50 customers” who were on the derailed train were transferred by shuttle bus to a different train to “continue their trip.”

The transit agency announced service would resume between the two stations, with single-tracking between the Potomac Yard and Pentagon City stations just before 1 p.m. EDT. WMATA said trains would operate every 12-24 minutes due to the single-tracking, but that additional blue line trains would run from the Downtown Largo and Arlington National Cemetery stations to “minimize congestion.”

(Kaelan Deese / Washington Examiner)

The Potomac Yard station is the newest station to open in the Metrorail system, opening as an infill station in May 2023. The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station is one of the system’s oldest, opening in 1977.

The derailment comes nearly two years after a derailment on the blue line between the Rosslyn and Arlington National Cemetery stations in Arlington, Virginia, caused the transit agency to pull its 7000 series trains after a malfunction with the wheels was discovered.

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Since the incident, 7000 series trains have been brought back into service with the transit agency now touting running “more train service than at any time in its 47-year history.”

WMATA is currently facing its own struggles with a $750 million budget gap starting next summer, as commuters slowly return to the system after the pandemic. Transit agency leaders are asking regional leaders for an increase in funding and are warning of possible hiring freezes, employee layoffs, and slow train service, if the budget gap cannot be met.