WASHINGTON — The Takoma Metrorail station on the Red Line reopened just July 18 after an all day closure due to the ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) into last month’s train crash near the station.
The station will be open today (July 19). Red Line riders should expect slower-moving trains on the line as the investigation into the cause of the June 22 collision continues. Riders can expect that their trips may take an additional 30 minutes or possibly more to complete, and they should build that added time into their plans.
Trains must continue to move one at a time at a reduced speed between the Takoma and Fort Totten Metrorail stations. This causes the other trains along the line to move slower and wait for the ones that are passing through the accident area. It also results in fewer trains along the busy Red Line because the system’s ability to move more trains is impacted when they must move one at a time between the two stations.
The Takoma station was closed Saturday for NTSB investigators to conduct site distance testing. Metro used 25 shuttle buses to carry hundreds of passengers between Fort Totten, Takoma and Silver Spring rail stations during the 12-hour closure.
Metro riders also are reminded that all trains on all color lines will be pulling to the front end of all platforms, so riders should check the passenger display signs located both on the platform and at the mezzanine level to determine where they should stand as they wait to board a train.
Eight-car trains will fill the entire platform. However, customers will notice that when six-car trains pull into a station that there will be platform space behind the train, so when the signs indicate that a six-car train is pulling into a station, customers should walk toward the center or front of the platform for easier boarding.
