A train operator and a Metro employee in charge of rail yard movements “violated standard operating procedure,” resulting in the derailment of a Red Line train at the Brentwood rail yard on March 10, Metro officials said.
The train was being moved inside the yard when the operator apparently ran a red signal, according to Metro’s initial reports. The front two wheels of the four-car train derailed, causing damage to the track and third rail. No one was injured and no passengers were aboard.
The train operator was suspended for 30 days without pay and the other worker was suspended for 10 days, also without pay, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel told the Washington Examiner.
The derailment was the second in a four-week span caused by running a red light. On Feb. 12, a Red Line train derailed at Farragut North, causing minor injuries to three people. The train operator in that incident was dismissed.
The Brentwood derailment in March was not made public. Two Metro employees who asked not to be named alerted the Examiner to the story.
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The incident was not released to the public because it happened in the rail yard and did not affect service, Metro Director of Public Relations Lisa Farbstein told NBCWashington.com.
