Below-freezing temperatures led to frustrating (and in some cases, shivery) waits for commuters in the D.C. area Thursday morning.
At the height of the trouble, five of Metro's six lines had delays, and the Orange and Silver lines continued to single-track into the early afternoon between East Falls Church and Ballston due to a broken rail. Metro said around 1 p.m. that repairs had been completed.
Trains on the Red, Green and Yellow lines also experienced delays earlier Tuesday.
It's safe to say that the cold weather wreaked havoc on Metrorail. WMATA officials said the below-freezing temperatures caused brake problems on some trains; the doors wouldn't close on others. Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said the drastic temperature swing this week contributed.
The transit agency said it does have extra crews out checking the system to try to stay ahead of any issues when it is this cold.
Leon Minor got stuck underground when his train stopped running. "Thirty minutes at one station, Ballston," he said.
Trains also single-tracked between College Park and Prince George's Plaza on the Green and Yellow lines due to a broken rail outside Prince George's Plaza. Repairs to that rail were completed around 10:30 a.m.
A disabled train on the near the Grosvenor station on the Red Line also had trains single-tracking for a short time.
Commuters vented their frustration on Twitter using the hashtag #WMATA, with many posts including photos of stations and trains jam-packed with people. One Twitter user wrote that he loves being told to avoid lines that have delays, adding, "OK, I'll just move my house and job for the day."
Metro said riders who were terribly inconvenienced can call customer service at 202-637-1328.
