Disaster commute of 8-15-14

[JDC]

http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/P ... aseID=5759. Speculation is rampant about how the trains are becoming disabled, why it's only the Blue line if the issue is supposedly under the Potomac, etc. Metro admits delays of 30 minutes on all affected lines, so that really means 1+ hours.

[JDC]

Metro has told WTOP that it was a cracked third rail between Arlington Cemetery and Rosslyn that caused the trains to become disabled. http://www.wtop.com/41/3682657/Metro-su ... ward-Largo

[YOLO]

There is a metro employee that is claiming that the problem started midnight (last train of yesterday's service) but nothing was done about it.

http://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/co ... am/cjqy7fs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Sand Box John]

According to media reports the Blue line power issues was the result of a "cracked third rail". From what I could surmise from WMATA's 11:25 AM press release the broken third rail created a misalignment at that location knocking off the all third rail shoes on the left side of the trains as they passed the misalignment point. When trains reached the point between Foggy Bottom and Farragut West where the third rail changes from the right side to the left they lost power because there were no third rail shoes on left side of the trains. The misaligned cracked third rail was likely just outside the tunnel portal south of Rosslyn as the third rail changes from left side to right side there.