Some passengers on an Orange Line train headed to New Carrollton Sunday night had quite the unexpected trip.

Continue reading

Riders said there was a power outage on the train. Some passengers were stranded for more than two hours in the dark on the trains.

Metro officials explained the issue Monday morning, saying there was track damage.

“What happened last night is that we had damage to the third rail in two locations, and that damage in turn caused damage to passing trains,” says WMATA spokesman Dan Stessel.

Metro was forced to suspended service on the Orange line between Stadium Armory and New Carrollton

Most trains were able to get to other stations just fine. But one train, holding 44 passengers, was stranded outside the Cheverly station for more than two hours.

The trapped riders were all moved to the first train car with the conductor until help arrived.

“This is a billion dollar system,” says rider Carla Dickerson, who was stuck on the train. “This is not acceptable at 28 degrees outside.”

Metro officials say they regret that the issue happened, but are glad no one was hurt.

“We never want to see passengers delayed for extended periods of time, but the more important thing for us was that this was handled safely,” says Stessel.