A $750 million funding gap is expected to hit next summer, transit officials said Tuesday. In the meantime, they’re working to come up with solutions.

“We know this has been coming,” WMATA board Chair Paul Smedberg said.

Inflation and the need to pay workers more to hire and retain them played a role, he said.

”I think one of the biggest reasons why the number is so big is because of the pandemic and the impacts of that. You know, the lack of ridership,” Smedberg said.

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Metro had seemed to be getting back on track in many regards, with new stations, more service and new trains on order.

The agency’s budget has two sides: the capital budget and the operating budget. The capital budget covers costs such as trains, buses, stations and tracks. That budget is in good shape. The operating budget covers costs such as pay for bus operators, train operators and other staff. Metro says that’s where the huge budget shortfall lies.

Metro General Manager Randy Clarke recently spoke with News4 about the funding issue during a tour of the new Potomac Yard–VT station in Northern Virginia.

“We need to solve once and for all, in my opinion, our operating funding and have a predictable, sustainable source. Because who wants to do these big capital projects that everyone celebrates, and then go, ‘Well, are we not going to run that many trains through there?’” he said.

Metro briefed reporters on some of the potential service cuts that would have to be made without new funding, including 20 to 30-minute wait times for trains and a system that closes at 9:30 every night. Thousands of positions would have to slashed as well.

Metro is basically the only major transit system that does not have a dedicated source of funding such as a sales tax or gas tax set aside for it. We’re hearing tough conversations are about to happen with our local governors and D.C.’s mayor about finding the funding.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.

The I-Team has tracked Metro fare evasion citations for months. Metro’s CEO pledged an increase in citations late last year and agency data shows enforcement is way up this year over last. Despite the increase, citations in the District of Columbia are still far behind those in Maryland and Virginia.

Metro statistics show a nearly 600% increase in the number of citations issued for Metro fare evasion in the first five months of 2023. In May alone, officers patrolling the transit system issued 681 fare evasion citations. An I-Team analysis however found just 29 of those citations were issued in D.C. itself – despite Metro’s insistence that the vast majority of fare evasion happens in the District.

Metro has not replied to repeated requests for explanation or an interview over the past two weeks.

D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto wants to make it easier to enforce fare evasion in D.C. Pinto, the chair of D.C.’s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, introduced a new bill she says will close a persistent loophole and could cut violent crime on the system.

Pinto explained to the I-Team current D.C. law makes it easy to evade a fare evasion ticket.

“Right now, if somebody jumps the turnstile and transit police say, ‘Hey, you can’t do that. I need your name,’ the person can just walk away from them,” Pinto said.

Under her proposed bill, offenders must give officers their name and address (not necessarily an ID). If not, they can be detained and possibly face a fine of $100, twice the current $50 fare evasion fine in D.C.

Maryland and Virginia already have tougher fare evasion laws.

Metro CEO Randy Clarke backs the bill, believing it will increase enforcement further, saying in a letter to Pinto, “When (Metro) increases fare enforcement, our Part I (serious) crime number is lower,” adding, “the vast majority of persons who commit criminal acts within Metro fare evade.”

Pinto shared Clarke’s sentiment.

“I believe we will be more successful in stopping some of the violent crime when we could have an enforcement mechanism for fare evasion,” she said.

The bill is likely headed for a D.C. Council hearing later this summer. If it passes, fare evasion would still be a civil penalty in D.C. The D.C. Council voted to decriminalize fare evasion in 2018.  

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Former mayor and Councilman Vincent Grey and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson support the bill. 

Plenty of people in D.C. believe Metro should be free, especially for low-income riders. The I-Team heard from them reporting on the start of the fare evasion crackdown months ago.

The D.C. Council decided not to move toward that with a free bus plan this year but will soon give discounts to SNAP recipients.

Pinto also said she wants to make it easier for young people to access their free passes, which are already available.

Reported by Ted Oberg, produced by Rick Yarborough and Katie Leslie, and shot and edited by Steve Jones.

From June 3 to June 25, Metro will be working to replace the 40-year-old steel rails on the lines. This means service will be suspended on the Orange Line between Vienna and Ballston-MU and the Silver Line between McLean and Ballston-MU, interrupting train service to Washington Dulles International Airport for travelers going to or from D.C., Maryland or east of Ballston-MU.

The additional free shuttle service comes after complaints and lines of customers waiting earlier in the week.

Outside the Rosslyn Metro station on Sunday, there was a lot of hustling and helping. It wasn’t just Metro buses being used to shuffle riders to their destinations, but charter buses, too. Guide workers were spread out, providing passengers with the information they needed. 

Alisa Fernland commutes into and out of Washington, D.C., which means having reliable public transportation service is a must.

“It’s nice that they’re free. It even saves money rather than going all the way to McLean on the Metro. This is cheaper for me,” she said. “I have to use these every day.”

Metro said in a statement that “as with all shutdowns, we continuously monitor shuttle operations, particularly in the first few days, to determine if additional resources or changes are needed.”

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“It’s been fantastic… Time was perfect, service is very fantastic,” one rider said.

“I like the train,” another said. “I like the Metro better, but in a situation like this, if we have the option of the shuttle and it’s free, why not?” 

During the Monday commute, riders were both caught off guard by the shuttles and relieved.

“I had to Google it, but I was just surprised that it was like, I didn’t know what to expect, but an actual bus. But, I was like I guess I have to take it,” rider Josea Evan said.

“The commute is actually not bad going back and forth from the different airports. It’s not as bad as I thought it was gonna be, so it’s actually pretty good,” rider De’von Shelton said.

The four stations that will be closed in June are Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church.

Shuttle buses will run every five minutes during rush hour and every 10 minutes during non-rush hour times. Metro is also offering an express shuttle between Rosslyn and McLean.

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Court documents state that the mezzanine area at Shady Grove station was crowded at around 11:15 p.m. on May 31, when one man began pistol-whipping another man, and the gun discharged.

Eli Q. Brown, 35, is charged with attempted first-degree murder. 

The bullet ricocheted off the brown floor tiles–now repaired–and traveled through the mezzanine. It left a hole in the drywall on the underside of a set of stairs yards away.

Images show police serving a warrant at Brown’s Rockville residence the next day.

Court documents reveal that detectives learned Brown’s teenage daughter knew the victim, and that Brown was looking for him because of a disagreement. 

Authorities said multiple cameras at the station captured parts of the crime. They allegedly show Brown and two teenagers (one male, one female) parking in front of the station entrance, then walking down to the mezzanine level.

Brown, wearing a purple latex glove on his right hand, tucked himself in a corner while the female teenager appeared to be watching for someone to exit the fare gates, authorities said. 

She appeared to point out the victim when he walked out. The victim was with a group, and there was a heated verbal exchange. 

Then, police said Brown pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun from his sweatshirt, pointed it in the face of a woman in the group and appeared to order her to turn around. 

Brown allegedly hit the male victim in the head with the gun, which discharged.

Cameras allegedly show the suspect and the teenagers fleeing in a dark-colored Nissan sedan. 

A photo taken by a witness captured Metro police preparing to tow a dark blue Nissan sedan from the parking lot of Brown’s residence the day the warrant was served. 

The incident is part of an uptick in shootings at Metro stations that leaves many riders concerned for their safety.

The man who was pistol-whipped refused treatment for his injuries and was described as being uncooperative with detectives.

Metro will cut fares to low-income riders by 50% through what the agency calls the Metro Lift program. Enrollment begins June 20. The goal is to give “equitable, affordable access” to public transit, Metro said.

“Our priority is making transportation accessible for all customers. The savings from this program will give our customers opportunities to access jobs with higher wages, travel to medical appoints, and access more of region,” General Manager Randy Clarke said in a statement. “We understand that every dollar counts, and that accessibility to reliable, affordable transportation is a difference maker, especially in this region.”

Metro estimates that about half of Metrobus riders and 15% of Metrorail riders will be eligible.

Here’s what you need to know.

Who’s eligible for half-price Metro fares?

Any Metrorail or Metrobus rider in D.C., Maryland or Virginia who qualifies for federal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits qualifies for Metro Lift.

You’ll have to show:

• A SmarTrip card for yourself and each member of your household who you wish to enroll
• Your active SNAP EBT card
• A copy of your SNAP proof of benefits, if you’re applying for your household
• Current photo ID issued by “the U.S., DC, Maryland, or Virginia” and
• Your phone number

How to sign up for half-price Metro fares

Enrollment starts online on Tuesday, June 20 and in person on Monday, June 26.

If you’re applying online, visit wmata.com/MetroLift. (The page is set to be online starting Monday, June 12.) Metro says there will be an enrollment form to fill out. Then the discount will be loaded to your SmarTrip card within 48 hours.

If you want to apply in person, you’ll need to make an appointment either at wmata.com/MetroLift or by calling 1-888-SmarTrip (888-762-7874). In-person enrollment will be available at three locations:

• Metro Center Metro station, 12th & F streets NW entrance, mezzanine level, D.C.
• Metro headquarters, 300 Seventh Street SW, D.C.
• New Carrollton Metro office, 4100 Garden City Drive Hyattsville, Maryland

Metro said it’s working to expand the number of places where people can enroll. If you enroll in person, the discount will be available immediately.

Once someone is enrolled, the fare discount will be valid for one year.

People who already receive discounted Metro fares do not need to enroll in Metro Lift.

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The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said there was insufficient evidence to pursue federal civil rights charges or D.C. criminal charges against the FBI agent, who has never been named, in the killing of 28-year-old Troy Bullock.

On Dec. 7, 2022, the off-duty agent was standing on the platform at the station shortly after 6 p.m. when he said he saw Bullock starting a fight with someone else, prosecutors said. When the agent stepped in and told Bullock he should leave the person alone, Bullock became aggressive, grabbed the agent and pushed him, which caused the two to fall down an 8-foot drop over a utility wall at the station, the attorney’s office said.

As the struggle continued, the off-duty agent drew his service weapon and shot Bullock, who died at the station, authorities said.

“After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors have found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the agent used excessive force under the circumstances,” the attorney’s office said in a statement.

Police later said that Bullock was carrying an unlicensed firearm at the time of the incident and they found a 6-inch knife that belonged to Bullock.

The FBI agent was treated at a hospital for minor injuries, police said.

‘It was very scary; I have never seen anything like it’

Witness Lisa Crawford told News4 after the shooting that she was on her phone like many other riders when her train pulled into Metro Center and she looked up.

“It was like a zombie movie,” she said. “People were running for their lives.”

Crawford said she yelled, “Everybody get down! Active shooter!”

“I was screaming at the top of my lungs,” she said.

Crawford, who said she teaches math at a school near the White House, said an active shooter training video shown at work about a week ago gave her the strength to do it.

“And then the train took off,” she said.

When the train got to Gallery Place, people started helping others get up and the train operator told everyone to get off the train, Crawford said.

“People just ran out the train,” she said.

She and others eventually got back on the train and continued their commutes.

“It was very scary; I have never seen anything like it,” Crawford said.

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From June 3 to June 25, service will be suspended on the Orange Line between Vienna and Ballston-MU and the Silver Line between McLean and Ballston-MU , interrupting train service to Washington Dulles International Airport for travelers going to or from D.C., Maryland or east of Ballston-MU.

Then, two of those Orange Line stations will remain closed into July.

Free shuttle buses will replace trains, including the Silver Line Limited shuttle, which will run directly between Dulles Airport, Rosslyn and McLean, Metro said.

Metro plans to replace a 40-year-old steel rail between the Ballston-MU and Vienna stations, saying it’s a top priority to ensure safety. Fiber optic cables will also be installed during the shutdown.

There’s also some intense work happening on aerial bridges that Metro operates, and a Green Line shutdown planned for later this summer. Go here for a full list of Metro’s planned summer track work.

When Will Orange, Silver Line Stations Be Closed in Virginia?

Four stations closed on June 3: Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church.

On June 26, two of those will reopen: West Falls Church and East Falls Church.

However, the Vienna and Dunn Loring stations will remain closed through July 16.

How to Get Around During Vienna to Ballston-MU Closure (June 3-25)

Commuters can use free shuttles to get around closed stations.

Here’s what Metro says about the shuttles:

• 🟠 Orange Line Shuttle: Local service between Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church, East Falls Church, and Ballston-MU stations
  • Silver Line Shuttle: Local service between McLean, East Falls Church, and Ballston-MU stations (Mon. – Thurs. 5 a.m. – 12 a.m., Fri. 5 a.m. – 1 a.m., Sat. 7 a.m. – 1 a.m., Sun. 7 a.m. – 12 a.m.)
  • Service every 5 minutes during rush hours (6 – 9 a.m., 3 – 7 p.m.)
  • Service every 10 minutes during non-rush hours
• ⚪ Silver Line Shuttle: Local service between McLean, East Falls Church, and Ballston-MU stations
  • Silver Line Shuttle: Local service between McLean, East Falls Church, and Ballston-MU stations
  • Every 5 minutes during rush hours. (6 – 9 a.m., 3 – 7 p.m.)
  • Every 10 minutes all other times.
• 🔶 Orange Line Express: Express service between Vienna and Rosslyn stations
  • Service available 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends
  • Service every 5 minutes during rush hours (6 – 9 a.m., 3 – 7 p.m.)
  • Service every 10 minutes during non-rush hours (9 a.m. – 3 p.m., 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.)
• ⬜ Silver Line Limited: Limited-stop service between Washington Dulles International Airport, McLean, and Rosslyn
  • Service available 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends
  • Service every 5 minutes during rush hours (6 – 9 a.m., 3 – 7 p.m.)
  • Service every 10 minutes during non-rush hours (9 a.m. – 3: p.m., 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.)

Travelers headed to Dulles can also use Fairfax Connector and Virginia Breeze buses. However, note that the 5A Metrobus service to Dulles has been eliminated.

Orange and Silver line trains will continue to operate outside of the closure area. The schedule for Orange and Silver line service in this period is:

• Silver Line trains will run between Ballston-MU and Downtown Largo every 12 to 15 minutes, plus between Ashburn and McLean every 8 to 10 minutes.
• Orange line trains will run between Ballston-MU and New Carrollton every 12 to 15 minutes.

“In the downtown core area, customers will continue to find frequent service at stations served by multiple lines,” Metro said.

Metro’s Trip Planner can help you figure out your route and the best timing.

How to Get Around During Vienna to West Falls Church Closure (June 26 to July 16)

The Vienna and Dunn Loring stations will remain closed until July 16 while crews continue rail replacement and fiber-optic installation, Metro says.

Here’s what Metro says about the shuttle service:

• Orange Line Shuttle: Local service between Vienna, Dunn Loring and West Falls Church during Metrorail operating hours.
  • Service every 5-10 minutes on weekdays.
  • Service every 10 minutes on weekends.

During this time, Orange Line trains will continue to run every 12-15 minutes between West Falls Church and New Carrollton.

Next Up: Green Line Work

Toward the end of the summer, between July 22 and Sept. 4, stations will be closed and there will be no Green Line service between Fort Totten and Greenbelt.

On the weekend of July 22-23, five stations will be closed: Fort Totten, West Hyattsville, Hyattsville Crossing, College Park-U of Md and Greenbelt closed.

While Fort Totten is expected to reopen July 24, the other four stations will remain closed through Labor Day, Sept. 4.

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Among the features are:

• seats with more cushion
• heated floors that radiate warmth throughout the railcars more efficiently
• fewer seats but more room for people – about 30 more riders per car
•  an open walkway concept between railcars, allowing riders to spread out more easily

With aluminum shells, each 8000-series railcar will weigh about 1,000 pounds less than their 7000-series counterparts, which are made of stainless steel. Metro says they are just as strong.

Metro General Manager Randy Clarke beamed as he spoke about the new features, but he said he knows the trains still need to show up on time as well.

“I think it’s modern, and, again, it’s about the future, but all those things only matter if it’s safe, frequent and reliable, right?” he said.

It will cost an estimated $2.2 billion to build up to 800 of the railcars.

“Long term, we estimate at least a $10 million energy savings over the life of the vehicle, so it’s not only environmentally better, it’s fiscally better, and I think as leaders of the organization, it’s our job to make every dollar of taxpayer money go into running the system as best as possible,” Clarke said.

The railcars will be built in Hagerstown, Maryland, by Hitachi Rail STS, a different company than the one that built the 7000 series. They are expected to be ready in 2026.

Metro previously said the victim died at the scene, but that report was incorrect.

A dispute on an escalator led to the shooting of Tenneson Vaughn Leslie, Jr., an 18-year-old man from Greenbelt, on the platform shortly before 6 p.m., according to Montgomery County police.

According to detectives, Leslie, Jr. was with a group of people. His group got into a fight with the another group, which escalated into the shooting on the metro platform.

A manhunt is underway for the shooter after all suspects fled. Police searched the woods just north of the station and are reviewing surveillance images from the station. The shooter or shooters still have not been found.

Leslie, Jr. suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

The station remained closed late Thursday. Red Line service was suspended in the area.

A recent increase in violent crime in Metro stations led to new security measures.

“I do know that Metro has partnered with other jurisdictions, as well as Montgomery County police, to ensure that there is a police presence in some of the Metro stations,” said Shiera Goff of Montgomery County police.

Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said Friday reiterated the safety of the transit system, and said the agency has boosted patrols.

“Once in a while, community issues will unfortunately spill into the Metro environment,” Clarke said. “I fundamentally believe Metro is a very safe place to be. I’m on the system every single day. That doesn’t mean we’re ever going to stop trying to work on safety and make everyone feel comfortable.”

Clarke added that gun violence is a broader issue that affects more than just the Metro.

“I think we have a national issue. Metro can do its part, but we need a lot of other people to step up and start dealing with gun violence in our country.”

Stay with News4 for updates to this story.

The Metrorail system opens at 5 a.m. on weekdays. The Potomac Yard station opened its doors by about 5:15 a.m.

Where Is the Potomac Yard Metro Station?

Located between Reagan National Airport and Braddock Road, Potomac Yard 🔵🟡 will be just the second-ever “infill” station on Metro, meaning that it was built between existing stations. (In case you were wondering, the first was New York Avenue, which opened in 2004 and was later renamed to NoMa–Gallaudet U.)

There are three entrances to the station, Metro says. While the main entrances are at the north and south pavilions, there is also an entrance from the neighborhood on Potomac Greens.

Metro shared these addresses for the main entrances, which connect to the station via a pedestrian walkway:

• North Pavilion: 3201 University Drive, Alexandria, Virginia
• South Pavilion: 3001 Potomac Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia

You can also use the Potomac Yard Trail to get to the station if you’re on foot or bike.

The station is set in what Metro and the city call “the fastest growing area of Alexandria,” and it’s adjacent to the future site of Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus — hence, the “VT” part of the the station’s full name.

What Metro Lines Does Potomac Yard Serve?

Potomac Yard 🔵🟡 is on the Blue and Yellow lines, a single stop away from the Reagan National Airport station. It’s four stops from the Pentagon station, from which the Yellow Line then crosses the Potomac River into D.C.

Metro’s Yellow Line bridge recently experienced a lengthy closure for long-overdue repairs, but it reopened earlier this month.

What Does the New Metro Map Look Like as of May 2023?

See the full map below (or go here for a larger version):

Metro’s map is looking pretty different from even a couple of years ago. In addition to the new Potomac Yard station, the six final planned stations on the Silver Line opened last fall.

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How Long Will It Take to Get to Downtown DC, Reagan National Airport or Dulles?

The Potomac Yard station is close to the D.C. river crossing and also offers access to nearby transfer points. It’s five stops from L’Enfant Plaza, which connects to the Green, Orange, Blue and Silver lines.

If you’re heading north, note that the Blue and Yellow lines split off from each other at the Pentagon station. Heading south, the Blue and Yellow lines split at King Street.

Here are some estimated travel times (according to WMATA’s online Trip Planner) to a selection of popular stations:

• Dulles International Airport station: 75 minutes
• Dupont Circle: 35 minutes
• L’Enfant Plaza: 14 minutes
• Metro Center: 23 minutes
• Pentagon: 9 minutes
• Reagan National Airport station: 3 minutes
• Smithsonian station: 26 minutes
• U Street: 27 minutes

However, remember that travel times for your specific trip may vary.

Will Potomac Yard Have Parking? What About Bikes?

No, parking won’t be available, and there won’t be a Kiss & Ride drop-off area, either. However, the station will offer connections to other regional transportation options, Bike & Ride facilities, and walking paths to the station from the surrounding area.

Secure bike parking for up to 49 bikes will be available at the station’s North Pavilion. In addition, Capital Bikeshare stations are located nearby.

Which Bus Lines Will Service Potomac Yard?

You’ll find Metroway and DASH bus stops near the North Pavilion entrance. Here’s the planned bus service and boarding locations (as of May 17), according to WMATA:

What Else Should I Know About Opening Day?

While trains began serving the station at about 5:15 a.m., a grand opening will be held later in the morning. Metro General Manager Randy Clarke, Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson and Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner are among the expected speakers.

After a ribbon cutting, a special event train will depart Potomac Yard to King Street.

Riders will be able to purchase commemorative SmarTrip cards at the station. Metro usually also hands out pennants at new station openings.

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The planned work projects include waterproofing station roofs, replacing 40-year-old rails and installing fiber optic cable, Metro said.

“Yeah, you need to do it,” Metro rider Les Blake said. “I’m a welder, so you’ve got to maintain these things.”

Another passenger, Julia Sobaszkiewcz, said, “In the long run, it’s probably going to be great.”

Metro’s general manager, Randy Clarke, talked about this work during a recent Metro event.

“I don’t want shutdowns either,” he said. “But we are in between a rock and a hard place. The same people that will say ‘I don’t want this shutdown’ are also the people that will say, ‘Metro must do everything possible to be the safest system’.”

Shuttlebuses will be running to help riders get around.

Orange Line Work in DC, Maryland: May 12–21

From May 12 to May 21, trains will be single-tracking on the Orange Line between Stadium Armory and Cheverly.

WMATA says it will run extra “Orange Line Plus” trains between Vienna and Downtown Largo during morning and evening rush (6-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m.) to try to handle capacity at busier downtown stations.

• During morning rush: Eastbound Orange and Orange+ trains combined will run about every 12 minutes between Stadium-Armory and Vienna. Westbound Orange and Orange+ trains will run every 2-22 minutes.
• During evening rush: Orange and Orange+ trains heading toward Vienna will run every 9-15 minutes; Orange and Orange+ trains traveling toward New Carrollton or Downtown Largo will run every 6-18 minutes.
• During off-peak times and weekends: Orange trains will run every 20 minutes between Vienna and New Carrollton only, with no Orange+ trains. Metro will also run extra trains throughout the day between Vienna and downtown stations to reduce waits, and weekend shuttle bus service will be available between Stadium-Armory and New Carrollton.

Orange and Orange+ service, combined with the Blue and Silver lines, should keep trains arriving about every four minutes between Rosslyn and Stadium-Armory, WMATA said. However, due to “operational constraints,” WMATA said, some passengers may find wait times up to nine minutes.

Orange Line Work in Northern Virginia: June 3–July 17

The intensity will pick up between June 3 and July 17, as a number of stations in Northern Virginia will be closed, with no Silver or Orange line service.

Four stations will close starting June 3: Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church.

On June 26, two of those will reopen: West Falls Church and East Falls Church.

However, the Vienna and Dunn Loring stations will remain closed through July 16.

Green Line Work in DC, Maryland: July 22–Sept. 4

Toward the end of the summer, between July 22 and Sept. 4, stations will be closed and there will be no Green Line service between Fort Totten and Greenbelt.

On the weekend of July 22-23, five stations will be closed: Fort Totten, West Hyattsville, Hyattsville Crossing, College Park-U of Md and Greenbelt closed.

While Fort Totten is expected to reopen July 24, the other four stations will remain closed through Labor Day, Sept. 4.

“I definitely feel I was treated differently because I was female and because I was a Black female,” Metro Transit Police Cpt. Rebecca Britt said in an interview with News4.

Britt, the only Black female captain for Metro Transit Police, has been on the force for more than 20 years.

Britt said that over the years she noticed a pattern from a higher-ranking white officer that didn’t seem right, such as being asked to discipline lower ranking black officers for incidents she didn’t feel were warranted.

“And I made a comment and said, ‘However, when the other lieutenants … who are white males do that, you don’t say anything about it.’ And then when I told him I wasn’t going to be a pawn, he yelled at me and then hung the phone up,” she said.

“He asked her, he demanded that she discipline African American officers under her supervision for things that were not transgressions,” Britt’s lawyer Pam Keith said. “It was a personal, targeted attack on African American officers, and she refused to do it.”

Metro conducted it’s own internal investigation over Britt’s claims and it found that there was some just cause.

“The allegations of discrimination were supported by the evidence gathered and reviewed,” Metro’s Office of Fair Practices said in a letter obtained by News4.

The letter also states that recommendations have been made for appropriate corrective action against the officer in question. But according to Britt, there’s no evidence that action ever happened.

Britt said she was later passed over for a deputy chief position with the force. She believes she didn’t get the job because she’s a Black woman and because she spoke up about certain issues.

“They already knew who they were going to select as assistant chief. They had us do an impromptu interview – and they already had it in their minds. And so, I knew, yeah, I wasn’t going to get it,” Britt said.

“At base, when you get an investigation telling you that you have a senior leader that expresses racist opinions, and has targeted African Americans in your organization for harsh and unfair discipline – you should care about that. It should matter to you, and you should take action,” Keith said.

Metro said it can not comment on pending litigation.

Right now, the transit agency is reviewing the lawsuit and it’s response is not yet due.

News4 reached out to the lawyer representing Metro, but has not yet heard back.

The project to efficiently and quickly move Metrobuses along a 10-block stretch of K Street would take about three years to complete and cost about $116 million.

“We have to be smart right now to make the types of investments for the long term,” Bowser said.

The mayor has the support of Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto and the downtown business improvement district.

But D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said he’s heard from a number of people who say they don’t want it.

“Office building owners, some organizations that represent commercial activity or retail activity, it’s the last thing they want is to see the street in front of their business torn up for two years,” he said.

Mendelson said it’s not the time to start a project when downtown D.C. is still making a comeback.

But the mayor said it’s exactly the time to do it while downtown traffic is not at the level it was before the pandemic.

The D.C. Council’s Transportation Committee already voted to kill the project and put the funds toward a plan to offer free Metrobus service.

Mendelson said Metro General Manager Randy Clarke supports the free bus service plan, but the Metro board is another question.

“With regard to the board, I don’t know,” Mendelson said. “I have not talked to the board.”

The D.C. Council voted unanimously in favor of free buses last year, but in recent months the chief operating officer said the money will not be there to fund it.

The new station is located in Alexandria, Virginia, between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Braddock Road.

NBC4 previously reported the station was set to open sometime in May. The announcement came as members of the media, including News4 Transportation Reporter Adam Tuss, toured the new station.

The price of the new station is about $350 million. Since the station backs up to National Park Service land, certain visual standards had to be met. Some of the nicer — and pricier — features include hand-cut and -laid stone.

There was some concern for the opening timeline after a construction vehicle slipped off the tracks near Potomac Yard earlier this month, forcing trains to single track.

However, the derailment was not connected to construction on the Potomac Yard station, Clarke said. The equipment was used to take materials to a yellow line bridge worksite.

Yellow Line service has been suspended since September due to the extensive construction work, but it’s set to resume on May 7, less than two weeks before the new station debuts.

According to Metro, construction on the Potomac Yard station was 90% complete as of December.

“We are excited to have an opening in sight for Potomac Yard Station,” Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said in a news release at the time. “Our team, the City of Alexandria, and contractors are working hard to complete the station and we look forward to providing new transit service to this rapidly developing area.”

Once construction on the station is finished, it must be approved by the Fire Marshal, inspected by the City of Alexandria to make sure everything is up to code, and tested by Metro and the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission.

Metro (WMATA) Apr 17

Metro Considering Platform Screen Doors to Protect Riders

Metro (WMATA) Apr 14

Metro Board Approves First Fare Hike in 5 Years

According to Metro, the new station “is expected to generate billions of dollars in new private sector investment over the long term,” in addition to bringing 26,000 new jobs to the area.

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Platform screen doors are popular in many foreign transit systems, including in Paris and all over Asia. In our area, the doors can be found in the AeroTrain system that takes travelers between terminals at Dulles International Airport.  

Once a train pulls into a station, train doors line up with platform screen doors. When both sets of doors open, riders can get on and off trains, and people are protected from the tracks. 

Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said he is exploring the idea as a safety mechanism, so people cannot fall or jump over the edge. 

”We are also looking at other different ways, too, that we might be able to think about door control. It’s just hard. You have a big, long platform,” he said.

One Metro rider said she liked the idea and thought it would help keep people safe. Another said he simply avoids the tracks.

The major issue with building a screen door system is the cost. Early estimates put the price in the tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars. Other transit systems, including in San Francisco, have backed off plans for the doors because of the cost. 

Metro officials said they are currently finding the funding to design a screen door system. The plans would then be taken to the Metro board of directors.

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The incident occurred at about 10:30 a.m. and caused services delays along the Blue Line, according to the Metro Transit Police.

The man died at the scene. His identity was not immediately released.

Cameras at the Pentagon City station show a man going onto the tracks and walking into the tunnel, police said.

Trains were single tracking between National Airport and Pentagon City stations.

Trains leaving Franconia and Huntington stations turned for service at National Airport, while trains from Largo and New Carrolton stations turned back at Pentagon station, according to Metro.

Shuttle buses were running every 15 to 20 minutes between Pentagon, Pentagon City and Crystal City stations.

Normal service resumed along the Blue Line at 6 p.m.

This is a developing story. Stay with News4 for more updates.

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Base fares for Metrorail will be $2, down from the $2.25 base fare during weekday peak periods.

All rides shorter than 3 miles will cost $2, but longer rides will cost more.

Current distance-based rates range between 21 and 33 cents per mile depending on when a rider travels. That will jump to 40 cents per mile on weekdays before 9:30 p.m.

The maximum fare will remain $6.

Weekday rides after 9:30 p.m. and all weekend rides will remain a flat $2.

The changes go into effect July 1.

Metro also is creating a low-income fare program. Fares will be cut in half for anyone who qualifies for SNAP benefits.

Half-price rides already are in effect for senior citizens and riders with disabilities.

Metrobus fares will remain $2 flat.

The work vehicle has been moved, and Blue and Blue Plus line trains are no longer single tracking, WMATA said. Residual delays are possible after the disabled vehicle disrupted service between Braddock Road and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

No injuries were reported. Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said it took time to put the truck back on the tracks.

The incident was originally reported as a derailment without specifying the involvement of only work equipment, causing some alarm for Metro riders. Clarke criticized the initial communication about the incident.

The derailment did not involve any passenger trains and was not connected to construction on the Potomac Yard station, which isn’t set to open to commuters until May, WMATA and Clarke said.

The derailment occurred near a work area along the shut down area of the Yellow Line bridge, WMATA said. Yellow Line service has been suspended since September due to the extensive construction work.

Overnight crews were completing work near the construction site when a work vehicle slipped off the tracks, WMATA said.

“A heavy rail work vehicle derailed while heading back to the yard this morning,” WMATA said.

Efforts to fix the situation led to speed restrictions and trains single-tracking in both directions between Braddock Road and National Airport.

Before 6 a.m. Tuesday, Metro announced a derailment without information about what sort of vehicle left the tracks.

“In trying to be transparent our initial comms could have been clearer,” Clarke said.

Safety Commission Set to Meet

The derailment comes as The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) prepares to hold a virtual meeting Tuesday.

The public is set to get an update on several topics including the future of Metro’s 7000 series rail cars. In February, Metro announced it would allocate about $55 million dollars to repress the wheels on those cars over three years.

The safety commission will also give an update on Metro’s rail operators’ certifications.

Earlier this year, a safety commission spokesperson said Metro “deliberately ignored” safety requirements with its train operators.

Equipment Derailed Near Yellow Line Worksite

Metro shared a photo showing a yellow work vehicle. A wheel was seen resting near the track. Crews are working to get it back on the tracks, WMATA said.

The flatbed vehicle is able to travel on roads and Metrorail tracks and is used to transport equipment to the worksite, WMATA said.

News4 toured the Yellow Line construction site last week, going down 85 feet to see the work inside the tunnel.

Crews had placed a new support system on the Yellow Line bridge which runs over the Potomac River, News4’s Adam Tuss reported.

Stay with News4 for more on this developing story.

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The transit agency began restoring the Yellow Line bridge and tunnel in September, according to a Metro release. For eight months, passengers have been relying on the Blue Line or using shuttle buses to access the six closed stations south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

“The wait is over! The Yellow Line 🟡 will reopen on May 7th! We can’t wait to welcome you back and show off our new and improved tunnel and bridge,” @wmata tweeted.

News4 toured the Yellow Line construction site on Tuesday, going down 85 feet to see the work inside the tunnel.

A new steel liner was added to the tunnel during construction and placed below the water table of the Potomac River. It was needed to prevent water from leaking into the tunnel, according to the project manager.

“If we wouldn’t have repaired this, then the leaks will eventually increase, and the water would be coming in larger quantities. And you know, if the water level raised up to a certain level, so you wouldn’t be able to operate the trains,” WMATA Senior Program Manager Tatiana Kotrikova said.

On the tour, workers were putting concrete on the new liner by hand and smoothing it out. A process that prevents condensation from getting inside and rusting the tunnel. It also guides water down to the ground.

Water issues contributed to the death of one rider during an incident in 2015. Inside the same tunnel at L’Enfant Plaza, a train became stuck when burned-up electrical cables sent smoke billowing into the station.

Crews also placed a new support system on the Yellow Line bridge which runs over the Potomac River.

“Your roof will last 25 years and after 25 years you definitely need to replace it. It’s the same principle with the bridge bearings,” Kotrikova said.

In total, crews working on the Yellow Line replaced over 1,000 steel plates inside the aging steel-lined tunnel, 88 bearings on the bridge, miles of communications cables as well as other upgrades, according to the release.

In May, the Yellow Line trains will initially run every eight minutes on weekdays between Huntington and Mt. Vernon Square stations. After 9:30 p.m. and on weekends trains will run every 12 minutes.

Metro said the opening will reduce riders traveling time by up to 15 minutes.

Shuttles between the Crystal City and L’Enfant Plaza stations, and the Pentagon and Archives stations will end on Sunday, May 7 when Yellow Line service resumes.

The restoration was originally scheduled to reopen on Oct. 22.

This restoration is expected to last decades. Metro said this type of work will continue to be its top structural priority throughout the entire system.  

autism Apr 3

Metro Raising Awareness With Announcements From People With Autism Through April

Metro (WMATA) Mar 31

Shooting at Potomac Avenue Metro Station Raises Safety Concerns Again

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It’s the transit agency’s first time participating in the Autism Transit Project to raise awareness about autism.

“Metro is proud to support the Autism Transit Project and appreciates the young transit enthusiasts for using their voices and unique gifts to spread awareness about autism to our Metro customers,” Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke said in a news release.

“Really unique,” Michael Nix-Spain said. “I’m one of the first children, one of the first teenagers to do it, and I have autism.”

“It draws attention and awareness to autism,” said Michael’s father, Anthony Spain.

Autism Transit Project founder Jonathan Trichter came up with the idea to instill confidence in those who record the messages.

“Which then, of course, prompts regular riders to consider children who are neurologically different and perhaps understand better that they are different but similar and no less,” Trichter said.

“This is a young man that I’m proud of every single day,” Anthony Spain said. “He has a part-time job that he does, biking around making Uber Eats deliveries to make spending money, and he shows responsibility.”

“I’m pretty impressed with how far I’ve come,” Michael said.

Public transportation is vital for people like Michael to get around, to get to a job, to be part of society.

“Ten or 15 years ago, we used to warehouse a lot of these kids and leave them to their own devices,” Trichter said. “Today, we challenge them; we try to advance them.”

Trichter hopes to expand the program next year, to other countries.

The 26 announcers were honored at an event at the Franconia-Springfield Metro station April 20.

Someone fired one shot at the Potomac Avenue Metro Station and fled. Police did not find a victim, but social media posts show a bullet hole in the train.

“After the shooting that occurred yesterday, we got a tweet from the ANC (advisory neighborhood commissioner),” said John Ayala, founder of the D.C. chapter of the Guardian Angels. “And he said, ‘Look, we could use your help down at Potomac.’ So, we said let’s give it a try and come down here.”

Metrorail Mar 31

‘Feared for Our Lives': Women Describe Anti-Asian Threats on DC Metro Train

Metro (WMATA) Mar 29

Mother Worried About Sons' Safety Using Metro to Get to School

Metro (WMATA) Mar 16

Metro Transit Police Officer Shoots Man After Stabbing at Anacostia Station

Police said the man they are searching for wore distinctive sneakers that appear to be Air Jordan 5 Retros with aqua details.

Last month, Metro employee Robert Cunningham, 64, was shot and killed while trying to defend riders and coworkers from a gunman, who also shot and injured two other people.

Metro Transit Police have increased patrols at certain stations by as much as 60%.

Friends Erica Kim and Sharon Bryant were riding the Red Line near the Metro Center station when they say a man began to yell anti-Asian insults. 

“Things like ‘ching chong,’ ‘ni hao’ — things like that,” Bryant said. “He was saying things such as, ‘I’m gonna push you guys onto the train tracks.’”

“He was so aggressive and agitated to the point that spit was flying towards us,” Kim added. 

The women said bystanders stepped in to block the man and even got off the train with them at Metro Center to help them. They said that’s when the man started chasing them and bystanders warned them to run.

“In that moment, I genuinely feared for our lives that he was gonna follow us and push us off the tracks,” Kim said. “It’s another reminder of how it is to be an Asian American in the U.S.” 

Bryant and Kim said they ran up an escalator with the aggressor still yelling at them and chasing them. They ran across the street and into the Macy’s store to hide.

Metro Transit Police said they are looking into what happened but declined to share any details, citing an ongoing investigation. 

Metro crime has increased in recent months. In January and February of this year compared to the same time last year, the number of simple assault reports increased from 128 to 183. The number of robbery reports rose from 31 to 67. 

More than 11,000 incidents of anti-Asian hate have been reported since the start of COVID-19, according to the group Stop AAPI Hate. 

Kim said she’s not eager to ride Metrorail again. 

“Overall, it was just a very scary experience. I’m fearful to get on the Metro again, especially alone,” she said. 

Bryant and Kim said they’re grateful to the bystanders who helped them and hope to be able to express their gratitude.

“Thank you for standing up for us. Even your small act of kindness meant so much,” Kim said.

“It’s not safe, and my kids don’t feel safe,” Cecilia Cuprill said. “And a lot of these kids don’t feel safe.”

Cuprill is a widowed parent living in Anacostia who works full time, and her boys go to the D.C. International School on the grounds of the old Walter Reed campus in Northwest.

“My kids have to take public transportation to school,” she said. “The commute takes them about an hour-and-a-half each way.”

One day when her oldest son was going home from lacrosse practice, another rider started threatening him at the Eastern Market Station and then demanded his ear pods.

“So my son asked, ‘What will happen if I just walk away?’ And the young man said, ‘I will shoot you,’” Cuprill said. “And so, my son handed over the ear pods.”

A few weeks later her younger son was harassed on the Red Line.

“When I picked him up, he said, ‘Mom, you know, somebody tried to rob me,’” she said. “And I thought he was joking because this literally just happened to his brother. But he said, ‘No, I’m serious.’”

More people are riding Metro now compared to this time last year, but Metro’s numbers do show that crime is way up across the system.

There were 64 larcenies this January and February compared to 20 in February and January of 2022.

So far this year, 32 pickpockets have been reported compared to 19 at this time last year.

Overall, serious crimes like violent crimes and property crimes are up from 106 to 277 so far this year.

Metro

Metro (WMATA) Mar 21

Metro Says Riders Aren't Paying for 13% of Weekday Trips, Eyes New Gates to Cut Fare Evasion

Metro (WMATA) Feb 13

Metro Begins Enhanced Security With DC Police Officers Patrolling 5 Stations

Metro has formed partnerships with a number of outside police agencies to help patrol the system.

“I do think people are giving us the understand that we are doing everything that we as a transit agency can do,” General Manager Randy Clarke said. “A transit agency can’t solve all of America’s ills and woes and societal issues. I think everyone is fair on that.”

“My kids should be safe going to and from school every day, and whether that’s increasing a presence on the Metro trains or at bus stops, then something needs to be done,” Cuprill said.

Metro is adding more cameras to its system as transit police will start wearing body cameras next month.

Metro Transit Police also ask riders for help by reporting crime.

“Since last year, we have renewed enforcement efforts for fare evasion and added more officers on patrols throughout the system during the busiest times of day including our partnership with local law enforcement agencies,” Metro spokesperson Sherri Ly said in a statement to News4. “As a result, we have made 75 percent more arrests and issued 276 percent more citations. We believe this is in large part a result of our public safety initiatives and enforcement efforts.”

According to Metro documents, riders took an average of 321,000 trips on weekdays from the start of this year through last week. But 13% of riders did not pay the fare.

That equates to more than 41,000 free rides per day. The Metro Board will be briefed on the new figures Thursday.

Metro’s newest faregates — like the ones we have featured at Fort Totten — can register when a rider does not pay the fare.

Metro (WMATA) Mar 20

Metro Prepares for Crowds as Blossoms Near Peak Bloom

Metro (WMATA) Mar 7

Metro Safety Commission Says It's Waiting for Proof That Automated Train System Is Ready to Return

Metro says it is now going to spend an additional $35 to $40 million to upgrade faregates with more “swinging door” plexiglass gates. They’re taller than the gates in most Metro stations, making them difficult to jump over.

Metro has estimated that fare evasion costs the transit system $40 million a year — squeezing a budget already hit by ridership that hasn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

Metro’s statistics show they’ve issued 207 tickets for fare evasion or failure to pay so far this year — much more than last year at this time.

But the latest figures indicate only a tiny fraction of fare evaders were ticketed.

More than 2.2 million riders have skipped paying the fare in that time, Metro’s own statistics suggest.

Reporter Adam Tuss and the News4 team are covering you down on the roads and in transit. Go here for full coverage.

About 4:30 p.m., a fight on a DC Circulator bus between two men in their early 20s spilled onto the street, D.C. police said. One of the men pulled out a knife and began stabbing the other.

Witnesses flagged down Metro Transit Police patrolling the area, D.C. police said.

One Metro Transit Police officer asked the suspect to drop the knife, but he didn’t comply, police said.

The officer fired one shot, wounding the suspect, D.C. police said.

Both wounded men were transported to a hospital in critical condition, D.C. police said. They’re now considered stable at the hospital.

There was no disruption of train service.

Stay with News4 for developments in this breaking story.

WMATA said two riders got into a fight before someone fired several shots on a train near Waterfront Metro Station at about 7:30 a.m.

The suspect who fired shots appears to have gotten off the train at Navy Yard.

The intended target was not shot or hurt, according to WMATA.

After the incident, the train involved was held at the Fort Totten Metro Station while police investigated. It has since been taken out of service.

Metro (WMATA) Mar 7

Metro Safety Commission Says It's Waiting for Proof That Automated Train System Is Ready to Return

Metro (WMATA) Mar 7

‘It's Fantastic': Open Strollers Now Allowed on Metro Buses

“We are working with Metro to ensure that the safety certification is conducted appropriately in broad terms,” said David Mayer of the WMSC.

Right now, trains are controlled by the operators themselves. But Metro is anticipating switching the Red Line to a computer-controlled automatic mode by this summer, followed by the rest of the rail system by the end of the year. 

Metro hasn’t operated in ATO mode since one Red Line train crashed into another in 2009, killing nine people. However, Metro was designed to operate in automatic mode; it’s currently among only a handful of large transit systems that aren’t automated.

Metro (WMATA) Feb 6

Metro Tests New ‘Swinging Door' Gates to Curb Fare Evasion

Metro (WMATA) Mar 6

Metro Preparing to Bring Back Automatic Train Operation for 1st Time Since Deadly 2009 Crash

Metro says automatic train operation (ATO) should improve everything from on-time performance to wear and tear on trains and even energy consumption because it will ensure a much smoother ride.

“It’s like, you know, slamming on the gas in your car; it’s not the preferred way to accelerate, nor slamming the brakes, right? It’s a similar logic when you’re running an automatic,” Metro’s Chief Infrastructure Officer Andy Off said.

The WMSC says its members are waiting for additional information requested from Metrorail and intensive work is needed to ensure the transit agency is prepared to roll out ATO.

“As part of our oversight of Metrorail’s safety certification work regarding automatic train operation and automatic door operation, the WMSC communicates regularly with Metrorail regarding specific safety issues,” the commission said in a statement. “This includes questions related to areas such as Metrorail’s potential timelines, testing, training development and implementation, roadway worker protection, and technology adjustments, and other intensive work needed for Metrorail to ensure the preparedness of not only the physical systems but also the Metrorail organization as a whole to safely operate using automatic train operation or automatic door operation.”

The 2009 Red Line crash near the Fort Totten station remains the deadliest incident in Metro’s history.

In that case, a perfect storm of events contributed to the crash, according to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation. First, computer signals indicated that the track ahead was clear — but a second train was stopped not far around a curve. Then, the automatic system had the train move forward at full speed. By the time the operator saw the second train, it was too late.

Metro understands it will need to convince everyone that this new system is safe.

“We’ve verified with our manufacturers that this equipment, in these conditions, is safe,” Metro employee Tiffani Jenkins said.

The Metro board will hear the full plan this Thursday.

News4 has learned that a presentation to switch trains back to a computer-controlled automatic mode is on the Metro board meeting agenda for this week.

The plan is to have the Red Line switch to automatic train operation by the summer and the entire system by the end of the year.

Metro hasn’t used automatic train operation (ATO) in over a decade. Right now, train operators control the movement themselves.

Jun 30, 2015

Watch News4: Live and Replays on NBC4 App, Peacock, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Xumo Play & Amazon Fire TV

Metro (WMATA) Feb 6

Metro Tests New ‘Swinging Door' Gates to Curb Fare Evasion

However, Metro was designed to operate in automatic mode — and is currently among only a handful of large transit systems that aren’t automated.

Metro says ATO should improve everything from on-time performance to wear and tear on trains and even energy consumption because it will ensure a much smoother ride.

“It’s like, you know, slamming on the gas in your car, it’s not the preferred way to accelerate, nor slamming the brakes, right? It’s a similar logic when you’re running an automatic,” WMATA Chief Infrastructure Officer Andy Off said.

The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission says its members are waiting for additional information requested from Metrorail and intensive work is needed to ensure the transit agency is prepared to roll out ATO.

“As part of our oversight of Metrorail’s safety certification work regarding automatic train operation and automatic door operation, the WMSC communicates regularly with Metrorail regarding specific safety issues. This includes questions related to areas such as Metrorail’s potential timelines, testing, training development and implementation, roadway worker protection, and technology adjustments, and other intensive work needed for Metrorail to ensure the preparedness of not only the physical systems but also the Metrorail organization as a whole to safely operate using automatic train operation or automatic door operation,” the commission said in a statement.

Metro hasn’t operated in ATO mode since a Red Line train crashed in 2009, killing nine people. It remains the deadliest incident in Metro’s history.

In that case, a perfect storm of events contributed to the crash, according to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation. First, computer signals indicated that the track ahead was clear — but a second train was stopped not far around a curve. Then, the automatic system had the train move forward at full speed. By the time the operator saw the second train, it was too late.

Metro understands it will need to convince everyone that this new system is safe.

“We’ve verified with our manufacturers that this equipment, in these conditions, is safe,” WMATA employee Tiffani Jenkins said.

The Metro Board will hear the full plan this Thursday.

A newly released image one Metro rail car appears to be higher than the others on the train that derailed, which the NTSB describes as “vertical car body disturbance.”

In another picture, the same train is seen running its wheels on the ground and kicking up dust.

The train actually derailed and re railed itself three times that day before finally coming to a complete stop outside the Arlington Cemetery Station.

Sources close to the investigation say video of the event, which has not yet been released, is even more alarming.

No one was seriously hurt after the derailment, but there has been harsh criticism from the NTSB.

“The potential for fatalities and serious injuries was significant,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said. “This could have resulted in a catastrophic event.”

Metro Derailment

NTSB Dec 1, 2021

NTSB Issues Safety Alert Over Defect Linked to DC Metro Derailment

Oct 27, 2021

Safety Questions at Metro After Blue Line Derailment

While the new information from the NTSB doesn’t provide an exact cause for the derailment, a lot of attention is being paid to the amount of force that was used to press the train wheels together. The wheels on the 7000 series had been moving outward.

Metro said it agreed more force is needed to repress the wheels on all the 7000 series trains – a process that could take three years and will cost about $55 million.

Metro hasn’t specified when work on those 7000 series cars will begin. The transit agency said it does not expect significant impacts to service.

Meanwhile, the NTSB discovered that the train operator involved in the derailment was out of compliance with his safety recertification. The operator was granted a waiver because the pandemic led to delays in the recertification process.

The victim was stabbed on the platform about 4:20 p.m. It was not immediately known what led up to the stabbing. The suspect fled the scene.

The victim was taken to a hospital with injuries that are not life threatening, police said.

As of 5:05 p.m., Green Line trains were single-tracking between Georgia Avenue & U Street due to the investigation. Riders should expect delays in both directions, Metro said.

Stay with NBC Washington for more on this developing story.

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The Red Line station was closed between 8:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Crews were expected to test their response to a derailment inside the tunnel between Wheaton and Forest Glen.

George Nader, assistant chief of the Metro Transit Police, said the drill aimed to prepare crews for possible incidents along Metro lines.

“We’re prepared to either provide service, restore service or if we need to, mitigate incident with rescue efforts or whatever it is that presents to us,” Nader said.

Metro said once the drill is over the agency will assess what worked and what did not work to better prepare for future emergencies.

Metro has recently faced several safety concerns. This includes their emergency response at stations and on trains.

Metro (WMATA) Feb 20

Metro Red Line to Increase Service on Busiest Days, Starting Tuesday

Metro (WMATA) Feb 16

Man Dragged by Metro Train Was Inseparable From Service Dog, Family Says

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Red Line riders will see more trains on the busiest days of the week. Trains will operate every 8 minutes all day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, which have become the busiest ridership days as Metro continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trains will also run every eight minutes on Mondays and Fridays during the morning and evening rushes but will operate every 10 minutes at all other times until 9 p.m.

This improvement builds on progress made earlier in February that provided more frequent service on the Blue, Orange and Blue Plus lines. Metro increased train frequency on these lines from 15 to 12 minutes during morning and evening rush periods on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Metro also plans to bring more 7000-series trains back into service, hiring and training more rail operators after a shortage caused by the pandemic.

Metro (WMATA) Feb 13

Metro Begins Enhanced Security With DC Police Officers Patrolling 5 Stations

Metro (WMATA) Feb 6

Metro Tests New ‘Swinging Door' Gates to Curb Fare Evasion

The shooting took place about 7:45 p.m. on a Z6 bus on Lockwood Drive in the White Oak area.

It appears two people had an altercation that led to the shooting, Metro Transit Police said.

“This was a situation between two individuals who knew one another,” said Shiera Goff of Montgomery County police. “So, this was not something where this person was randomly shooting people.”

The shooter ran from the scene and is not in custody.

“We don’t believe that there is reason for anyone to be concerned,” Goff said. “This is an isolated incident. This was a situation that was contained between these individuals, so right now, there is no concern for the community as far as anyone else being targeted.”

Police are talking to the bus driver and reviewing surveillance video. Others on the bus took off after the shooting, and police want to speak to anyone who was on the bus when it happened.

Stay with News4 for developments in this story.

A man who died after he was dragged down a Metro station platform when his dog’s leash apparently got stuck in a train door was inseparable from his service animal, his family says.

Harold Riley, 50, had stepped off a 7000 series train around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Dunn Loring station, when the door closed behind him, but his dog Daisy was still inside the train, Metro said.

Daisy’s leash, which was tied to Riley, was caught in the door and Riley was pulled down the platform when the train started moving to the next station.

The family told News4 Harold likely had Daisy’s leash tied to his belt loop because that’s how they trained her to walk with him.

Riley’s family told News4 he went everywhere with the service dog and she helped him cope with PTSD.

“My father rides that Metro probably five, six, seven times a day … and he’s been doing that, I would say, for probably the last year-and-a-half with Daisy. And Daisy goes everywhere with him, you know, like, she’s never home alone,” Riley’s daughter Amanda Greenwood said.

Metro said the train operator conducted two safe door checks before moving the train. The operator’s cab was about 450 feet away from the incident. Metro said Wednesday it was reviewing surveillance video of the incident.

Greenwood said her family wants to see the video and find out more details about what exactly happened.

“We have a lot of questions, obviously, just because as … a tragedy like that happening, there’s no set in stone. Our understanding is there’s a video out there and of all of that. We’re just trying, of course, obviously, to get access to kind of see what actually happened, what safety measures were taken and all of that,” she said.

Metro Transit Police tried to perform lifesaving measures on Riley, but he was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.

Riley had two daughters and four grandchildren, his family said.

Metro’s watchdog, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, also is investigating.

The News4 I-Team tracked down a Metro report from May that said 86 riders were injured in the first nine months of the fiscal year 2022, a decline of 38% from the previous year.

Most riders were hurt by slips, trips or falls, most commonly on escalators, the report said.

The victim, identified by family members as 50-year-old Harold Riley, was on the platform and away from the train, but a leash attached to a dog still inside the train appeared to be tied to Riley, Metro said.

Metro Transit Police tried to perform lifesaving measures on the victim, but he was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.

Riley leaves behind two children and four grandchildren, according to his family. His daughters told News4 his dog is a service animal, which are the only pets permitted in the Metro system, unless the dog is in a carrier.

Metro said the train operator conducted two safe door checks before moving the train. The operator’s cab was about 450 feet away from the incident.

Metro said its investigation is preliminary at this point. It is reviewing surveillance video of the incident, which happened about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Metro’s watchdog, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, also is investigating.

Metro said the dog was in police care after Riley’s death.

The News4 I-Team tracked down a Metro report from May that said 86 riders were injured in the first nine months of the fiscal year 2022, a decline of 38% from the previous year.

Most riders were hurt by slips, trips or falls, most commonly on escalators, the report said.

Robert Cunningham, 64, was shot and killed at the Potomac Avenue Metro station two weeks ago.

His funeral was held Tuesday at St. Camillus Catholic Church in Silver Spring, Maryland.

“I write to the memory of the hero Robert. My love, you gave me two wonderful sons, Anthony and Kelly. You also adopted my children, Daniele and Sophia. You showed me what love is. I thank you for the 15 years of happiness, for keeping our home united. Without a doubt, we were made to be together in this life in order to create this family,” Cunningham’s wife Elisa Cunningham said in Spanish during the service.

Cunningham died as he tried to intervene as a gunman went on a rampage Feb. 1 in Southeast D.C., shooting people seemingly at random after altercations on a public bus and then at the Potomac Avenue Metro station. Cunningham came to the aid of a woman on the station platform who was being harassed by the gunman.

“A hero. A hero who gave his life protecting a woman and others on a Metro train platform. Robert Cunninhham, Bob or ‘Ham’ – died trying to prevent what easily could have escalated into yet another mass shooting,” Father Larry Hayes said during the funeral service.

“Your husband, your father, your colleague and your friend is a hero, and we will always remember Robert as such,” Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said at the funeral.

Three people were injured in the shooting rampage.

The suspected shooter was tackled by passengers on the Metro train and arrested. He was identified by authorities as 31-year-old Isaiah Trotman, of Southeast D.C. Trotman faces charges of first-degree murder while armed, kidnapping while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon (gun).

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Cunningham grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, and was raised as the son of a D.C. police officer.

“I mean, I see that man come and go every day to work. Every day he pulls in with a truck. And to think that he left today and he didn’t come back, that he was doing something for another human being,” Mary Whelan said. “He was helping people. He didn’t have to do that.”

“He looked out for his family, and he looked out for the neighborhood,” Eleanor Adcock said. “Obviously, he looked out for strangers, too.”

Cunningham was laid to rest at the Congressional Cemetery in Southeast.

The additional security is being added after a series of deadly shootings on Metro property as well as violence on trains and buses.

Metro has hired off-duty uniformed D.C. police officers to be present at the Metro Center, Gallery Place, Union Station, Georgia Avenue-Petworth and Congress Heights stations during peak hours.

The program is a partnership with Metro Transit Police. Metro will pay the off-duty D.C. officers, who will essentially moonlight as extra security.

The arrangement follows a series of deadly shootings at Metro stations, including the deadly rampage at the Potomac Avenue station and the fatal shooting of a 28-year-old man by an off-duty FBI agent at Metro Center in December.

The additional security is expected to last until June.

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Beginning Monday, Metro plans to deploy two D.C. police officers in five stations – Metro Center, Gallery Place, Union Station, Georgia Avenue-Petworth and Congress Heights – freeing up Metro Transit Police for other patrols.

“Those stations are where we have the most crime and complaints at, and disorder problems,” Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Anzallo said.

The agreement is not unusual. Many police departments, including D.C. police, allow their officers to earn extra money working off-duty details.

The arrangement follows a series of deadly shootings at Metro stations, including the deadly rampage at the Potomac Avenue station and the fatal shooting of a 28-year-old man by an off-duty FBI agent at Metro Center in December.

There also have been fights and millions of dollars lost due to fare evasion.

“The real purpose of this is, How do we get our officers even closer to our customers and our riders so they can be on buses, be on trains,” Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said. “We just do not have enough uniform presence, and a lot of this, as the mayor said, is to bring visibility and show we are together one big partnership working together for a safer commute.”

The arrangement is funded through the middle of June.

Metro’s general manager and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser encouraged other jurisdictions in Virginia and Maryland to reach similar arrangements with the transit system.

Starting Tuesday, service on the three lines will increase to every 12 minutes instead of 15 minutes from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. on those days. Trains will arrive every four minutes at stations between Rosslyn and Stadium-Armory, where the lines merge, Metro said.

Metro said its ridership has grown the most during the middle of the week since the pandemic.

“In focusing on the busiest times and days of the week, Metro is working differently to provide more targeted service on #YourMetro when and where it is needed,” Metro said in a news release.

The transit agency said it will gradually return more 7000-series trains to service, and plans to hire more rail operators to fill a shortage caused by the pandemic.

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Later this month, Metro said it will expand improvements on the Red Line, which currently operates every eight minutes during weekday peak periods, and 10 minutes at all other times.

Starting Feb. 21, Red Line service will improve to every eight minutes all day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Metro said.

The gunman had already shot three people, killing Metro mechanic Robert Cunningham, when Shante Trumpet grabbed the gun.

As the Metro train she was riding pulled into the Potomac Avenue station, she saw a man’s body on the platform, and in a split second, the man she’d seen standing over him with a gun got on her train. 

“As soon as he got on the train, he says, ‘I’m not going to hurt anybody. Y’all are OK, y’all can stay there, y’all are OK, I’m not going to hurt anybody,’” Trumpet said. “Then he just started to rant and yell.” 

She said when the man when pointed the gun at a rider to prevent him from leaving the stopped train, she feared it was about to turn into a hostage situation.

When the gunman, who had been pacing the car, sat down in the seat next to her, she saw an opportunity to stop him.

“He put the gun down, but he still had his hand on the gun, but the gun was on the seat,” Trumpet said. “He had his hand on it, and I saw the door open and I was like, We gotta get out of here; I gotta get out of here. Like, I can’t sit on this train.” 

Trumpet – the daughter of a military father, a former ROTC scholar and a licensed gun owner in Maryland – said the thought she might not make it home to her children flashed before her.

Then, she made a move that could have ended in her death had it gone wrong. 

“He didn’t have a grip on the gun,” she said. “He wasn’t holding on to it, so I just grabbed the gun and I ran. As soon as I ran, he grabbed me from the back, and I think at that time, people on the train grabbed him, so we both fell.”

Two fellow passengers, who in the chaos believed Trumpet was about to be shot, tackled the man, knocking her down, too. 

“I guess the guys who had grabbed him, grabbed him long enough so I could get up, get the gun,” she said. “I grabbed the gun and then threw it onto the tracks on the other side.” 

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John T., who asked that his last name not be used, said the agitated gunman got on the train shouting things he couldn’t quite understand

“And he is preaching and screaming and whatever is going on, and I seen his hand, OK, and I knew that was real gun,” he said.

Within seconds, the gunman began threatening the passengers, John T. said.

“You could hear him interrogating or giving people a hard time,” he said. “I believe I remember him doing something with one dude. I did not see it, keep your head down, but I could hear him saying, ‘Don’t shoot, don’t shoot.’”

The doors on the car began opening and closing and the lights dimmed, John T. said.

“I think somebody in the back hit the emergency button or whatever, and it did open the doors,” John T. said.

Then another man, Timour Skrynnikov, leaped at the gunman, taking him to the floor of the car.

“We both went down, and I was on top of him,” he said. “Then there was another passenger help me who also jumped on him, and I saw the the gun at this point was not in the perpetrator hands.”

“And when I got up, I got on top of Timour, OK, and at this point, everybody is trying to get out,” John T. said. “Everybody is dropping their stuff and, of course, my stuff. Everybody is dropping stuff – phones, glasses, coffee cups.”

Trumpet does not consider herself hero, reserving that title for Cunningham, 64, who was fatally shot intervening as the gunman harassed someone on the platform.

She is grateful to have been able to go home to her family and friends, who lovingly told her, “Don’t ever do that again.”

John T. said he didn’t think he did much and just reacted by instinct.

“I don’t think I did anything,” he said. “I did nothing that nobody else would have done.”

Trumpet received a 2017 Cafritz Foundation Award as part of a D.C. government team that helped simplify the way seniors and D.C. residents with disabilities get Medicaid services. She said the trauma of Wednesday morning leaves her feeling she could never get on a Metro train again.

The attack began as a confrontation on a Metrobus. The gunman shot one victim after getting off the bus and another person inside the station. Another person suffered a laceration unrelated to gunfire, police said Thursday.

The accused gunman has a criminal history and suffers from mental illness, according to police records and his lawyer on a separate case. D.C. police records show officers responded to Isaiah Trotman’s home in Southeast two weeks before the deadly shooting to check on his welfare but were unable to find him. According to the police report, Trotman was enrolled in behavioral program but had not shown up for more than a week.

Trotman has not yet appeared in court for the charges he faces because he remains hospitalized. Police sources close to the investigation said Trotman was hospitalized for mental health reasons.

D.C. police records show officers responded to Isaiah Trotman’s home in Southeast two weeks before the deadly shooting to check on his welfare, but were unable to find him.

According to the police report, Trotman was enrolled in a behavioral program but had not shown up for more than a week.

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In Pennsylvania, Trotman was charged with several drug-related crimes in April 2022, court documents state.

Trotman was awaiting sentencing on those charges after a plea deal, his Pennsylvania attorney said.

“The Isaiah Trotman that I know is kind and reasonable but, as we have noted throughout this case in Pennsylvania, he is also troubled with devastating mental health issues that have affected his behavior in ways he cannot control.
This situation is beyond tragic for all involved. Our sympathies go out to the many people who are undoubtedly impacted by this,” his attorney David Erhard said in a statement to News4.

In D.C., Trotman’s criminal history goes back at least two years.

One police report shows Trotman was arrested in 2020 for simple assault in Adams Morgan.

On Wednesday, police said Trotman fatally shot 64-year-old Robert Cunningham, a longtime mechanic for Metro.

Greg Bowen Jr. was friends with Cunningham for 17 years and said he was scheduled to work with him on Wednesday.

“We lost a hero. We lost a shining star of somebody who cared, someone who was dedicated to making sure that the system ran great not just for, you know, himself or for a job, but for everybody else around … for his coworkers to be safe, for the public to get back and forth. He genuinely cared,” Bowen said.

Three other people were injured after the attack that began with a confrontation on a Metrobus.

Trotman has not yet appeared in court for the charges he faces because he remains hospitalized. Police sources close to the investigation said Trotman was hospitalized for mental health reasons.

Robert Cunningham, a mechanic for Metro, was killed at the Potomac Avenue station in Southeast on Wednesday. He was 64. Three other people were injured after the attack that began as a confrontation on a Metrobus. The gunman shot one victim after getting off the bus and another person inside the station. Another person suffered a laceration unrelated to gunfire, police said Thursday.

Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said just after midnight Thursday that he met with a group of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority workers, including many who worked with Cunningham.

“Their care for each other will get us through this tragedy. A request to our customers, please show patience and grace to our team as we mourn & recover,” Clarke said on Twitter.

The Metro Board of Directors also called an emergency, closed-door meeting Thursday morning to discuss safety and security.

No service changes or closures were announced for the Potomac Avenue station since it reopened Wednesday afternoon.

Cunningham was among several individuals who heroically tried to stop the shooter, whom D.C. police identified as 31-year-old Isaiah Trotman, of Southeast D.C.

A second WMATA employee also tried to deescalate the situation. Police believe he did so successfully because no one else was shot after the intervention.

Clarke said he was in awe of the two employees’ heroic actions.

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Timour Skrynnikov, a D.C. government worker, said he tackled the gunman after seeing him hold a gun to a woman’s head.

“I just lunged at him, and he just dropped,” he said. “There was a divine, not intervention, but you know, I think God helped me at that point, because once I jumped that guy, I mean, he just went straight down. And the lady was not hurt.”

Trotman faces charges of first-degree murder while armed, kidnapping while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon (gun).

“Our officers were there within minutes of getting the call for service. But due to the heroic actions of our citizens, of our community, to disarm this shooter – I can’t put a price on that. I think they saved lives. That’s to be commended. But the fact that our citizens have to intervene with armed gunmen is disturbing to me,” MPD Executive Assistant Chief of Police Ashan Benedict said.

‘Something Has to Be Done’: Spate of Recent Shootings Near DC Transit

Wednesday’s shooting is just the latest in a string of violent incidents at or near District transit.

Last month, a man was shot to death outside the Southern Avenue Metro station; a 6-year-old and 9-year-old were shot leaving a Metrobus on 14th Street Northwest and a 17-year-old was killed and a 14-year-old shot at the Congress Heights station.

Riders tell News4 they’re scared, and they want the agency to take action.

“Any time people can continuously bring guns on our trains and guns on our buses… and yet you say you want to increase ridership? Something has to be done,” rider Michael Campbell said.

Clarke reassured riders the system is safe. He said he’s been working to increase patrols since he started the job.

But we know D.C. police officers responded to the Potomac Avenue shooting before Metro Transit Police, prompting questions about the number of officers needed and where they should be posted.

After the attack at Potomac Avenue station, Clarke reiterated his call for broader initiatives to stop gun violence.

“Unfortunately, Metro is not immune to the violence that our country is experiencing right now. These senseless acts must be addressed together by our leaders and community,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

Wednesday’s shooting erupted as D.C. residents observed National Gun Violence Survivors week with events including a city-sponsored dinner for grieving families and a 72-hour vigil at Berean Baptist Church on Madison Street Northwest.

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One of those heroes did not get to go home to his family. Robert Cunningham, a mechanic for Metro, was shot and killed. He was 64. 

On Wednesday night, a Metro Transit Police vehicle was stationed outside the Montgomery County, Maryland, home where Cunningham was raised as the son of a D.C. police officer.

Longtime neighbors said they are devastated by the news of his death, but not surprised to hear that he died trying to save the lives of others.

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“I mean, I see that man come and go everyday to work. Everyday he pulls in with a truck. And to think that he left today and he didn’t come back, that he was doing something for another human being,” Mary Whelan said. “He was helping people. He didn’t have to do that.”

“He looked out for his family, and he looked out for the neighborhood,” Eleanor Adcock said. “Obviously, he looked out for strangers, too.”

Metro’s General Manager Randy Clarke described Cunningham as a “really heroic individual.” He said it is a really sad day for the company, and they will be lowering their flags to half-staff.

Timour Skrynnikov, a D.C. government worker, was commuting to Metro Center as his train pulled into the Potomac Avenue station. He heard the tumult, the shooting and saw Cunningham’s body on the platform.

Then, Skrynnikov said he watched in horror as a man entered the train, held a gun to one woman’s head, then grabbed another and began dragging her through the train at gunpoint.

“When I looked again, I saw that he was carrying a gun,” he said. “He said, ‘I already shot two people, and I’m going to shoot more.'”

Skrynnikov, who describes himself as “not a real tall guy,” said he simultaneously prayed to God and made his move.

“I just lunged at him, and he just dropped,” he said. “There was a divine, not intervention, but you know, I think God helped me at that point, because once I jumped that guy, I mean, he just went straight down. And the lady was not hurt.”

Skrynnikov called Cunningham the true hero, and extended his condolences to his family. 

Authorities identified the suspect as 31-year-old Isaiah Trotman, of Southeast. He faces charges of first-degree murder while armed, kidnapping while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon (gun). 

“Our officers were there within minutes of getting the call for service. But due to the heroic actions of our citizens, of our community, to disarm this shooter – I can’t put a price on that. I think they saved lives. That’s to be commended. But the fact that our citizens have to intervene with armed gunmen is disturbing to me,” MPD Executive Assistant Chief of Police Ashan Benedict said. 

D.C. police said the suspected shooter shot someone in the legs as they got off of a Metrobus. Then, the suspect shot another person in the legs who was buying a fare card at the Potomac Ave. station, police said.

The suspect continued down the escalator and got in an altercation with a woman on the station’s platform. He then fatally shot a Metro Transit employee who tried to intervene, police said.

Eventually, passengers tackled the suspect on a Metro train and police arrested him.

“It’s very clear that Metro needs better security. Any time people can continuously bring guns on our trains, and guns on our buses, yet you say you want to increase ridership? Something has to be done,” Metro rider Michael Campbell told News4.

Metro’s largest transit union called on Metro officials and public officials in the region to review safety protocol and procedures.

“The heroes that run our transit day in and day out and the riders they faithfully serve deserve to go to work knowing they are free from fear of violence,” Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 said in a statement shared to Twitter.

“To think that someone came today, doing their job, then tried to intervene and protect another person that lives here and lost their life, is really sad,” Metro’s General Manager Randy Clarke said of the Metro employee who died.

Last month, a man was shot to death outside the Southern Avenue Metro station, a 6-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy were shot leaving a Metrobus on 14th Street NW, and a 17-year-old boy was killed and a 14-year-old boy was shot at the Congress Heights Metro station in Southeast D.C.

Clarke said Wednesday the transit system is safe.

However, some residents told News4 they’ll now think twice about riding Metro and they won’t let their children use it to get to school.

Caryn Ernst, a resident of the neighborhood near the Potomac Avenue station said she’s pleaded to officials for a better safety presence in the area.

“If we had had a safe passage person here this morning, who was a violence interruptor, they can tune into these types of things. They understand, they recognize when there’s problems that are brewing,” Ernst said.

Her own daughter was on the platform 30 minutes before the shooting.

“It terrifies me that my daughter was down there and she could be down there, she could be the next victim,” Ernst said.

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In the end, authorities said a Metro employee was killed and three other people were injured. The suspected shooter, identified by authorities as 31-year-old Isaiah Trotman, of Southeast D.C., was tackled by passengers on the Metro train and is in custody.

He faces charges of first-degree murder while armed, kidnapping while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon (gun).

The Metropolitan Police Department held a press conference to provide updates on the shooting. D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser, Metro’s GM Randy Clarke and Metro Transit Police leaders were also at the scene.

“We believe this to be a series of individual events,” MPD Executive Assistant Chief of Police Ashan Benedict said.

It all began around 9 a.m. Wednesday on a Metrobus. The suspect was in an argument, followed the victim off the bus, and then shot them in the legs. That person ran off and was transported to a hospital, police said.

The agitated shooter made his way into the Potomac Avenue Metrorail station. He talked to someone getting a MetroCard at a fare machine and shot them in the legs. He may have also pulled the victim over the turnstiles, according to police.

The suspect continued down the escalator and got in an altercation with a woman on the station’s platform. Two Metro Transit employees were watching this unfold. One of them attempted to intervene and was shot by the shooter.

The employee died at the scene.

A second WMATA employee also tried to deescalate the situation. Police believe he did so successfully, because no one else was shot after the intervention.

The shooter then got on and off the train several times.

“Similar to the situation on the bus, he’s walking around brandishing a firearm, and just randomly engaging people in conversation. He’s clearly agitated about something. We’re just not sure at this point – that’s going to take some time, the investigation,” Benedict said.

Benedict said he confronted passengers stuck on the stopped train before being tackled. The passengers then fled the scene. The suspect on the platform alone when he was taken into custody.

“Our officers were there within minutes of getting the call for service. But due to the heroic actions of our citizens, of our community, to disarm this shooter – I can’t put a price on that. I think they saved lives. That’s to be commended. But the fact that our citizens have to intervene with armed gunmen is disturbing to me,” Benedict said.

Rashard Frost, a witness who was standing on the platform, said he watched in disbelief.

“At that point like, even me, I was trying to assess what was going on, because again, I had my music on,” Frost said. “So, I was like, I asked the guy, ‘Like were those gunshots?’ and he was like ‘Yeah,’ and that’s when I saw the guy drop.”

Frost said people in the train were “freaked out” when the gunman walked towards them.

Three victims are in the hospital. Two have leg injuries and one has an injured finger, according to police.

The Metro employee who was killed has been identified as Robert Cunningham, 64. He was a mechanic in the power department, according to a Metro release.

Metro’s GM Randy Clarke described Cunningham as a “really heroic individual.” He said it is a really sad day for the company and they will be lowering their flags to half-staff.

Mayor Bowser said Cunningham was “very brave.”

“We have to reckon in our country why it’s so easy to get a gun, why do we need more guns than people?” Bowser said.

Blue, Orange and Silver Line train service was suspended between the closed Federal Center SW and Minnesota Avenue stations while police investigated. Shuttle buses were available during the disruption, the Metro Transit Police tweeted.

Normal service resumed at about 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

There was a large police presence at the intersection of Potomac Avenue and 14th Street following the incident.

Police are asking witnesses to come forward and share videos.

Spate of Metro Shootings Recently

The Potomac Avenue shooting continues a recent string of shootings in Metro stations.

On Dec. 7, an off-duty FBI agent fatally shot someone on the Metro Center station platform. In a separate incident the next day, a teenager shot three people at the Benning Road station.

On Jan. 3, one teenager was killed, and another was injured in a targeted shooting at the Congress Heights station.

On Jan. 7, a man was shot and killed right outside the Navy Yard Metro station.

Metro riders have expressed concerns about their safety in the wake of the recent violence, at a time when the Washington Metro Transit Authority is attempting to win back riders lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the hours following the shooting Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, Metro’s largest transit union, released a statement asking officials to review safety protocol.

“The heroes that run our transit day in and day out and the riders they faithfully serve deserve to go to work knowing they are free from fear of violence,” @ATULocal689 tweeted.

This is a breaking news story. Story will be updated. Previous version of the story is below.

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The appointment is a significant one for the new governor, who has made transportation a top priority of his administration in connecting people to jobs, boosting social equity and protecting the environment.

“I look forward to working with the team to achieve your vision for Maryland, and I understand the critical role the Department of Transportation plays in supporting that vision,” Wiedefeld said. He added that he understands the importance of the department working in partnership and transparency with communities.

Wiedefeld also has served previously as head of the Maryland Aviation Administration and the Maryland Transit Administration.

Moore cited Wiedefeld’s broad experience in making the appointment.

“In other words, Paul is a pro,” Moore said, noting that under Wiedefeld’s leadership at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, he “improved reliability, tackled massive safety challenges and weathered the global COVID-19 pandemic.”

Moore also noted that as the administrator of the state’s aviation administration, Wiedefeld oversaw a $1.8 billion expansion of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

“He also understands the importance of public transit and the role that it plays in the lives of all of our citizens,” Moore said.

Wiedefeld led Metro, which serves the District of Columbia as well as suburbs of the nation’s capital in Maryland and Virginia. He was general manager for about six years before resigning in May. He retired about two months before he was scheduled to retire, after about half of Metro’s train operators were found to not have required retraining and testing.

Asked about concerns that could be raised about Wiedefeld’s appointment, Moore said his administration has gone through “a full vetting process” and that they “feel comfortable with where things are.”

“The secretary is going to go in front of the Senate for a full hearing, but we know that when we think about the future for the things that we are looking to get done, … we believe firmly and deeply that Paul is a person that’s going to help lead us there,” Moore said.

Moore has expressed interest in reviving a 14-mile (22.5-kilometer) east-west transit line in Baltimore, which former Gov. Larry Hogan did not support. He spoke of a “new form of a Red Line, a true east-west transit that can help address the transportation desert that we still continue to see in many areas of Baltimore.”

“This is not going to be a start-from-scratch operation,” Moore said. “There is good work that has already been done.”

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority says maintenance work at certain stations will impact service Orange, Silver and Green lines for up to several weeks, WMATA announced Tuesday.

The closures will allow “maintenance and modernization” including rail replacement, fiber optic cable installation, improved station facilities and upgraded customer information displays. The work is scheduled for the summer when ridership is typically lower, WMATA said.

Metro says it will release information on alternatives in the weeks before the closures begin. In the past, Metro has offered shuttle buses between closed stations.

The closures come as Metro tries to recover from plummeting ridership linked to the pandemic while moving forward with its capital improvement plan to enhance safety and reliability long-term.

Here are the major service changes to know about.

May 12-22: Orange Line Single Tracking Between Stadium-Armory and Cheverly

Expect delays on the east end of the Orange Line while roofing work is done at the Minnesota Avenue, Deanwood and Cheverly stations. PEPCO power lines running above the stations must be de-energized while the work is completed.

June 3: Orange/Silver Line Station Closures Begin in Arlington and Fairfax Counties

East Falls Church on the Orange and Silver lines will close, along with West Falls Church on the Orange Line, for over three weeks.

The Vienna and Dunn Loring stations will be closed for more than six weeks.

June 26: East Falls Church and West Falls Church Reopen

The East Falls Church station (Orange/Silver) and West Falls Church station (Orange) are scheduled to be closed for 23 days.

July 17: Vienna and Dunn Loring Stations Reopen

The Vienna and Dunn Loring Orange Line stations are scheduled to be closed for 44 days so crews can replace a 40-year-old steel rail and upgrade old copper cables to fiber optic cables.

Metro (WMATA) Jan 16

Metro Walks Back Blue, Orange, Silver Line Delays Announced After Watchdog Safety Report

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2022 Metro Ridership Numbers Paint Bleak Picture

July 22 to Sept. 4: Green Line Closures in Prince George’s County

Green Line service will be shut down at West Hyattsville, Hyattsville Crossing, College Park-U of Md. and Greenbelt, Metro said. The 44-day closure will allow the installation of fiber optic cables.

“While Green Line customers in this location experienced a recent summer shutdown for station improvements, the installation of fiberoptics was unable to be addressed at that time due to the use of the tracks to move equipment,” Metro said.

More Metro Maintenance Expected in Summer 2023

Commuters in the heart of the District may notice some changes, too.

Metro says it will install new passenger information displays at Metro Center, Gallery Place and L’Enfant stations.

The four escalators at the Dupont Circle station north entrance at Connecticut Avenue and Dupont Street are slated to be replaced starting in late July or early August. Crews will replace two escalators at a time, leaving the two others available for use.

That group, the Washington Metro Rail Safety Commission (WMSC), set a Tuesday deadline for Metro to provide the documents showing it has corrected its training and certification procedures. An internal investigation had showed operators were certified despite not meeting training requirements.

In the coming weeks, the two groups will meet again to discuss the new training measures.

The documentation deadline was pushed back last week, hours after Metro announced it would reduce service on three rail lines due to the safety report, which would have sidelined more than 50 rail operators. The WMSC granted a delay on their own safety directive after an outcry from the transit agency.

“The WMSC has granted Metrorail a stay until January 24, 2023 of our directive requiring Metrorail to provide a list of train operators Metrorail certified despite not meeting Metrorail’s safety training requirements,” WMSC said in a statement Jan. 16. “Related investigation and inspection activities continue as the WMSC awaits documentation from Metrorail regarding new information Metrorail provided earlier [that day].”

Metro Transit police said they found the man with a gunshot wound at around 4:45 p.m. Authorities believe there was an altercation between the victim and the suspected shooter in the bus bay before shots rang out.

Police said they performed CPR on the victim, but he could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity was not revealed.

“The person is not on scene and has fled the area,” Deputy Chief Stephen Boehm said. “We are still reviewing video at this time, but again it’s still preliminary at this point.”

Green Line trains were bypassing the Southern Avenue station, and bus service was established. The station has since reopened.

Since the start of 2023, there have been two shootings near Metro stations and one on a Metrobus.

“Seriously, I’m not shocked. And that’s what’s horrible, is that it’s so common here that I’m not shocked,” rider Brandy Strawser said about Sunday’s deadly gunfire. “Hopefully they can do something about this around here, make it safer for us.”

Metro General Manager Randy Clarke issued a statement via Twitter that read: “Another preventable loss in our region, this time outside a metro station. We should all be sad & frustrated w/ the ongoing gun violence in America. Appreciate staff & MTPD officers quick response including CPR. More info will be released as the investigation progresses.”

This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.

In a news release, Metro said that “customers will not experience rail service impacts that were previously announced… trains will continue to arrive every 15 minutes.”

The rapid 180 is thanks to the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) reviewing and placing a stay on their own safety directive until Jan. 24 of this year, following outcry from the transit authority.

“The WMSC has granted Metrorail a stay until January 24, 2023 of our directive requiring Metrorail to provide a list of train operators Metrorail certified despite not meeting Metrorail’s safety training requirements,” WMSC said in a Monday afternoon statement. “Related investigation and inspection activities continue as the WMSC awaits documentation from Metrorail regarding new information Metrorail provided earlier today.”

Metro was going to reduce service because there weren’t going to be enough operators or trains available after one of those directives was issued over the weekend. The WMSC directives would have forced Metro to instruct operators and pause a program returning 7000 series railcars to the tracks, officials said.

Trains on those three lines were set to run every 25 minutes from Tuesday, Jan. 17 through at least Sunday, Jan. 22. Red and Green line service was not going to change.

“This is necessary to comply with the WMSC directives to retrain our rail operators who completed all hours of training in the cab with an instructor and completed an independent certification exam per our Metro requirements,” Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said Monday morning when he announced the now-unnecessary service delays.

Metro appealed the two directives, and says they are “not based on risk analysis or facts.”

That appeal led to an “expedited review and stay” of the directive about operator training, eliminating the need for delays.

On Friday, the WMSC released a scathing report saying some train operators are unqualified to be on the job.

Metrorail was “actively ignoring its train operator training and certification processes,” WMSC said.

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The safety commission said Metro leadership told managers to “make no trains available for training.” It also alleged that Metro stopped giving new operators time behind the wheel with an instructor.

Metro says the operators are certified and received adequate training, although there were changes after the agency had to pull all the 7000-series cars — which represent 60% of its fleet — following a derailment on the Blue Line in October 2021.

“The limited availability of 7000 series rail cars required for that training prompted our operations and safety managers to adjust the training, combining the eight hours we used to provide for non-revenue passenger trains with the 30 hours of training in passenger service,” Clarke said.

Metro safety chief Theresa Impastato explained the changes in the training process.

According to Impastato, operators have always had to complete classroom instruction, and pass a written exam, before any practical training. That did not change.

Previously, after the written exam, the student operators entered an eight-week rotation known as “Yard Practical Training,” or YTP. While under instructor direction, the student operators learned to operate the trains in different rail yards around the WMATA system, practicing starts and stops, handling and troubleshooting of the trains, Impastato said.

The eight-week rotation gave those students up to eight hours of training, all done on trains without passengers, but traveling on the main Metro lines.

Student operators then had to complete “no less than 30 hours” of training “in active revenue service” — on a train picking up paying passengers — also under the direct supervision of an instructor, Impastato said. After at least 30 hours, their qualifications were verified and they completed another certification exam.

Because there were not enough trains available, Impastato said, Metro adjusted the ratio of training that had to be completed. The total number of 38 training hours did not change, but if a student lost out on two hours of YTP training without passengers, for example, they could make up that time and complete 32 hours in active revenue service training with an instructor.

“We have nobody out there driving a train that doesn’t have all of the required time,” Clarke said.

Clarke said Metro could have done a better job documenting that adjustment, but “it was not done in a vacuum… and did not compromise safety.”

Impastatos said there’s no evidence of attempts to deliberately conceal information about the change from the WMSC, but that the change and the decision-making process was not formally communicated, “and that is something that WMATA needs to address. WMATA has room to improve relative to documenting the basis for decision making.”

The retraining of those operators, which WMSC said must be completed by Thursday at 5 a.m. according to Clarke, takes those operators and some trains out of commission, which would have led to train delays.

However, WMSC issued a stay on that directive on Monday afternoon.

“We appreciate the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission for their expedited review and stay of their directive related to rail operator training. Customers are the real winners in this process,” Metro said in the release issued Monday afternoon. “We also appreciate WSMC’s commitment to timely consider our petition on moving to Phase 3 of our 7000-series train Return to Service plan.”

The issues with returning 7000 series cars to service, caused by the second safety directive that WMATA is appealing, will have longer-term impacts on service.

“Without this next step, we are unable to ramp up rail service,” Clarke said.

Clarke said that Metro isn’t currently fighting one of the WMSC directives regarding roadway worker protection training.

Metro’s leaders announced the service disruption during a virtual briefing Monday to address what they discussed in a closed-session, emergency meeting Sunday.

The safety commission pointed out several concerning incidents. In July 2021, a train operator didn’t know Franconia-Springfield was the end of the line. In November, an operator worked 30 days in a row and blew past track workers at an excessive speed. And in December, an operator “didn’t know where they were in the system” and ran a red signal.

The safety commission also said Metro promised last April to make a number of safety fixes, such as increasing the amount of training for operators. But according to the commission’s report, the transit agency has already fallen behind on that plan and missed the first deadline.

Metro on Friday said it’s implementing new training procedures after finding that recent trainings didn’t follow the proper sequence. Sixty-four operators who were in classes that didn’t follow the proper sequence will be given extra training, Metro said.

News4 has reached out to WMATA about the meeting.

The Yellow line is currently being serviced by Blue line trains, as construction continues on the new Potomac Yard station between the National Airport and Braddock Road stops. It was not immediately clear how the now-unnecessary delays to Blue line trains would have affected Yellow Line riders.

This is a developing story. Stay with News4 for more updates.