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Reports of smoke leads to Metro station evacuation in Virginia

By The Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Reports of smoke caused the evacuation of a Metro station in Virginia and a service disruption on the system’s Orange and Silver lines during Thursday morning’s rush hour.

Arlington Fire Department officials said on Twitter that they evacuated the Virginia Square station after smoke was reported in the train tunnel.

Metro said the initial report came from a customer on the train, but after a thorough investigation, “no issues or cause of smoke” were found.

The incident resulted in suspension of service on the Orange and Silver lines between the Ballston and Clarendon stops.

Metro said service was restored shortly before 8 a.m.

No injuries were immediately reported.

Metro has been plagued with smoke problems in recent years. In 2015, one person died and others were injured when a train stalled in a tunnel in the District of Columbia and filled with smoke.

More frequent rail service, bus improvements, flat fares all part of Metro GM’s budget proposal

By Ciara Wells
Metro General Manager Randy Clarke presented the proposed budget for the D.C.-area transit system's fiscal year 2027 to the WMATA Board of Directors on Thursday, calling for an improvement in service frequency across Metro's buses and trains without fare increases. The proposal calls for shorter wait times on the Orange, Silver and Blue lines during the weekdays, and on the Red Line at night. This would mean trains on the Orange, Silver and Blue lines would run every 10 minutes, as compared with its current 12-minute headway, to support peak ridership.
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