Metro’s Red Line returns to normal after water floods control room

Red Line riders faced significant delays Wednesday after a pipe broke and water flooded a train control room, impacting signals outside the Van Ness Metro station. But Metro said Thursday morning that crews tested the signaling system at Van Ness and are “confident service between Friendship Heights and Dupont Circle will start without delays or disruption at 5 a.m.” The agency added that there would be “incremental service improvements between Friendship Heights and Dupont Circle throughout the day.”

UPDATE: Our crews have been working diligently to address the signaling issue, making incremental service improvements between Friendship Heights and Dupont Circle throughout the day. Our work will continue overnight as we perform critical testing on signaling equipment to… https://t.co/wbNeqmpyEepic.twitter.com/68P2hmONaE

— Metro Forward (@wmata) July 23, 2026

In a post on X early Wednesday morning, Metro said trains would be delayed between Friendship Heights and Glenmont due to “water intrusion.” General manager Randy Clarke later confirmed that a pipe broke inside a control room that contained signaling equipment about 50 years old. Work crews were at the scene overnight making repairs, Metro said. Trains had been operating every six minutes between Shady Grove and North Bethesda in both directions.

Between Friendship Heights and Dupont Circle, trains are running every 10 to 12 minutes, while service between Dupont Circle and Glenmont is operating about every six minutes. Some trains were offloading passengers at Dupont Circle to reduce train traffic through the affected area.

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