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100 Metro riders evacuated after train brake issue on Yellow Line

Green/Yellow trains are no longer single-tracking and have resumed normal operation between Mount Vernon Square and Gallery Place following the Friday incident.

WASHINGTON — The Yellow and Green Lines are once again running between Mount Vernon Square and Gallery Place after hours of single-tracking following reported fire department activity and a brake issue Friday afternoon.

“Rail Operation Control Center received a report of a disabled train with a potential brake issue approximately 100 feet from the Gallery Place platform, with smoke possibly observed,” Metro confirmed in a statement. 

Earlier, WMATA suspended all services on the lines.

WMATA confirmed that the incident train was a 3000-series train and had approximately 100 customers aboard when the incident occurred at 2:15 p.m.

Some Twitter users posted they saw and smelled smoke during the ordeal. However, DC Fire said that there was no evidence of smoke or fire and that everyone has since been evacuated with no injuries reported.

According to Metro radio scanner traffic, there was an initial report of smoke in one of the cars and people were walking to the front. About a minute later the metro train car operator told the command center over the radio that customers were getting rowdy, and passengers could be heard yelling in the background.

Officials familiar with the situation say the initial call to dispatch was to Columbia Heights, which is four metro stops from where the train actually stopped but said crews quickly got turned around and sent here to Chinatown.

Lafre Hall was on the train and said some folks were getting chaotic as they realized they were stuck underground. 

"First it started slowing down and then the lights went out in the car. We were in the last car," Hall said. "The lights went out and it came to a complete stop real fast and it looked like there was some smoke or something like that. We didn't know what was going on and started looking and some people got really panicky."

The incident comes just hours after WMATA announced that Metro will continue to run on a reduced schedule until Oct. 31 as they continue to inspect almost 60% of its rail cars following a train derailment that was linked to malfunctioning wheels on its newest trains. 

This means trains on the Red Line will run every 15 to 20 minutes and every other line will run every 30 to 40 minutes through at least Halloween. Silver Line service will continue to operate between Wiehle-Reston East and Federal Center Southwest only.

Metro is encouraging riders to seek alternate routes such as their bus service in the meantime.

RELATED: Metro: Reduced metrorail service will remain through at least Oct. 31

Riders evacuated during the previous derailment are now receiving $21 credits as an apology for their troubles during the incident.

Metro is currently working to reach out to customers that were on board the train to give riders the monetary credit, a media relations spokesperson confirmed.

"While it does not make up for their experience, we wanted to offer an apology along with this small gesture of appreciation," she said in an emailed statement.

On a local D.C. Reddit thread where commuters shared their experience aboard the derailed train, various users shared that they had already been contacted by WMATA about receiving their credits.

"This is basically exactly what I would expect of metro personnel -- basically the bare minimum," one user commented.

RELATED: Metro gives riders $21 for their troubles after train goes off the tracks

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