ASHBURN, Va. — If you see a large emergency response outside the Ashburn Metro Station on Wednesday, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) says there is no reason to panic.
Metro is conducting an emergency exercise in preparation for the opening of the Silver Line extension.
More than 100 fire and emergency personnel will converge on the new Ashburn Station on the Silver Line extension as part of a full-scale emergency drill Wednesday, Aug. 17. Metro is conducting the exercise in coordination with Fairfax County, Loudoun County and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) as part of preparations for the opening of the Silver Line Extension expected later this fall.
The training exercise begins at 8 a.m. and runs through noon to help familiarize first responders with Metro’s trains and rail system, officials said in a press release. During the exercise Metro will simulate a real-life emergency with a train stranded outside the Ashburn Station.
"People in the area may see a large emergency response at the station, including several fire trucks and ambulances; however, this is just an exercise," Metro said in a press statement.
As part of the exercise, first responders will focus on their emergency response, communication, command structure, station familiarization, track and railcar access and evacuation procedures. Metro’s bus, rail, police and safety staff will also take part in the exercise.
The emergency drill comes less than a month after Randy Clarke took over at Metro's new General Manager and CEO, and about two weeks after the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, an independent regulatory agency created by Congress to regulate the system safety, released a report outlining major safety issues within Metro control rooms, which include the equipment that keeps trains on schedule and prevents collisions.
According to the report, the control room inspected at Friendship Heights had "water leaks, some of which were being caught by buckets place by Metrorail personnel..." located bear "vital automatic train controls (ATC) equipment."
They also found "a layer of dust and debris, which could interfere with the equipment's safe operation."
The regulatory agency had first flagged the issues back in March but found, although Metrorail had stated 'it would take action' as of a follow-up in July and August they had failed to make progress.