I know that the train that was struck, and the train that rammed the train in front were on the same track, traveling in the same direction.
I cannot imagine that the train struck was empty. Reports here have said that the train struck was awaiting entrance into the Ft. Totten Metro Station.
It was rush hour, and no train should have been parked on a working track that was empty or unmonitored.
Odd if true however.
When I first heard the report it was an empty train sitting on the track I could not believe that could/would happen. It may very well be a report that has been changed, as they have changed the original report that the Metro was using a single rail at the time of the crash.
See my earlier colloquy with kristann about the 1996 incident at Shady Grove - the Deputy GM insisted that they be on automatic operation and it ended up killing a train operator whose train skidded through the automatic “stop” and struck another train.
Trains were massively backed up today on the Red Line because a Shady Grove bound train got stuck before Tenleytown around 4 pm. I’d wager money on that triggering a chain of events that led to today’s accident. We’ll see.