Metro chief John Catoe said the first train was stopped on the tracks, waiting for another to clear the station ahead, when the trailing train, one of the oldest in the Metro fleet, plowed into it from behind.
Officials had no explanation for the accident.
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From the City Paper:
As for the stopped train, here’s one account of what happened. Dennis, who declined to give his last name, says his train had just barely started to move when the impact happened. Dennis stepped out of the train and could see “three or four people on the ground, all bloody.” Dennis was in the fifth car, one removed from the impact. After staggering out of the train, he spotted a woman on top of that sixth car, and blood was streaming down. “The interior of that car just got crushed,” said Dennis.
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Catoe also said trains will not run on that section of track Tuesday. He also said all trains would run in manual mode, with the operator in control.
"Metro customers should avoid the red line from Rhode Island Avenue to Glenmont," Catoe said shortly after 9 p.m. He added there would still be shuttle bus service. The transit agency was also working on a more definitive plan for morning commuters.
Catoe declined to answer repeated questioning about whether the striking train was being operated in manual mode. He said Metro policy is to operate trains in automatic mode during peak hours.
NTSB board member Debbie Hersman said nine investigators from her office were dispatched to the scene and would be looking at whether the striking train was being operated manually, or in automatic.
"It's very early in this investigation (to determine if) previous recommendations are applicable in this instance. We are going to be looking very closely at all of the past recommendations we have issued, Metro's compliance with those recommendations, and whether or not those recommendations apply in this accident scenario.
Catoe did say the stopped train was a 5,000-series. The striking train was a 1,000-series train, the oldest in Metro's fleet. It is scheduled to begin being retired in 2012, according to the NTSB Web site.
Hersman also addressed NTSB's previous recommendations about the crash-worthiness of 1000-series trains.
"It's very early in this investigation (to determine if) previous recommendations are applicable in this instance," she said." We are going to be looking very closely at all of the past recommendations we have issued, Metro's compliance with those recommendations, and whether or not those recommendations apply in this accident scenario."
The collision happened near where New Hampshire Avenue crosses over the tracks.
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