There have been numerous incidents on the Washington Metro over its history, including several collisions causing injuries and fatalities, and numerous derailments. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has been criticized for disregarding safety warnings and advice from experts.
Collisions January 6, 1996
On January 6, 1996, during the Blizzard of 1996, a Metro operator was killed when Train 111 consisting of 3000-series railcars failed to come to a stop at the Shady Grove station. The four-car train overran the station platform and struck an unoccupied train also consisting of 3000-series railcars at the end of Shady Grove station. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found that the crash was a result of a failure in the train's computer-controlled braking system. The NTSB recommended that Metro grant train operators the ability to manually control the braking system, even in inclement weather. Additionally, investigators recommended that Metro prohibit parked railcars on tracks used by inbound trains. The NTSB also recommended that Metro reinforce the 1000-series cars to help protect them against telescoping in a crash. Metro rejected this recommendation in 2002, saying the modification was impractical and might lead to "higher longitudinal accelerations" and thus greater injuries. The NTSB also advised Metro to install event recorders, similar to airplane black boxes, on all 1000-series cars. This recommendation echoed one made following Metrorail's first fatal accident in 1982, when the NTSB recommended the installation of event recorders in trains, but despite some discussion by WMATA managers, no recorders had been installed by January 1996. Train 111 consisted of railcars 3252, 3253, 3192 and 3193. The gap train consisted of railcars 3190, 3191, 3120, 3121, 3164, and 3165. 3252 and 3191 were destroyed in the collision with both cars being retained by WMATA for training purposes at Carmen Turner Facility in Landover, Maryland until 2023. The remaining cars involved in the collision were repaired. 3253 and 3190 were later mated together and renumbered to 3290 (3190) and 3291 (3253).
November 3, 2004 On November 3, 2004, Train 703, an out-of-service train consisting of 1000-series railcars rolled backwards into the Woodley Park station and hit Train 105, an in-service Red Line train consisting of 4000-series railcars that was at the platform servicing the station.NTSB Railroad Accident Report – 2004 Woodley Park accident No one was killed, but 20 people were injured. A 14-month investigation concluded that the train operator was most likely not alert as the train rolled backwards into the station, and failed to apply the brakes while the train was holding. Safety officials estimated that had the out-of-service train been full, at least 79 would have died. The train operator was dismissed and Metro officials agreed to add rollback protection to more than 300 railcars. Train 703 consisted of railcars 1128, 1129, 1064, 1065, 1076, and 1077. Train 105 consisted of railcars 4018, 4019, 4017, 4016, 4092, and 4093. Car 1077 telescoped car 4018 and was destroyed in the collision. 1076 was also retired while 4018 was later repaired and returned to service.
June 22, 2009
On June 22, 2009, at 5:02 pm EDT, two trains on the Red Line collided. A southbound train bound for Shady Grove stopped on the track short of the Fort Totten station, and another southbound train collided with the rear of the first train. The lead car of the moving train telescoped into the rear car of the stationary one. Several surviving and deceased passengers were trapped for hours during the rescue operation. Nine people died and more than 70 were injured, dozens of which were described as "walking wounded". The moving train's operator was killed. According to WMATA, trains were not single-tracking in the area when the crash occurred, but the trains were on the same track. Red Line service was suspended between the Fort Totten and stations, and New Hampshire Avenue was closed.
November 29, 2009 At 4:27 am on November 29, 2009, a collision occurred between two out-of-service trains at the Falls Church rail yard in Fairfax County, Virginia. According to Metro, three railcars were believed to be damaged beyond repair. Three Metro employees with minor injuries were taken to a local hospital. The NTSB planned to launch an investigation of the incident.
The train operator, whose name was not released, was fired for "failure to follow standard operating procedures." He had been a WMATA employee since 2007. His train was moving at 18 mph; the speed limit for train yards is 15 mph, and operators are supposed to reduce their speed even further when approaching parked trains.
All twelve railcars on the trains were damaged in the crash, and two were derailed, causing at least $9 million in damages. Train 902 (the moving train) was made up of cars 5056, 5057, 1171, 1170, 3223 and 3222. The stationary train was made up of cars 5138, 5139, 1107, 1106, 3216 and 3217. Cars 1106, 1107, 1170, 1171, 3216, and 3217 were damaged beyond repair.
October 7, 2019 At 12:48 am on October 7, 2019, two out-of-service trains, both consisting of 3000-series railcars, collided between Foggy Bottom and Farragut West as both trains were being moved to their respective rail yards affecting the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines during the morning rush. Two train operators were injured due to the collision. Train 755 (the stationary train) consisted of cars 3141, 3140, 3121, 3120, 3206 and 3207. Train 700 (the striking train) consisted of cars 3008, 3009, 3010, 3011, 3019 and 3018. Car 3008, the lead car of the striking train, struck car 3207 from the stationary train. Both cars suffered damage as of a result. Cars 3140 and 3120 also suffered broken couplers during the collision. Cars 3008, 3009, 3120, 3121, 3206, and 3207 were damaged beyond repair as a result of the accident.
The cause of the collision was a result of the operator from Train 700 repeatedly accelerating the train despite receiving a “zero speed command,” and not having permission to do so by the Metro’s Rail Operations Control Center. The operator of train 700 had a history of violations including being suspended between 2006 and 2010 from operating trains, being involved in a 2013 derailment, and failing to report a station overrun in 2015, and was subsequently fired following the collision.
April 22, 2026 On April 22, 2026 shortly after midnight, a work train (Prime Mover 64, PM64) traveling from Alexandria Rail Yard to New Carrollton Rail Yard collided with car 7698 on a stationary Silver Line train at Metro Center station, injuring 11 passengers. The resulting collision caused service disruptions on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines the following morning.
Track worker accidents Metro had a string of three fatal accidents involving track workers in a little over a year. In October 2005, a Metro employee was struck and killed at the Braddock Road station on the Blue and Yellow Lines. In May 2006, another Metro employee died after being hit by a Red Line train at Dupont Circle station. On November 30, 2006, two Metro employees were struck and killed by a Metrorail train while performing routine track maintenance on the Yellow Line near Eisenhower Avenue station. The operator of the train was found to be at fault for not following appropriate emergency braking procedures, and was permanently barred from operating Metro trains or buses. WMATA subsequently limited when track inspections can take place and lowered train speeds to when within of inspectors.
On August 9, 2009, Metro employee Michael Nash was struck and killed by a ballast regulator, a track unit that deposits and spreads track ballast onto the track bed. The incident occurred halfway between the and stations on the western end of the Orange Line in Fairfax County.
On September 10, 2009, Metro employee John Moore was struck between the and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport stations. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died four days later from his injuries.
On January 26, 2010, two Metro employees Jeff Garrard, 49 and Sung Oh, 68 were found dead when they were hit by a piece of track equipment at the Rockville station. They were installing new train control equipment in the track bed on the outbound track of the Red Line, towards Shady Grove.
On October 6, 2013, two Washington Metro employees were injured and a contractor, Harold Ingram, was killed when they were struck by a section of rail following a fire and loud noise approximately 70 to 80 feet (21 to 24 meters) from the injured workers. The incident occurred shortly after midnight in a work zone on the outbound (Glenmont direction) track approximately from the Union Station platform towards Judiciary Square.
Derailments
On January 13, 1982, a train derailed at a malfunctioning crossover switch south of the Federal Triangle station. In their attempt to restore the train to the rails, supervisors failed to notice that another car had also derailed. That car slid off the track and hit a tunnel support, killing three people and injuring 25. This accident occurred just thirty minutes after the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 into the 14th Street Bridge. In January 2003, a Blue Line train carrying 46 passengers derailed at the National Airport station. This incident was followed by a string of seven other derailments in the following 20 months,Department of System Safety and Risk Protection Final Reports – Derailments, 2003–2004 some of which occurred in rail yards or yard lead track. A 5000-series train derailed on August 19, 2004, just north of the Silver Spring station on a section of pocket track used for turning Red Line trains around when they terminate at the station. On January 7, 2007, the fifth car of a Greenbelt bound Green Line train derailed and hit a retaining wall near the Mount Vernon Square station in downtown Washington. At the time, trains were single tracking, and the derailment of the train's fifth car occurred where the train was switching from the south to northbound track. The train was carrying approximately 120 people and the accident injured at least 18 people and prompted the rescue of 60 people from a tunnel. At least one person had a serious but non-life-threatening injury. The Mount Vernon Square accident was one of a series of five derailments involving Metrorail's 5000-Series cars, up to that point, with four of those occurring on side tracks and not involving passengers. The cars involved in the derailment (5152-5153) were damaged beyond repair and were retired as a result of the accident despite proposals to repair both railcars. On June 9, 2008, an Orange Line train (2000-series) derailed between the and stations. Prior to this incident, the tracks were improperly inspected and problems with the tracks were not reported. On March 27, 2009, a Red Line train derailed near the Bethesda station, after it was experiencing mechanical difficulties and passengers had been offloaded. The first car of the second train, sent to recover the disabled train, also derailed. On February 19, 2009, a vacuum maintenance vehicle derailed along the K Route near the station, and derailed again the same day when it was being taken to a rail yard. The same day, a Yellow Line train with 5000-Series cars derailed near Mount Vernon Square, but with no serious injuries, as the train had already offloaded passengers.