Washington DC: 1 dead, dozens hurt after Metro car fills with smoke

[marmar]

from the WaPo:



It was a commuter’s worst nightmare: a Metro train abruptly stops, goes dark and fills with smoke in a tunnel in downtown Washington. Before it was over, one woman was killed and more than 80 passengers were suffering from respiratory problems and other health issues.

But a day after Monday’s ordeal aboard a Virginia-bound Yellow Line train, commuters returned to the rails.

"I have no fear of getting on the train this morning," said Martin Cullen, 37, a Jessup resident who works in data collections at the Smithsonian's American History Museum, as he walked to the Greenbelt Metro Station on Tuesday. "I've been riding the train for years and this is the first time something like that has happened."

And authorities now believe they know why the train, which had just left the L’Enfant Plaza station, came to a halt about 800 feet into the tunnel. The National Transportation Safety Board said “an electrical arcing event” occurred about 1,100 feet in front of the train. The event filled the tunnel with smoke, the NTSB said. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/1-dead-dozens-hurt-on-metro-car-filled-with-smoke/2015/01/12/e832c0f0-9aa8-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html?hpid=z1