Body Found on Train Tracks Near Union Station

The body of an adult male was found on a set of train tracks just northeast of Washington's Union Station shortly before 8 a.m. today, halting some commuter rail travel for part of the morning rush hour and prompting a police investigation, authorities said.

Four trains from the Maryland Transit Administration's Camden and Brunswick lines sat on the CSX tracks in the District's Brentwood neighborhood for about 30 minutes after the body was discovered, MARC spokeswoman Cheron Wicker said. The trains were then rerouted back to stations in Greenbelt and Silver Spring. From there, commuters were told to take Metrorail to their final destinations; the rail system honored their MARC tickets.

The track servicing the Camden line was reopened shortly after 9 a.m., Wicker said, and the track used by the Brunswick line was cleared about 45 minutes later. Residual delays of 30 to 45 minutes were expected to last throughout the morning, officials said.

Outbound trains did not depart Union Station while the tracks serving their lines were closed, Wicker said.

Neither Amtrak service nor MARC's Penn line, which uses Amtrak tracks, was affected.

D.C. police said the body was reported to them at 7:43 a.m. Officers responded to Eighth Place and Rhode Island Avenue NE, and were accessing the tracks from there. The death remains under investigation, a police spokeswoman said.