Metro train operator temporarily relieved of duty after failing to stop for red light

To address the persistent problem of red-light running, Metro added stickers in train cabs to remind operators of the rules. (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority)

A Metro train operator has been temporarily removed from service after failing to stop for a red light on the tracks at Naylor Road station on the Green Line.

The incident occurred at 11 p.m. Saturday on the Green Line, according to Metro spokesman Richard L. Jordan. The train stopped “a short distance” past the red light at the end of the platform, Jordan said. Passengers were offloaded onto the station platform; no one was injured.

The stretch of tracks between the Naylor Road and Branch Avenue stations was temporarily taken out of service after the incident. There was no damage to the train, Jordan said. Metro safety officials are investigating the incident to determine the cause of the red signal overrun.

This was the third mainline red signal overrun of 2017.

Red light violations are an ongoing problem for the transit agency: From 2012 to 2015, federal officials have tabulated at least 45 instances in which Metro train operators failed to stop for a red light on the tracks. Outside consultants attributed the problem to inattentiveness by train operators, instances of miscommunication between operators and controllers, as well as a “rush-rush culture” experienced by some Metro staff.