Red Line single-tracking between Silver Spring and Wheaton Metro stations after train breaks down, sending smoke into tunnel

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said a train broke down on June 5 after the train struck a metal object. (Video: Mohammed Ademo)

Metro said the Red Line train that broke down at Forest Glen at the height of the afternoon rush Tuesday struck a metal object, resulting in smoke when the object came into contact with the electrified third rail. Trains are single-tracking between Silver Spring and Wheaton while the agency investigates.

The train did not derail, Metro said, and no injuries were reported. But passengers described fear and anxiety aboard the train as events unfolded.

They said the train was just outside Forest Glen when they felt a jolt, paired with a loud, metal-on-metal grinding noise that sent sparks flying against the windows.

“Immediately, the car started to shudder, and sparks flew up the right side of the car from the front up on the windows,” said Andrew Diroll-Black, 40, of Silver Spring, who was on his way to Wheaton to pick up his children. Then the train came to a “grinding halt,” he said.

“It was probably at least 25 seconds of crunching, grinding, rattling,” said another passenger, Dave Fontaine, 38, of Forest Glen. “And then it was the two big booms.

“It was a flash bright enough that everybody did one of those numbers where you put your hands over your eyes.”

Bianca Santos, 26, who was in the same area of the train as Diroll-Black, was relieved to be approaching Forest Glen.

“You could start to see the station, like ‘Oh, thank God,’ ” she said. “And then we get there and the doors — we get to the stop and the doors don’t open.”

At that point, Santos said, smoke was visible inside the train. Passengers pressed the emergency intercom to alert the operator that there was smoke inside the car.

Finally, one of the middle doors of her car opened. Because the entire train did not make it to the platform, some passengers were passing through the doors between cars to exit.

Diroll-Black said it did not appear that anyone was injured, but passengers were upset.

“There was a woman across from me who was very upset — I was like, ‘Take a deep breath, take a deep breath,’ ” he said.

“And then, of course, there was the kind of hilarious message that came over the intercom, which was: ‘We are holding at the station.’”

Big crashing noise on the Glenmont bound train at Fort Totten. Most of the car doors didn’t open, tunnel filling with smoke 😳 @unsuckdcmetro @washingtonpost pic.twitter.com/WRgqoqz3BT

— Nora (@neonley) June 5, 2018