Metro Strands Passengers Again - Third Time In Two Months

GREENBELT, Md. - Officials at Metro have confirmed that passengers were stranded briefly in a locked transit station early Thursday morning. It is the third time that Metro passengers have been locked in stations in the past two months. Managers may revamp station closing procedures.

As in the previous incidents, the passengers at Greenbelt were aboard the last outbound Wednesday evening train. When they got off the train and tried to exit at Greenbelt, they found the main gate locked, and the station manager's booth deserted. Another employee let them out within 15 or 20 minutes.

Similar incidents happened at the Virginia Square Metro station in late July and at the Cheverly Metro station in late June. Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said, in the most recent incident at Greenbelt, the station manager apparently misread the monitor that shows the progress of "revenue" trains in the system. Revenue trains carry passengers.

According to Taubenkibel, the manager thought the last revenue train of the night had passed through; she did a walking check of the station platforms, mezzanine areas, and back rooms, then locked up and left.

Taubenkibel confirmed that all station mangers had been notified of the previous incidents. He says system executives are currently conducting a comprehensive review of station closing procedures.

The Metro spokesman said the manager at Greenbelt will undergo retraining, at the minimum, and may face a suspension over the most recent incident of stranding passengers in a locked station.