While Tuesday’s earthquake shook the Washington region for only a matter of seconds, its effect on the afternoon commute dragged on for hours.
The Capital Beltway was jam-packed soon after the earthquake rippled across the East Coast, as hundreds of federal employees were sent home en masse shortly before 3 p.m. The Virginia Department of Transportation lifted carpool lane restrictions for the evening to try to ease the gridlock, which also gripped downtown — where several traffic signal outages aggravated congestion and hemmed in commuter buses.
Metro riders waited hopelessly on crowded platforms for trains traveling 15 mph — less than half their normal speed — as Metro crews took extra precautions checking the tracks for any damage. The Orange Line had to run trains on one track between the Cheverly and Stadium-Armory stations in late afternoon after crews found damage. Metro extended rush hour service as well as the shifts of the rail and bus operators.
Evacuated from her downtown D.C. law office, Karen White said she wasn’t sure how she was going to get home — 25 miles away in Maryland.
“I’d be a little afraid to take Metro,” White said.
Those traveling by train were also out of luck. Amtrak, MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter trains suspended service in the Washington area for roughly two hours as officials checked tracks, tunnels and bridges for damage — then resumed running trains at reduced speeds between Baltimore and Washington, contributing to major delays.
Several East Coast airports including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport temporarily suspended all flights after the quake, delaying hundreds of flights and canceling some altogether.
Kelly Poe, a Chevy Chase resident working downtown, said she wasn’t keen on trying public transportation.
“I’m thinking about Capital Bikeshare,” Poe said.
Bike and Roll, a local bike-rental business, announced it would waive a $10 overnight fee to help stranded city workers.
“All our staff has been outside seeing people walking around, not knowing what to do,” said Catharine Pear, Bike and Roll’s marketing director. “The Metro is running slowly, lights are out in some places — it’s gridlock everywhere.”
