Delays Cause Huge Crowd at Rosslyn Station

Major Metrorail delays led to an overwhelming crowd at the Rosslyn Metro Station during Tuesday evening's commute.

Metrorail riders were warned to avoid the Orange and Blue lines in Virginia if possible after a man was struck by a train before 5 p.m. Trains were not running between the Rosslyn and Ballston stations until after the man was removed from underneath the train about 6:15 p.m., and shuttle bus service was established. Single-tracking was established by about 6:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Metro tweeted about crowd control and safety issues at Rosslyn.

One woman told News4's John Schriffen her commute was delayed at least two hours. A man said the crowd was unlike anything he'd every seen at sporting events. He described 45 minutes of being jam packed in the station with people pushing and shoving.

The escalators automatically shut down, as they are supposed to when carrying too much weight, and they became packed with people trying to exit, Schriffen reported. There were reports of some people passing out or experiencing fatigue climbing the stopped escalators.

Arlington County police went to the station to help clear it.

Metro couldn't do much to alleviate the problem, given the location and time of the incident, a spokesman told Schriffen. It's difficult to duplicate the rush hour service on the Orange Line with buses.

Conditions returned to normal by about 7 p.m., Metro told Schriffen.

The man who was struck was conscious when transported to an area hospital.