"Customers Should Avoid the Red Line"

Such was the title of the first press release issued shortly after an inbound train stopped at the Takoma Park Metro Station was rear-ended by another train. An understatement, if I've ever heard one.

The following is an exerpt from a subsequent WMATA press release which provides more details:

"This is an incredibly tragic day and our hearts go out to the families of those who suffered fatalities and to those whose loved ones are injured,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe. “We are committed to investigate this accident until we determine why this happened and what must be done to ensure it never happens again.”

Metro officials do not know the cause of the 5 p.m. Monday collision and are not likely to know the cause for several days as the investigation unfolds. Both trains were on the same track headed toward Shady Grove Metrorail station, according to preliminary reports. The female operator was on the trailing train.

What? The "female operator was on the trailing train"?! What the #*$& does that have to do with anything? I could see if it was a drunk operator, or a hopped up on coke operator, but a female operator? I don't see how the gender of the driver had anything to do with anything.

Oh, wait, I get it those female drivers, yeah, right. Maybe she was PMS-ing--you know how hysterical they get "at the time of the month". Or she probably got dumped by her boyfriend, that'll put any female on the edge. Everyone knows men are far better drivers, and this would have never happened if a stable, unemotional male was behind the wheel! Okay, I'm overreacting, but isn't that an odd thing to put in a press release? I'm just sayin'.

I digress and I don't mean to make light of what was really a horrible tragedy. At least six people have died and over 75 people have been critically injured, making this the worst accident in the history of WMATA. Right now there doesn't appear to be any clearcut answer as to the cause for the crash, so it could be anything, including faulty driving, female or not.

I used to work in Silver Spring, which is on the red line, one stop from the Takoma Park station. It is entirely conceivable that former co-workers of mine were on one of the two trains that collided, due to the time of the accident. I am waiting to hear if anyone I know was on the trains, and if so, if they are okay.

I'm really sending my prayers for everyone that was on that train, and according to WMATA, it could have been as many as 1,200 people. Even though it was rush hour, the crash site was near the beginning of the red line, so I am hoping that the number of passengers was less that what they're saying it could be. So in this case I'm hoping that wishing it makes it so...