Person struck by train at Rockville

By Washington Post Editors

Video of the scene outside Rockville Station. (By Lisa Bolton/The Post)

Video link for mobile devices

Video interview with emergency official by Dan Morse

6:27 p.m. Update: Metro says the Red Line delays have been cleared after a man was struck by a Glenmont-bound train earlier Friday.

Authorities say the man was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after being pinned on the tracks for 35 minutes. Crews lifted the train with airbags and other equipment to free the man, police said.

Rockville station closed for about 40 minutes, and trains single-tracked between Shady Grove and Twinbrook for most of the afternoon, causing delays along the Red Line.

5:28 p.m. Update: Metro says operations in Rockville have finally returned to normal, with trains operating on both tracks. Expect the delays to continue while service resumes its normal rhythm.

4:55 p.m. Update: Metro reports that trains are still single-tracking. Still no estimate on when normal service will resume.

3:52 p.m. Update: Activity at the station otherwise seems to have returned to normal, with people entering and exiting the station and waiting for buses. A police cruiser is parked near the entrance, Lisa Bolton reports.

If you're traveling on the line, what are you experiencing?

3:50 p.m. Update: Lisa Bolton reports that three men in day-glo vests are standing on the track in the area where the man was struck. Metro says trains are still single-tracking.

3:30 p.m. Update: As we near prime commuting hours, Red Line trains are still single-tracking between Shady Grove and Twinbrook. Spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said there is no estimate on when normal service may resume.

"We're still out there," he said.

3 p.m. Update: Single-tracking continues on the Red Line.

If you're traveling on the line, what are you experiencing?

2:20 p.m. Update: Trains continue to single-track. Lisa Bolton reports that the last firetruck has left the scene.

2:03 p.m. Update: Traffic now appears to be moving through the "Kiss and Ride" area, Lisa Bolton reports. Trains are still single-tracking, though.

1:50 p.m. Update: According to preliminary police reports, the man intentionally placed himself in the path of the train, said Metro spokesman Angela Gates.

Red Line trains continue to single-track between Shady Grove and Twinbrook.

1:37 p.m. Update: Lisa Bolton reports that yellow tape is being erected around the scene, but the crowd of officials has dispersed.

Rockville Station has reopened.

1:34 p.m. Update: Capt. Garcia tells the Post's Dan Morse that the man struck by the train was transported to the hospital at 1:20 p.m.

The man's leg was pinned beneath the train, and crews took 35 minutes to extricate him using air bags and wood cribbing to lift the train. The man was conscious and talking to rescue workers, Garcia said.

Metro Transit Police will investigate, he added.

1:25 p.m. Update: Rockville Station remains closed with trains passing through without stopping. A bus bridge has been established to help passengers travel from Shady Grove to Twinbrook.

1:10 p.m. Update: Brunswick Line service for the Maryland Area Regional Commuter service has not been affected by the accident, the Maryland Transit Administration says. However, passengers who use Metro for portions of their trips should allow extra time.

1:05 p.m. Update: Emergency responders freed the person from the train at 12:59 p.m., according to Capt. Oscar Garcia, spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Station.

The individual is being treated at the station for serious, potentially life-threatening injuries, he said. Information about the person's identity was not immediately available.

-- Dan Morse

1 p.m. Update: Lisa Bolton reports that police are allowing cars to turn right onto Veirs Mill Road from Rockville Pike, but they are not allowing drivers to pull into the station.

12:48 p.m. Update: Metro says the station is now closed. Trains are passing through without stopping, and shuttle bus service is being activated to ferry riders from Shady Grove to Twinbrook via Rockville.

Montgomery County bureau manager Lisa Bolton reports that police cars are now blocking the entrance to the Rockville "Kiss and Ride" area from Rockville Pike.

Original post: A person has been struck by a train at Rockville Station, according to Metro. Trains are single-tracking between Shady Grove and Twinbrook.

According to the Post's Lisa Bolton, four fire trucks and another emergency vehicle have pulled up to Rockville Station. Bolton reports that the train is stopped about a third of the way into the station with several officials on the scene. (The Post's Montgomery County bureau overlooks the station, and a reporter is en route).

Metro spokesman Lisa Farbstein said Metro received the report at 12:21 p.m., and the accident occurred on the Glenmont-bound tracks. The station remains open, she said.