Metro To Close Two Stations on Sunday for Emergency Drill

Two Metro stations in Alexandria will be closed on Sunday as the Metro Transit Police conduct a drill in which emergency personnel will practice responding to a simulated train derailment, according to transit system officials.

From about 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, the Eisenhower Avenue and Huntington Metro stations will be closed to the public. Metro has announced detailed information about service detours, including free shuttle bus service.

You can also sign up for MetroAlerts to receive notifications, via emails or text messages, when stations reopen.

The emergency exercise on Sunday is closed to the public. It will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will conclude no later than 2 p.m. More than 100 emergency responders and volunteers are expected to take part.

The exercise will take place on the elevated track and tunnel between the Eisenhower Avenue and King Street-Old Town stations. It will simulate real-world conditions to test coordination and communications between on-scene emergency responders, Metrorail operations staff, Metro Transit Police and partner agencies.

The public may see a train stopped on the tracks and a large number of emergency vehicles around the Eisenhower Avenue station. The Alexandria police and fire departments (including the Office of Emergency Management) will participate.