WASHINGTON —The head of the rail system that serves the nation’s capital and its Virginia and Maryland suburbs says the system will shut down for a full day after a fire near one of the system’s tunnels.
Metro head Paul J. Wiedefeld said the system would be shut down all of Wednesday. He made the announcement at a news conference Tuesday afternoon at the agency’s headquarters.
The official says the Metro subway system will shut down at midnight Tuesday and remain closed until at least 5 a.m. Thursday, which is the regularly scheduled opening time.
The shutdown comes after a fire broke out Monday about 4:30 a.m. in the tunnel outside the McPherson Square station in downtown Washington. The fire led to delays on the orange, blue and silver lines, which go through the station.
Federal workers were told they can take an unscheduled day off or telecommute to work on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Washington’s public schools will remain open Wednesday, despite the Metro’s shuttering. In a statement, District of Columbia Public Schools said it is working with Metro to add additional bus service.
Because of the mass-transit shutdown, school division spokeswoman Michelle Lerner said students who are late or absent will be excused because of the difficulty some parents will face getting their children to class.
