Passenger Trains > Washington D.C.'s Metro vs. CSX's question

Is there any place, where, for whatever reason, Washington D.C.'s Metro and CSX's trackage physically connects?

Chessie System gave its own track to Metro, between Silver Spring, MD to Washington's Union Station in the '70s, to add two additional new tracks, one on each side of Metro, creating a 4-track right-of-way, as I have read.

Matthew

Cumberland Wrote:
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> Is there any place, where, for whatever reason,
> Washington D.C.'s Metro and CSX's trackage
> physically connects?

Yes, there are connections between CSXT and the DC Metro.

Brentwood yard connection to CSXT

Greenbelt yard connection to CSXT

Alexandria yard connection to CSXT (no longer used?)


>
> Chessie System gave its own track to Metro,
> between Silver Spring, MD to Washington's Union
> Station in the '70s, to add two additional new
> tracks, one on each side of Metro, creating a
> 4-track right-of-way, as I have read.

The line from QN (Queenstown) tower (at the Rhode Island Metro station on the Red line) to Silver Spring was widened to 4 tracks with Metro Getting the two inside tracks and CSXT (B&O/Chessie System back when Metro was being built) getting the two outer tracks. The inter track fence between Metro and CSXT has a cable running along the top of it. If this cable is broken or disconnected by a derailment signals on both lines go red. There have been two CSXT derailments that have landed cars on the Metro tracks. As luck would have both occurred at night when Metro wasn't running. I can't remember if the Metro Red line rearender back in 2009 landed Metro cars on the CSXT track.

June 2009 Washington Metro train collision

Towards the bottom you will find a picture of the shared Metro/CSXT right of way. In this picture you can see the intertrack fence with the cable running along the top of it.

>
> Matthew

Thank you for the insite. I have lived in the area for almost 30 years now. This has been a question that I have always wondered about.

Was the other incident the wreck at Georgetown Jct., during the Blizzerd of 1996, involving P029 and a MARC train? From what I recall, it happened barely missing Metro's tunnel or did the scene cover that area as well. I can't recall any other train wrecks, on the Metropolitan Sub, other than P029 derailing in Kensington, MD, due to extensive summer heat vs. the steel rails, in my lifetime.

Matthew

Another shared right of way photo, from New Hampshire Avenue Bridge.

B&OBill

---

Cumberland Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thank you for the insite. I have lived in the area
> for almost 30 years now. This has been a question
> that I have always wondered about.
>
> Was the other incident the wreck at Georgetown
> Jct., during the Blizzard of 1996, involving P029
> and a MARC train? From what I recall, it happened
> barely missing Metro's tunnel or did the scene
> cover that area as well. I can't recall any other
> train wrecks, on the Metropolitan Sub, other than
> P029 derailing in Kensington, MD, due to extensive
> summer heat vs. the steel rails, in my lifetime.
>

The Georgetown Jct wreck did not affect Metro property.

What kinds of equipment/cars would have been used, for having those three connections, anyway?

Matthew

Cumberland Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What kinds of equipment/cars would have been
> used, for having those three connections,
> anyway?

Delivery of flatcars carrying Metro's new "7K cars". I believe this occures at the Grennbelt yard interchange. Metro built a test track between the Greenbelt and College Park station for acceptance tests of the new cars.

>
> Matthew

How do shipments of rail, ties, etc arrive for Metro?