A computer outage delayed some riders on the Red Line Wednesday night, leaving two trains stuck for more than 20 minutes.
A computer console at the operations center failed around 9 p.m., said Metro spokesman Dan Stessel. The console helps control trains moving through work zones. Without it, the agency had to clear all the workers who were doing track work on a section of the Red Line between the Van Ness and Medical Center stations before it could move trains through.
The agency held two trains on either side of the work zone while the workers got out of the way. One train bound for Shady Grove was held at Cleveland Park for 30 minutes, Stessel said, while another was held at Medical Center for about 20.
Other trains were not affected, because the Red Line was already running trains 35 minutes apart because of the planned track work, Stessel said.
The computer was restored by 9:55 p.m., he said. As of Thursday afternoon, Metro officials did not know what had caused the outage, known as a “code 34,” Stessel said.
It was the latest technological failure that waylaid night-time trains. A power outage on Jan. 26 pulled down the agency’s communications system when the part that is supposed to create a back-up power system, the uninterrupted power supply equipment, itself failed.
Since then, Metro has stationed a staff person to monitor the device 24 hours a day until it can create a permanent solution.
