Wheaton Metro Stop Closed for the Evening

Update, Wednesday

WMATA spokesperson Steven Taubenkibel said the station was closed 5:45pm after two escalators stopped working, one because of a safety mechanism and the other with a mechanical problem.

The eastern most escalator, as previously reported, had been going under renovation as part of a capital improvement project. Taubenkibel gave 8:20pm as the time when the escalators were repaired, and the station was opened shortly after. 

The elevator outage was not related to the incident on Saturday, but rather out of service because a young passenger had cut their finger, a report that came in at 5pm. 

Original story, Monday

The Wheaton Metro stop was closed shortly after 6pm this evening after elevators and escalators stopped working. While technicians continued to arrive at the station, station manager M.R. Bradley and Metro supervisors did not know how long the station would be closed this evening. 

Free shuttles to the Forest Glen and Glenmont stations started running soon after the closure, but were arriving at an unspecified schedule.

The up escalator had stopped working around 5:45pm.

On Saturday, 16 people were trapped inside an elevator that stopped working at the station. 

The escalators, the longest in the western hemisphere, are actually made of three linked regular escalators. The easternmost escalator has been under renovation for several weeks, and Metro's escalator outage lists its expected completion date as February of next year.

Article was corrected to state time of Metro closure.