(Updated at 2:35 p.m.) A bank robbery has been reported in Rosslyn.
Initial reports suggest a man robbed the Presidential Bank branch at 1700 N. Moore Street, near the Rosslyn Metro station. No weapons were displayed or implied during the robbery, according to police radio traffic.
This is the third reported robbery of Presidential Bank’s two Arlington branches so far this year.
As the county finalizes its design for the Crystal City Potomac Yard transitway, it’s looking for public input on station names.
The project will enhance bus service to accommodate recent and upcoming developments in the area. Dedicated bus lanes are planned along Crystal Drive, S. Clark Street and S. Bell Street. During the first phase, seven new stops will be added along the route, in addition to the existing one at the Crystal City Metro station. Eventually, the plan is for the project to expand to the Pentagon City Metro station and south to the Braddock Road Metro station in Alexandria.
The locations of the new stations are already set, but you can help name them. The survey allows you to vote for suggested names or fill in your own ideas. To participate in the survey, click here. It will be available until November 10.
(Updated at 7:35 p.m.) A massive emergency response converged on the Rosslyn Metro station around 6:30 tonight after medical emergencies related to overcrowded conditions were reported.
The station was packed with passengers after Orange Line trains were halted for a person struck by a train at the Clarendon Metro station. Firefighters at the station requested a mass casualty response when several people reportedly requested medical attention while trying to climb the station’s long escalators, which were all out of service. Firefighters and paramedics from Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County and Ft. Myer were dispatched to the station, according to emergency radio traffic.
Paramedics reportedly treated at least one person suffering an asthma attack. It’s not clear how many others were treated. Crowds at the station have thinned out since Orange Line trains started running again, according to firefighters on the scene. Most of the emergency response has been put back in service.
Traffic in the Rosslyn area was reported to be at a standstill as emergency vehicles made their way to the station. Virginia State Police was dispatched to the area for a report of pedestrians crossing Route 50 between Rosslyn and Courthouse.
Photos via Twitter users @jessicamdick and @soxinly
(Updated at 6:30 p.m.) A person has been hit by a train at the Clarendon Metro Station.
Emergency vehicles have surrounded the station, shutting down N. Highland Street and partially blocking Clarendon and Wilson Boulevards. Public access to the station has been cut off.
Technical rescue crews from the fire department and from Metro managed to free the victim, who was reported to be trapped under the train. The victim has been rushed to a local hospital via ambulance.
Riders on the striking train were not able to exit the train until 6:15 p.m., almost 75 minutes after the victim was struck. A woman who had a minor medical emergency while on the striking train was earlier taken to an ambulance via stretcher. The remaining passengers are now walking out of the station. Many are heading on foot to their destinations further up the Orange Line.
Firefighters were preparing to distribute water to those passengers at the end of the platform, according to riders. While the air in the trains was described as hot and stale, riders we spoke to said no one panicked.
“It was very cordial,” one man said.
Metro riders have reported significant delays throughout the Orange Line. Shuttle service has been requested between Rosslyn and Ballston, according to Metro. Very crowded conditions have been reported at the Rosslyn Metro station. Arlington County police have responded to the station to assist passengers, according to department spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal.
Arlington County says the Clarendon station may remain closed for “several hours.”
Update at 7:20 p.m. — Orange Line trains are now running on both tracks through the Clarendon Metro station, according to WMATA.
Update at 7:35 p.m. — Roads near the station have reopened.
Update at 8:25 p.m. — The following photos were taken shortly after emergency responders arrived at the station.
Around 8:00 last night, an a cappella group showed up outside the Clarendon Metro station and began singing for a small crowd of bystanders.
We don’t know who they are or why they were there, but the above video shows them performing a pretty impressive rendition of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep. If you’re familiar with the group, please let us know in the comments.
Update at 2:20 p.m. — The group has been identified by commenters as the “Noctonals.”
Hat tip to @anuckols
The Rosslyn Metro station’s long main escalators and elevators were simultaneously out of service for a period of time this morning, forcing commuters to get some unexpectedly rigorous exercise in order to enter or exit the station, according to TBD.
TBD reported that the escalator outage lasted about an hour.
According to the Washington Post, Metro is planning to hire an outside contractor to help with preventative escalator and elevator maintenance at Orange Line stations in Virginia. One in six escalators are under repair systemwide.
Flickr pool photo by timkelley
If you’re staying in town for the long weekend, be sure to bring some patience when riding Metro. Major track work starts tonight on the Orange Line.
Trains will not run between East Falls Church and West Falls Church while crews work on the Dulles rail extension project. Passengers will be able to use free shuttle buses between the two stations. Buses will run from tonight at 8 p.m. through closing on Monday.
The last train from Vienna will also depart 20 minutes earlier than usual–at 2:08 a.m. tonight and tomorrow night, and 11:08 p.m. on Sunday.
Riders who travel through the work zones should expect to add about 30 minutes to travel times until normal service resumes on Tuesday.
The Blue Line will also be undergoing major construction. Click here to see the full list of Metro changes this weekend.
(Updated at 10:15 a.m.) Arlington County has released sketches of a planned revamp of the plaza outside the Clarendon Metro station.
The project, set to begin construction later this year or early next year, is intended to improve the currently under-utilized space by creating “an active, multi-use plaza to accommodate the farmers’ markets, music events, vendors and other community activities, while enhancing pedestrian access to Metrorail and transit.”
The improvements include new pedestrian paving, street and plaza lighting, “seating walls,” movable tables and chairs, covered bike parking, modular newspaper racks and a Clarendon Boulevard curb extension.
(Correction: Earlier we asked about whether a tree on the site should be saved. It turns out that the tree was recently removed. The photo we used of the tree was from a county presentation this month, but it was apparently taken before the tree removal. We apologize for the confusion.)
What do you think about the redesign plans?
(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) A fire broke out this morning in the Clarendon building that houses Hard Times Cafe and Delhi Club.
Smoke could be seen rising from the roof and billowing out of the entrance to Hard Times as firefighters attacked the blaze. Workers on their lunch break gathered to watch as fire trucks surrounded the building.
The fire broke out in the kitchen of Delhli Club and spread into the duct work, according to fire department spokesperson Lt. Ed Hughes. Only smoke — not fire — spread to Hard Times, he said. No injuries were reported.
The original report of fire was called in by an assistant fire marshal who happened to be driving in the area, Hughes noted.
Roads were closed in the area of Clarendon Metro as emergency responders and county health department inspectors remained on the scene. Dehli Club manager Mir Hussain said the damage is “not too bad.” He hopes to clean up the mess and get health department approval to reopen in a week or so.
Hard Times Cafe owner Doug Welsh said there was some smoke damage inside the restaurant, but no structural damage. He expects the restaurant to reopen at 5:00 tonight.
It’s not every day that a group of belly dancers spontaneously shows up outside a Metro station and starts performing for onlookers. But that’s exactly what happened Friday night when dancers from the Saffron Dance belly dancing school in Clarendon (3260 Wilson Blvd) organized their very own flash mob.
The ‘official’ video of the performance is above.
While some flash mobs have been greeted with looks of abject confusion from bystanders, Clarendonites seemed to know the drill — they took out their cell phones and cameras and started recording the encounter.
“All had a great time and there were no arrests,” the video’s YouTube page notes.
H/t to Danielle H.
Smoke at Crystal City Metro Station — Firefighters from Arlington, Alexandria and Fort Myer responded to a report of smoke on the mezzanine level of the Crystal City Metro station around 3:30 p.m. yesterday. The smoke, it turns out, came from a faulty elevator belt, not from a fire. Just as quickly as they arrived, firefighters packed up their gear and headed back to their stations.
More Costs for Arlington Energy Plan — It will cost almost $500,000 in consultant fees and staff salaries to implement Arlington’s ambitious Community Energy Plan over the next year. The plan, which is designed to reduce the county’s greenhouse gas emissions, is up for adoption by the County Board on Tuesday. [Sun Gazette]
Alexandria Mulls Bikeshare Plan — Alexandria is thinking about spending $400,000 to place six Capital Bikeshare stations and 54 bicycles in Old Town and the Carlyle neighborhood. The plan has the potential of allowing CaBi trips between Crystal City and Old Town, but critics are questioning whether the plan is “a waste of money.” [Alexandria Gazette Packet]
Arlington Remodeler Honored — Rocker-turned-remodeler Michael Sauri has been named one of the “big 50” remodelers nationwide by Remodeling Magazine. Sauri, an Arlington resident, is the owner of Clarendon-based remodeling firm Tri-Vista USA. [PR Web]
