Is Mum the New Word on Red Line Delays?

Update: A Metro worker informs me that the delays may have been caused by a cable hanging from the tunnel ceiling.

From anonymous:

I was one of the many folks on the Red Line Tuesday afternoon who was stuck on a train, without moving and without any information, for more than 25 minutes.

When I contacted Metro via email after the incident, they replied "Per the Operations Control Center there is no evidence of any trains going in the direction of Glenmont or Shady Grove that held for longer than a couple of minutes ... We certainly hope to continue to be your choice for transportation services."

If that's the case, then their operations control center is worthless - hundreds of people waited on platforms or trains for a very long time during rush hour, and Metro seems to have no record of the situation.

Unacceptable.

There was absolutely no announcement, except for the normal (muffled) statement: "We will be moving momentarily" (which apparently means 25 minutes).

I was monitoring WMATA's website and Twitter account via my phone the entire time, and there was never any indication there was an issue.

The only accounts were people tweeting #wmata and @unsuckdcmetro. Riders were trying to get the word out, Metro was oblivious to the situation.

Other items:

• Metro employee "borrowed" 70 items from Metro, including 9 laptops (Wash. Times)
• My favorite Stessel quote to date:

"We must ensure that the Dulles extension is built to the same safety and reliability standard as the rest of the Metrorail system," wrote Metro spokesperson Dan Stessel in an email. "The residents of Fairfax and Loudoun Counties deserve no less."