Just hours before the collision, I had ridden the same line along the same route into downtown DC, as I do on most days. You can see on the Metro map below that the Red Line forms an irregular "U" shape that dips into the heart of the city, and I rode from Glenmont station (the northernmost station on the east leg of the line) to Dupont Circle (a short distance up the western leg of the line).
The accident site - marked by the X on the map below - is just north of the Fort Totten station. Since I had already ridden into Dupont Circle, and Red Line traffic on the east branch was suspended because of the accident, my usual route home was now non-existent.
I sat in Starbucks and watched on CNN.com as the sad tale unfolded. I fielded phone calls and text messages from family and friends making sure I was ok.
I decided the best way to get home was simply to make it as far north as I could on the Metro, and then improvise. I don't mind walking. Sometimes I walk miles just for exercise, so it seemed silly to complain about walking out of necessity. It didn't seem right to complain at all, really. Even if my journey home was a little inconvenient, I had heard before I left that there were at least four people who would never go home again (the death toll is now up to nine), along with dozens of injured.
I rode the Green Line to the Georgia Ave - Petworth station. Once there, I got lucky. I had never been to that station, but, as soon as I came up the escalator and started trying to get my bearings, a Metro bus pulled up with "Takoma Station" in lights on the front. I knew Takoma Station was on the Red Line, and still shut down, but I also knew that it was further north - closer to Silver Spring. Without a second thought, I jumped on the bus.
It went through areas I had never seen (and some I hope to never see again), and, most of the time, I had no idea where I was. Eventually, though, it pulled into the Takoma Metro station. I had bypassed the accident scene on the Red Line, and knocked a few miles off the walk/cab ride that I figured was coming next. I knew Takoma was only couple of miles or so from Silver Spring, and I knew the Red Line was running from Silver Spring north for the last few stops.
After getting off the bus, I went to the bulletin board to study the map of the area. There is a local map at every bus station. I wanted to try to memorize the tricky roads in Takoma so I wouldn't get lost trying to negotiate the two miles to Silver Spring. There is no good, direct route. It would involve twists and turns on roads I had never seen. I had been standing there for several minutes, mapping it out in my head, when I heard a voice behind me say, "Anyone going to Silver Spring?"
I turned and looked. It was another Metro bus driver. I raised my hand like a timid second grader. "I am." Somehow I had stumbled right into another bus ride one step further up the road. I followed him, and flopped into a seat on the right hand side. A number of other people were already on board, apparently in various stages of the same predicament. All were quiet, as was the driver. Who could complain? We were going home.
The bus pulled up next to the Silver Spring station. The Metro system was not charging for these last bus rides or trips to the last few stations. By now it was close to midnight - the normal Sunday through Thursday cutoff times for Metro trains. I descended the escalator, and boarded the last Red Line train of the night heading north.
[If you are interested, the Metro website has a good, interactive map HERE]
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