Metro and Fairfax County to host full-scale emergency exercise at West Falls Church Rail Yard

Metro’s Integrated Command and Communications (MICC) in coordination with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and Northern Virginia Response System (NVERS) will conduct an emergency response exercise on Sunday, May 31, from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the West Falls Church Rail Yard near I-66 and VA-267.

This exercise is designed to simulate a real emergency.  People in the area may notice an increased number of emergency vehicles responding to the rail yard.  Please be advised this is just a drill.

First responders and Metro staff will test their ability in a rapid response to a derailed train, resulting in a mass casualty incident.  The exercise will evaluate rescue efforts and response coordination among first responders and Metro staff.   This full-scale exercise is one of many preparedness activities for this summer’s events.

There will be no impact to rail or bus service during the exercise. 

About Metro 

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), known as Metro, is the region’s leading public transportation provider, serving a population of approximately four million people across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia within a 2,054-square-mile jurisdiction. With a network of six rail lines, 98 stations, 126 bus routes, and a door-to-door paratransit service, Metro is the second busiest transit system in the United States serving 268.9 million trips in 2025 with a $5 billion operating and capital budget. Since 2022, Metro has completed multiple transit-oriented development projects that have brought $15 million in tax revenue to the region from housing, office, and retail space in our community. Safety and security are core values at Metro. Over 30,000 cameras monitor the system, and Metro currently has the lowest crime rate in history with fare evasion down 82% on rail. In 2025, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) named Metro the Transit Agency of the Year in recognition of industry-leading ridership growth, record high customer satisfaction, a newly redesigned Bus network, expanded rail service, and improved customer experience.