Metro fixes Union Station chiller 'sooner than expected' three weeks after original estimate

Metro announced Sunday, July 21 that 'repairs to the chiller system that provides cool air' at Union Station were 'COMPLETED overnight, sooner than expected.' The agency had told DCist on July 18 that they hoped the cool air would be back 'within one or two weeks.'

While the exact date that the chiller broke isn't readily available, tweets from @Metrorailinfo, one of Metro's official Twitter accounts, began confirming on May 30 to riders that the station's chillers were offline due to a leak in a pipe which ran through Amtrak property. Fans were placed in the station and turned on to keep air circulating.

Metro stations don't have traditional air conditioners, but instead 'chillers' which use circulated water to help cool down the air pumped into the stations. The cooler air then enters the station via vents on the walls or through the vertical pylons which you may see on the platforms.

WAMU's Jordan Pascale recorded a temperature of 94 degrees Fahrenheit within Union Station last week.



The chiller which provides cool air at Dupont Circle and Farragut North has separately been broken since 2015. Metro's latest estimated completion date is now 'late July or early August' for that fix.

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