Slight rail delays Thursday morning due to Great California ShakeOut

A quick heads-up to Metro Rail passengers: there will be slight delays on Metro’s rail lines on Thursday morning between roughly 10:20 a.m. and 10:50 a.m. due to the statewide earthquake drill.

The drill is a simulated — without the actual shaking — 7.8-magnitude earthquake on the San Andreas Fault. It’s a chance for many agencies and residents to simulate their planned response to such a quake.

In the case of Metro, that means halting trains or pulling them slowly into the station while track inspections are completed.

Thanks in advance for your patience. This is an important test, given that we’re all living in earthquake country and it’s a matter of when, not if, there will be another big jolt here.