FLC OF A B737-300 FAILED TO FOLLOW THE TAXI INSTRUCTION GIVEN BY TWR RESULTING IN NOT HOLDING SHORT OF RWY AND TAXIING ACROSS IT BEFORE REALIZING THEIR TRANSGRESSION.

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DCA EXPERIENCED A NATURAL GAS LEAK IN THE OLD TERMINAL THAT FORCED THE EVAC OF THE CTL TWR. THE TWR WAS CLOSED FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE MORE THAN AN HR. WHEN OPS BEGAN AGAIN; IT SEEMED THAT NOT ALL OF THE COM EQUIP IN THE TWR WAS WORKING AS WELL AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. THE CTLRS WERE VERY BUSY BECAUSE ALL THE AIRPLANES WERE TRYING TO GET OUT BEFORE THE CURFEW. WE STARTED ENGS AND TAXIED TO SPOT LIMA 1; AND THEN CALLED FOR TAXI CLRNC. THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BY THE GND CTLR WERE 'TAXI BY TXWY L AND TXWY K; HOLD SHORT OF RWY 5 AT TXWY K.' WITHOUT EVEN A CLUE THAT THERE WAS A PROB; I MISSED TXWY K AND MADE THE NEXT L AT TXWY J WHICH IMMEDIATELY PUT ME ON RWY 15. THE FIRST HOLD LINE WE SAW WAS ON THE E SIDE OF RWY 15. NO TXWY MARKERS; NO WHITE LIGHTS; NO HOLD LINE -- NOTHING HAD CAUGHT OUR ATTN THAT WE WERE MAKING A MISTAKE. MY FIRST CLUE WAS LOOKING L AND SEEING THE RED LIGHTS AT THE APCH END OF RWY 15 AS WE WERE XING THE E BOUNDARY OF THE RWY AND APCHING THE HOLD LINE ON THE E SIDE. AT THIS POINT; WE WERE BOTH PETRIFIED AT WHAT HAD HAPPENED. WE TAXIED CLR OF THE RWY; REMAINED IN LINE WITH THE AIRPLANES AHEAD OF US; SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ AS WE BECAME #1 AND WERE CLRED FOR TKOF IN SEQUENCE. THE FREQ ON GND CTL WAS FULL OF CHATTER; AND AIRPLANES WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE. THE CTLR NEVER REALIZED WHAT WE HAD DONE. CAUSE: THE CTLR WAS EXTREMELY BUSY; NUMEROUS AIRPLANES WERE MOVING ON THE TXWYS; TXWY MARKINGS AND LIGHTS DID NOT CATCH OUR ATTN AND; OF COURSE; THERE WAS GROSS PLT ERROR. I HAD NOT BEEN TO DCA AT NIGHT WITH THAT TAXI PATTERN BEING USED SINCE THE OPENING OF THE NEW TXWY. IN MY MIND; I KNEW EXACTLY WHERE I WAS; BUT IN ACTUALITY; I WAS SCREWED UP! I DO FEEL THAT SOMEONE SHOULD TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT THAT LOCATION ON THE ARPT AND DO IT AT NIGHT FROM THE COCKPIT WITH THE AIRPLANE SITTING ON TOP OF SPOT LIMA 1. I COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW QUICKLY THE ERROR WAS MADE AND HOW VERY DANGEROUS IT COULD HAVE BEEN.