Metrorail riders should prepare for longer waits today as the transit agency operates on a special holiday schedule and finishes a leg of a Metro Center construction projectthat will slow Red, Blue and Orange
line service, officials said.
Though Metro’s Board of Directors last year approved operating regular weekday service on several Monday federal holidays, low ridership prompted the agency to revert to holiday schedules on those days this year.
Yellow and Green line trains will depart from the outer stations every 12 minutes and will operate every six minutes in the downtown core.
Red Line trains will depart the outer stations about every nine minutes during the day and will share one track, two at a time, between Farragut North and Judiciary Square every 18 minutes. Orange and Blue Line trains will depart from the outer stations about every 16 minutes during the day and will share one track, two at a time, between FarragutWest and Smithsonian every 18 minutes.
Metrobus and Metro Access service will operate on a normal weekday schedule.
Metro is also scheduled to begin a week of overnight ultrasonic rail testing on the Red Line today, which could result in minor delays surrounding areas where tracks are found to need repair. Testing is scheduled for the Orange Line and parts of the Blue Line the week of Jan. 28 and for the Green and Yellow Lines and parts of the Blue Line the week of Feb. 4.
Metro conducts overnight testing of the 106-mile rail system five times a year, using a special machine to ride the rails and detect cracks and other flaws. Track inspectors also visually check the rails twice a week.
