More major track work looms ahead this weekend, meaning more delays for Metro riders, especially those in Prince George’s County and eastern D.C.
This time the work comes without a holiday weekend, a three-day convenience the transit agency has been relying on for more than a year to finish projects without slowing down weekday commuters.
This weekend, the transit agency plans to close not one, not two, but FIVE stations on the eastern end of the Orange Line. It also plans to split the Blue Line at Benning Road so riders passing through would need to take a shuttle bus. Red Line riders also will face delays.
Starting at 10 p.m. Friday, the agency won’t run any Orange Line trains between Stadium-Armory and the end of the line at New Carrollton. That means Minnesota Avenue, Deanwood, Cheverly, Landover and New Carrollton stations will be closed until Monday morning’s commute begins.
The Blue Line also will end at Stadium-Armory for the weekend. Riders can pick it up again at Benning Road, though, and take it to the end of the line at Largo Town Center.
Free shuttle buses will carry riders through the closed areas. But Metro advises riders passing through those areas to build an extra 40 minutes into their travel plans. And take note, the agency’s online trip planner won’t include the updated closures.
Meanwhile, on the Red Line, riders will face up to 20-minute delays as trains share a single track between the Friendship Heights and Medical Center stations and also between the Takoma and Forest Glen stations.
Why all the hassle? Metro officials say they need to continue repairs to the aerial tracks outside the Cheverly Metrorail station, install 6,000 feet of cellular communication cables to improve cell phone coverage, and replace 2,000 feet of track, 380 insulators, 1,400 rail ties and 400 track fasteners.
