Red, Green and Orange line service affected Halloween revelers, Marine Corps marathoners, horse show fans and all-around city adventurers should take note: This weekend will be challenging for Metrorail riders.
The transit agency plans to squeeze all service on the Red Line to a single track through downtown D.C., and do the same on the eastern end of the Orange Line. It also will close four stations on the Green Line, shutting off rail service between the heart of the city and anyone who lives east of the Anacostia River.
The work is part of the system’s new aggressive push to catch up on a backlog of track work and safety repairs. The system has scheduled major shutdowns or work on most weekends for the next eight months, except around the winter holiday weekends.
This weekend, though, the transit system is planning some extra service, opening two hours early, at 5 a.m., on Sunday and running extra Blue Line trains near the start and end times of the Marine Corps Marathon to accommodate an expected 30,000 runners and tens of thousands of spectators.
Other events also will be attracting crowds, including the Washington International Horse Show at the Verizon Center and Halloween festivities. But that means more people riding the system. Because of the track work, riders should build in extra time if planning to use the rail system at any point between 10 p.m. Friday and Monday morning’s weekday commutes.
During that time, the Red Line will be reduced to a single track from Union Station to Dupont Circle so crews can do major work to stabilize a municipal water main and sewer line that run through the Farragut North station. Cracks and water damage were discovered in the station’s ceiling in November 2009.
On the Green Line, Metro will shut down the Waterfront, Navy Yard, Anacostia and Congress Heights stations. The agency will run free shuttle buses between those stops and the L’Enfant Plaza and Southern Avenue stations. The work is to install some safety devices recommended by federal investigators.
The Orange Line work is the most minor, with trains sharing a single track between New Carrollton and Cheverly. Every other train will turn around at Cheverly to minimize delays along the rest of the Orange Line.
Metro encourages riders to take Metrobus or D.C. Circulator service when possible or consider other options, especially on the Red Line. Passengers should note that Metro’s online trip planner won’t indicate any of the shutdowns or bus detours.
