Agency plans to close 4 stations for track work during holiday weekend The Metro system plans to close four stations on the Orange and Blue lines for track work next weekend, even as thousands of motorcycle aficionados and “Top Chef” fans are expected to converge on Capitol Hill for the Memorial Day weekend.
The closures, which affect Capitol South, Eastern Market, Potomac Avenue and Stadium-Armory, are concerning local businesses who say the shutdown blindsided them on what is usually a busy weekend without the extra events.
| The Details |
| What: Metro is undertaking major track work to replace four track switches at Eastern Market, lay more than five miles of cable to upgrade cell phone service, plus repair escalators and elevators at four stations. |
| Where: The Orange and Blue lines will be divided into two segments each while Capitol South, Eastern Market, Potomac Avenue and Stadium-Armory stations are closed. |
| When: The shutdown begins at 10 p.m. Friday and lasts until 5 a.m. Tuesday. |
| How: Riders can catch free shuttle buses between the closed stations, but the transit agency says they should add about 40 minutes to their expected travel time. |
| Why: The agency said it needs to do the work to meet federal safety recommendations and return the system to a state of good repair. Three-day weekends allow the agency to complete the work in one sitting, rather than shutting down sections over multiple weekends. |
Tom Glasgow, who runs the Market Lunch counter, said he and his colleagues at Eastern Market don’t know what to expect. “That’s a huge weekend,” he said. “We’re all very concerned what effect on the turnout we’re going to have.”
Julia Christian, executive director of CHAMPS — Capitol Hill’s Chamber of Commerce — said she learned only last week about the closures. She said it hits during one of the biggest summer kickoffs for her 350 member businesses.
“Couldn’t they have picked another weekend?” she asked.
Eastern Market is slated to host the television-show-inspired “Top Chef” tour on Saturday and Sunday, making it busier than usual. Meanwhile, RFK Stadium is hosting Stars, Stripes and Spokes, a major motorcycle event expected to draw thousands.
Metro’s Jim Hughes acknowledges the track work is not ideal. He called it one of the most challenging holiday closures the agency has attempted yet. “If it’s not the most, it’s one of the most challenging,” he said.
But he said the agency announced its plans in January, before the other events were planned. And he said it worked better than closing any of the other downtown core stations.
“There’s always something going on in this town,” he said. “There’s never a great time.”
Typically, the agency has found that weekend shutdowns reduce ridership by about 5 percent, Hughes said.
The agency is hopeful that many of the people going to the motorcycle festival will have motorcycles with them and not depend on Metro to get around.
Hughes said the agency has 40 buses marshaled to shuttle riders between the closed stations — and could call in more.
“We think we can handle it,” he said. “We’re ready.”
But Christian said she’s worried the shutdown will mean traffic will be even worse than usual as more people take to their cars – or that people will be turned off from coming to the area altogether.
She and a handful of business owners met with Metro officials Thursday to plead their cases, she said. “I am still going to try to see. I’m not one to ever give up on anything,” she said. “But it looks bleak.”
Hughes, though, said it’s too late.
“We’re going to do what we’re going to do,” he said. “I’m not sure what we could have done better in this instance.”
