Home » Transportation News » Coronavirus response: Metro and…

Coronavirus response: Metro and other transit changes in DC, Md. and Va.

Transit services in D.C., Maryland and Virginia are making significant changes to their schedules and have stepped up cleaning efforts in response to coronavirus pandemic.

Major Metro service cuts

Metro has reduced service as ridership has fallen.

On weekdays, trains will now run every 15 minutes on the Red Line and every 20 minutes on all other lines, between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m.

On weekends, trains will now operate every 20 minutes on the Red Line, every 36 minutes on the Orange Line and 30 minutes on all other lines.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Nineteen of Metro’s 91 rail stations are closed until further notice.

Trains will pass through the stations in D.C., Maryland and Virginia without stopping, but trains will serve the stations that are open.

Metrobuses are running on a modified schedule, 5 a.m. to 11p.m. Monday through Friday, plus 8 a.m. through 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with no supplemental routes.

Bus drivers will have the authority to bypass bus stops to “maintain safe social distancing aboard buses,” Metro said. The final bus trips will begin at or before 11 p.m. each weeknight.

On weekends, only 27 bus routes will run on reduced schedules.

Metro is waiving fare payment for Metrobus customers. Bus riders are asked to enter and exit the bus using the rear door at all times, except anyone needing the ADA boarding ramp, or anyone requesting the bus to “kneel” to ease their boarding.

In addition, Metro said it is running all eight-car trains — the maximum possible length — “to help maintain social distancing between customers.” Each train’s first and last cars are “out of service” in an effort by Metro to protect train operators.

The MetroAccess service continues operation, mirroring the same hours as rail and bus services.

The transit agency is also asking customers to wear cloth face masks when riding buses, trains, MetroAccess vehicles and using rail stations bus terminals and other transit facilities.

Metro’s website emphasizes that if a customer is sick and needs to see a health care provider, “make transportation arrangements that do not involve public transportation.”

More Coronavirus News

Other train service

Virginia Railway Express: VRE is operating on its reduced “S” schedule indefinitely due to the coronavirus-related drop in ridership.
Maryland MARC: The Maryland Transit Administration is further scaling back service on the Marc train and Commuter Bus service citing steep ridership drops. MARC ridership is down 96% and Commuter Bus Service is down 94%.
- Since April 13, the MARC’s current “R” schedule was cut even further by eliminating select trains on all lines — Penn, Camden and Brunswick.
- On the Commuter Bus, 13 routes will continue to operate on an “S” schedule, but 22 routes will see service reductions and service on route 204 will be eliminated entirely.
- See the complete list of service modifications on the MTA website
Amtrak: Northeast Corridor services are operating at about 40% of their typical weekday schedule. Northeast Regional and Acela lines will still operate between Boston, New York, and D.C., but with some reductions in frequencies for certain markets. Nonstop Acela service between D.C. and New York is canceled through late May.

Bus

DC Circulator: The bus service now operates 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The Circulator should be used for essential trips only. Late-night service has been temporarily suspended through the end of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s declared public emergency in effect through May 15. Service is suspended on the National Mall route. The District Department of Transportation also suspended fares on all Circulator routes, and riders should get on and off the bus through the rear door unless they need to use the boarding ramp.
Ride On and Ride On extra: Ride On bus service has be reduced to an Essential Service Plan. Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation expects buses will be delayed and encourages users to check the status of their usual buses before leaving for their bus stop. Ride On follows a new reduced service plan that maintains coverage of Ride On routes so that residents can access food, essential services and essential jobs. Passengers are now required to board at the rear door of the bus. Passengers can board through the front doors if a lift is needed to accommodate a disability or stroller. During the emergency, all Ride On services will be temporarily free to all passengers. Flex service is suspended.
The Bus: The Prince George’s County system is operating modified hourly service, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., on routes 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 33, 35, 36, and 37. Remaining county bus lines have been suspended. The routes still running will be free. Riders will only be allowed to enter using the rear doors, to limit contact with the driver. However, exceptions will be made for people with disabilities or those with strollers.
DASH: Buses are operating on an enhanced Sunday schedule during weekdays and weekends. The King Street Trolley has been suspended. While the Eisenhower Avenue and Van Dorn Metrorail stations remain closed, buses will continue to pickup and drop-off passengers at the stations. Alternative routes are being offered for passengers impacted by the station closures. DASH has temporarily eliminated fares on all buses until further notice and switched to rear-door boarding.
ART: Operating on a reduced schedule. ART 41, 42, 45, 51, 55, 77 and 87 are running on a Saturday schedule. ART 42 and 87 will end at the Pentagon instead of Pentagon City, ART 45 will start an hour early at 6:30 a.m. and ART 43 will run every 20 minutes from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. along its weekday route. All other routes are suspended. STAR service is running as normal.
PRTC OmniRide: Local and Metro Express services will be free to limit interactions between the driver, fare box and riders. Changes have been made to some of the Express commuter bus routes, due to low ridership. OmniRide Express services will still have fares, but there will not be a cash option or the option to reload a SmarTrip with cash on a bus. The main lobby of the OmniRide Transit Center is also closed.
Fairfax Connector: Regular service is available on 38 routes. There’s reduced service on 14 routes and suspended service on 39 routes. Customers are required to enter and exit buses using the rear doors, except when a wheelchair ramp is needed to board. Bus fare collection is suspended.
FRED Transit‘s VRE Feeder Bus Service is running on modified schedule. All Eagle Express bus service has been suspended and is schedule to resume in August.

MVA and DMVs

Maryland

All the MDOT MVA locations closed indefinitely. All driver’s licenses are extended for 30 days after the lifting of Maryland’s state of emergency. Some services, however, can still be completed online.

Virginia

All Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles offices are closed until at least April 23. Driver’s licenses due to to expire between March 15 and May 15 are extended 60 days from date of expiration. Some services can be completed online.

E-ZPass Virginia walk-in service centers will be closed through at least April 23.

D.C.

The District’s Department of Motor Vehicles has closed all in-person service locations but there are limited services available online.

Road changes

Maryland

The Maryland Transportation Authority moved to all-cashless tolling statewide to limit interaction between the public and toll collectors. In the lanes normally set aside for cash payment, there will be video tolling. Drivers who usually pay with cash will instead be mailed notices.

D.C.

D.C. is changing reversible road rules to keep Connecticut Avenue and 16th Street Northwest in weekend mode at all times. Independence Avenue will still run with weekday lane reversals though.

One-way rush hour reversals are still taking place on Rock Creek Parkway, Canal Road and Clara Barton Parkway.

As part of these changes, the District is not going to enforce rush hour parking restrictions until further notice.

Virginia

In Virginia, it’s business as usual when it comes to construction work, maintenance, HOV rules and lane closures. Virginia rest areas remain open — with extra disinfecting.

The Dulles Greenway will have no cash toll collection effective Thursday, April 2nd. Motorists traveling on the road must pay with a credit card or EZ-Pass transponder.

Parking

Parking meter rules do still apply in D.C.

D.C. and Alexandria have already halted street sweeping.

Alexandria is also waiving time restrictions for the general public in all residential parking zones as well as the rule requiring cars parked on the street to be moved every 72 hours.

Alexandria will also waive the requirements to display a valid state inspection sticker.

Weekend time restrictions and meter fees on blocks with pay stations have been suspended on weekends in Alexandria, but weekday fees and restrictions remain.

Several localities are expanding loading zones to handle increases in pickups, takeout orders and deliveries.

Montgomery County, Maryland said drivers are encouraged to follow normal rules when parking during coronavirus closures. Restricted area parking violations, disabled parking and safety-related violations will be strictly enforced.

However, parking meter enforcement has been relaxed in areas where businesses remain open for quick pickups. This includes restaurants, pharmacies and grocery stores.

Enforcement has been suspended in residential permit zones with non-metered, on-street parking.

Free temporary parking will be available at the Bonifant/Dixon Garage in Silver Spring and the Auburn/Del Ray Garage in Bethesda, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation said.

Jack Moore

Jack Moore joined WTOP.com as a digital writer/editor in July 2016. Previous to his current role, he covered federal government management and technology as the news editor at Nextgov.com, part of Government Executive Media Group.

Matthew Delaney

Matt Delaney is a digital web writer/editor who joined WTOP in 2020.

Coffins with the bodies of victims of coronavirus are stored waiting for burial or cremation at the Collserola morgue in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, April 2, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

A man, wearing a face mask and gloves to protect against the new coronavirus, carries his shopping as he walks past closed shops at the Tajrish traditional bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, Saturday, April 4, 2020.

People from an apartment complex board an ambulance to be taken to a hospital for quarantine after a contact was found to be COVID-19 positive, in Gauhati, India, Saturday, April 4, 2020.

A giant television over the A57 Motorway screen urges people to stay home on March 26, 2020 in Manchester, England.

The Ministry of Antiquities lights up the pyramids in an expression of support for health workers battling the coronavirus outbreak, Monday, March 30, 2020, in Giza, Egypt.

Subway riders wear protective masks and gloves on a sparsely populated car during morning hours due to COVID-19 concerns that are driving down ridership, Thursday, March 19, 2020, in New York. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tightened work-from-home rules Thursday as confirmed cases continued to climb in New York, an expected jump as testing becomes more widespread. But he stressed that roadblocks and martial law for New York City were merely rumors. — Subway riders wear protective masks and gloves on a sparsely populated car during morning hours due to COVID-19 concerns that are driving down ridership, Thursday, March 19, 2020, in New York. New York Gov. (AP/John Minchillo)

A couple walks along a usually busy Fremont Street after casinos were ordered to shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP/John Locher)

A woman rests on the balcony of a building as people stay in their houses to prevent the spread of coronavirus,, in Vitoria, northern Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2020. Spain will mobilize 200 billion euros or the equivalent to one fifth of the country's annual output in loans, credit guarantees and subsidies for workers and vulnerable citizens, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Tuesday. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some, it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. — A woman rests on the balcony of a building as people stay in their houses to prevent the spread of coronavirus,, in Vitoria, northern Spain, Thursday, March 19, 2020. (AP/Alvaro Barrientos)

A masked couple walks on the empty Trocadero next to the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron said that starting on Tuesday, people would be allowed to leave the place they live only for necessary activities such as shopping for food, going to work or taking a walk. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness.

Chef José Andres talks to journalists about why he is converting Zaytinya into a grab-and-go meal restaurant in response to the novel coronavirus on March 17, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Andres will convert all his D.C. restaurants into “community kitchens” in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. (Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla)

Workers use a tape measure to mark spaces 6 feet apart for people to wait in line safely as they convert the outdoor plaza in front of chef José Andres’ Zaytinya into a grab-and-go meal restaurant in response to the novel coronavirus March 17, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla)

A woman watches from a waiting area as a nurse administers a novel coronavirus test at a testing booth outside Yangji hospital in Seoul on March 17, 2020. A South Korean hospital has introduced “phone booth”-style coronavirus testing facilities that avoid medical staff having to touch patients directly and cut down disinfection times. (AFP via Getty Images/ED JONES)

An elderly woman enters a novel coronavirus testing booth outside the Yangji hospital in Seoul on March 17, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images/ED JONES)

A deserted view of Safdarjung Tomb, closed for tourists to prevent spread of COVID-19 on March 17, 2020 in New Delhi, India. (Getty Images/Yawar Nazir)

A worker of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) measures a passenger’s temperature at a control point at the Bole International Airport, in Addis Ababa, on March 17, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images/EDUARDO SOTERAS)

A man walks past closed shops at Marrakesh’s Jamaa el-Fna square on March 16, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images/FADEL SENNA)

The Don Afonso Henriques garden or Alameda garden in the city of Lisbon is shown to be solitary on March 17, 2020, due to the voluntary confinement of many of the citizens and tourists. (NurPhoto via Getty Images/NurPhoto)

A newspaper headline warns of the potential of further measures to attempt to fight the coronavirus pandemic on March 17, 2020 in London, England. (Getty Images/Leon Neal)

A scene of ‘Rue de l’Ile’ on March 17, 2020 in Annecy, France. (Getty Images/Richard Bord)

A woman wearing the mask walks past a restaurant as its employee looks at her through the locked glass door, in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 17, 2020. (NurPhoto via Getty Images/NurPhoto)

People walk in Union Station in Washington, Monday, March 16, 2020. The U.S. surgeon general says the number of coronavirus cases in the United States has reached the level that Italy recorded two weeks ago. It’s a sign that infections are expected to rise in America as the government steps up testing and financial markets continue to fall.

Union Station, a major transportation hub in the nation’s capital, is nearly empty during morning rush hour as many government and private sector workers stay home during the coronavirus outbreak, in Washington, Monday, March 16, 2020.

Washington Union Station, a major transportation hub in the nation’s capital, is nearly empty during morning rush hour as many government and private sector workers stay home during the coronavirus outbreak, in Washington, Monday, March 16, 2020.

Palestinian volunteers spray disinfectant down a street at al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on March 16, 2020, during a campaign by Hamas to stem a novel coronavirus outbreak. (NurPhoto via Getty Images/NurPhoto)

Workers look on at Laurel Park Race Track in an event that allowed no spectators Saturday, March 14, 2020, in Laurel, Md. (AP/Terrance Williams)

Local resident Adrian W. Chan, who works as a banker, walks on his way to find face masks for his parents in Vancouver as a precautionary measure against the novel coronavirus, in Hong Kong on March 17, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images/ANTHONY WALLACE)

Laurie Kuypers, a registered nurse, reaches into a car to take a nasopharyngeal swab from a patient at a drive-through COVID-19 coronavirus testing station for University of Washington Medicine patients Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Seattle. (AP/Elaine Thompson)

Medical assistant Miriam Fuentes gives a patient instructions via sign at a drive-through COVID-19 coronavirus testing station for University of Washington Medicine patients Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Seattle. (AP/Elaine Thompson)

A man pushes a stroller along the National Mall, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Washington. (AP/Andrew Harnik)

A sign announces the closure of the National Gallery of Art on the National Mall, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Washington. (AP/Andrew Harnik)

The Dome of the U.S. Capitol is visible as a tour group of only two people on Segways, usually in a much bigger group this time of year, moves along the National Mall, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Washington. (AP/Andrew Harnik)

Deanna Butts reaches for one of the last packages of toilet paper at Target in the Tenleytown area of Washington, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. (AP/Carolyn Kaster)

Associated Press journalist Kevin Freking has his temperature checked before a coronavirus task force briefing, at the White House, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)

A downtown Bethesda, Md., restaurant is closed as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s executive order takes effect, closing bars, restaurants, gyms and movie theaters across the state in response to coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Michaella Pratt and her children Preston Pratt, 6, Aubrey Pratt, 4, from Arlington, Va., use their time with school closing because of the coronavirus outbreak, to visit the near-empty Tidal Basin in Washington, Monday, March 16, 2020. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Rhonda Lassen, right, visiting Washington from LeMars, Iowa, walks with her grandchildren Claire and Harper Rueter, center, from Virginia, along a path at an almost empty Tidal Basin lined with cherry blossom that are about to peak, Monday, March 16, 2020, in Washington. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

A security officer wearing a face mask as a precautionary measure against the spread of the new coronavirus checks the temperature of a government employee at the entrance of La Moneda Presidential Palace in Santiago on March 17, 2020. (AFP via Getty Images/MARTIN BERNETTI)

A woman wearing a mask walks through a terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Monday, March 16, 2020, in Arlington, Va. (AP/Andrew Harnik)

Customers Tim Beinz and John Kuentz walk into a restaurant Monday March 16, 2020, in Richmond, Va. The two are part of a construction crew from out of town that is working in the area and hopes that restaurants will not close. (AP/Steve Helber)

Obadah Hijazi, right, and his wife Wesam Albasha, right, try to decide where to get lunch during a visit to Annapolis, Monday, March 16, 2020. (AP/Susan Walsh)

A passenger arriving from Brussels wearing a mask to protect himself from the new coronavirus looks for his relatives in the international arrivals zone at Dulles airport, outside Washington, on March 13 2020. (AFP via Getty Images/ERIC BARADAT)

Cafe’s and shops are empty of pedestrians in the historic center of Antwerp, Belgium, Saturday, March 14, 2020. Belgium has closed schools, restaurants and bars, as as well as cancelled sporting and cultural events in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

Pharmacist Evelyn Kim, wears a mask and gloves at the CVS pharmacy at Target in the Tenleytown area of Washington, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. As they remain open, she is wearing a mask and gloves to combat the coronavirus outbreak. (AP/Carolyn Kaster)

Clay Colehouse of Crownsville, Md., second from left, gives the dog Marty a treat as he and his friends, from left, Erin Carroll of Severna Park, Md., Jessica Goblin of Severna Park, Md., Travis Victorio of Millersville, Md., and Mary Fitzell of Millersville, Md., have lunch during a visit to Annapolis, Monday, March 16, 2020.

Anne Arundel County residents receive free breakfast, lunch and dinner, at a mobile stop in Annapolis, Monday, March 16, 2020. Anne Arundel County is providing free meals for students while schools are closed for two weeks due to coronavirus concerns. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan closed all public schools in the state from March 16 to March 27.

A downtown Bethesda, Md. restaurant is closed as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s executive order takes effect, closing bars, restaurants, gyms and movie theaters across the state in response to coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020.