Stretch of Metro’s Blue, Orange and Silver Line shut down this weekend — here’s how to get around

If you’re making plans around the District for the holiday weekend, prepare for some local travel delays.

There will be Metro closures for track work for the next four days, along with street closures on Monday for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in Southeast D.C.

Here’s what you need to know.

Metro closures for track work

Those who are taking the Metro this weekend should plan ahead because a portion of the Blue, Orange and Silver lines will be closed for track work Friday through Monday.

Court House and Rosslyn stations will be closed, meaning there is no train service between Foggy Bottom-GWU and Arlington Cemetery on the Blue Line or between Foggy Bottom-GWU and Clarendon on the Orange and Silver Lines.

(Courtesy WMATA)
Blue, Orange and Silver service

Blue Line trains will run every 12 minutes during the day and 15 minutes at night between Franconia-Springfield and Arlington Cemetery stations, and every 10 minutes during the day and 15 minutes at night between Foggy Bottom and Downtown Largo stations, according to a release.



Orange Line trains will run every 10 minutes during the day and 15 minutes at night between Vienna and Clarendon stations, and every 10 minutes during the day and 15 minutes during the night between Foggy Bottom and New Carrollton stations, Metro said.

Silver Line trains will run every 10 minutes during the day and 15 minutes at night between Ashburn and Clarendon stations, a release said

Shuttle service

To accommodate the closures, Metro said there will be free shuttle bus service.

For the Blue, Orange and Silver lines, there will be express shuttle buses that will run between Ballston and Foggy Bottom stations, and between Arlington Cemetery and Clarendon stations. Also, there will be local shuttle buses for Orange and Silver Line riders from Clarendon to Foggy Bottom, and for Blue Line riders from Arlington Cemetery to Foggy Bottom.

1 Red Line station closed

Additionally, Metro said those who take the Red Line will be impacted on Saturday and Sunday as there won’t be any service between Forest Glen and Takoma stations due to construction on the MDOT MTA Purple Line on Saturday and Sunday. As a result, the Silver Spring station will be closed.

The work will involve installing a new rail, fiber optic cables for technology upgrades and other infrastructure work, according to a release.

They added that the holiday weekend is usually the time to do this type of work because there’s typically not a lot of people riding the train.

Red Line trains will run every 6 minutes during the day and 10 minutes in the evening between Shady Grove and Takoma stations, and every 10 minutes between Forest Glen and Glenmont stations, Metro said.

For the Red Line, there will be an express shuttle bus that will run between Forest Glen and Takoma stations. A local shuttle bus will make stops at Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma stations.

Street closures

For the MLK parade, D.C. police said that these streets will be closed to vehicle traffic from around 9:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and parking will not be allowed starting at 6 a.m.:

  • Anacostia Drive from U.S. Park Police Anacostia Facility to Anacostia Recreation Center
  • Marion Barry Avenue from Anacostia Drive to Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Southeast
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue from Marion Barry Avenue to Malcolm X Avenue in Southeast

Police said that drivers will be ticketed and get their vehicles towed if it’s “parked in violation of the emergency no parking signs.”

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Tadiwos Abedje

Tadi Abedje is a freelance digital writer/editor for WTOP. He was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Northern Virginia. Journalism has been his No. 1 passion since he was a kid and he is blessed to be around people, telling their stories and sharing them with the world.

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