WASHINGTON — People who plan to use Metro to get around heavy traffic and road closures on Inauguration Day are being encouraged to keep a close eye on Metro’s website before leaving home to monitor any changes that might arise.
“Please go to their site to plan your route and to ensure that nothing has happened with any of those Metro stations,” said D.C. Homeland Security Director Chris Geldart. “There could be large crowds at certain stations, and if they go to the website they may find out better information as they go.”
The rail system will open at 4 a.m. and will run until midnight. From opening until 9 p.m., peak fares will be in effect, and trains will run frequently on all lines, including Rush-Plus service on the Yellow Line between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt.
For security reasons, the Archives, Federal Triangle, Mount Vernon Square, Pentagon and Smithsonian stations will be closed. Several downtown station entrances will be designated as entry-only or exit-only, and some escalators will be turned off to safely manage crowds.
Members of the National Guard will be there to help.
“We’ll be using them at all of the Metro stations to ensure that we’re metering the Metro stations and we can ensure that it’s a good, smooth flow for people coming and going,” said Geldart.
Metro says riders headed for the National Mall should plan to get as close as they can without transferring between lines, and the agency says stations closest to the Capitol may not be the best ones to use. Instead, Metro urges riders to use stations farther away and walk to the National Mall.
During the Women’s March on Washington, a rally planned for the day after the inauguration, Metro is only planning to run regular weekend service. That means trains are scheduled to run every 12 minutes or so on all lines. The system opens at 7 a.m. Saturday and stays open until midnight.
The march has a permit for up to 200,000 people to rally near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 21.
