WASHINGTON — Metro’s scheduled rush-hour track work returns, and weekend shutdowns pepper the calendar as more schools return to session and the region reaches the unofficial end of summer.
Here are four things to know this week. Read more in the complete WTOP track work guide to this surge.
1. Single-tracking impact
From Aug. 29 through Sept. 9, trains will share a single track on weekdays between Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street Metro stations.
The work means trains are only scheduled at Franconia-Springfield every 24 minutes — a significant cut from the usual schedule of every 12 minutes for Blue Line trains and “rush-plus” Yellow Line trains.
During this work zone, all Yellow Line trains will instead go to and from Huntington.
The Blue Line is scheduled to have regular 12-minute intervals at Van Dorn Street, but there will still be service cuts at rush hour due to the Yellow Line shift.
2. Weekend shutdowns
In addition to weekday work, Metro plans to shut down the tracks entirely on weekends through Sept. 11 to fix issues identified by special inspections following last month’s derailment near East Falls Church Metro station:
- Aug. 27-28 — Franconia-Springfield Metro station closed Saturday and Sunday. Shuttle buses to and from trains at Van Dorn Street. (Note: The Yellow Line is also shut down on Sunday, Aug. 28 into the early afternoon for an emergency response drill on the bridge over the Potomac. Until the drill is complete, Yellow Line trains will only run between Huntington and Reagan National Airport. There is also single-tracking on the Red Line all weekend.)
- Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-5 — Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street Metro stations closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Shuttle buses to and from trains at Eisenhower Avenue. (Note: There are additional Blue, Orange and Silver lines shutdowns scheduled Labor Day weekend between Stadium-Armory and Minnesota Avenue/Benning Road, as well as single tracking on the Red, Yellow and Green lines)
- Sept. 10-11 — Franconia-Springfield Metro station closed Saturday and Sunday. Shuttle buses to and from trains at Van Dorn Street (Note: Additional single-tracking is scheduled to impact other lines.)
3. Workarounds
Backup options include using the Huntington Metro station, special express shuttle buses from Franconia-Springfield or Virginia Railway Express trains. VRE saw record ridership during the last stretch of work that impacted riders in this area.
4. What’s next
After this work zone, Metro plans to begin six weeks of weekday single-tracking on the Orange Line between Vienna and West Falls Church Metro stations. On weekends, various stretches of the tracks will be shut down for work on crossovers, such as where the train derailed in July.
Due to the new safety directives from the Federal Transit Administration in a number of areas, as well as the findings of the new inspections following that derailment, Metro said, “The dates and sequence of [the next track work zones] are subject to change. A revised schedule will be provided by mid-September.”
