SILVER SPRING, Md. — Metro riders in Silver Spring, Maryland, hoped for an easier day Tuesday following a rocky Monday morning commute that led to huge lines forming for shuttle bus service.
The line for shuttle buses at Silver Spring is hundreds and hundreds of people long. Wow #wmata @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/aHrsHBWTvP
— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) November 27, 2017
Lines stretched around the block outside the Silver Spring station as commuters tried to find shuttles to make their way around planned track work. There are no trains running between Silver Spring and Fort Totten for the next couple of weeks.
Around 9 a.m. Monday, a Metro spokesperson wrote on Twitter that slow shuttle bus service was due to bad traffic from a crash at Georgia and Eastern avenues.
“Buses are experiencing delays reaching stations,” the spokesperson wrote.
Metro’s Takoma Station will be closed through Dec. 10 and fewer trains than usual are scheduled along the length of the Red Line.
According to Metro officials, there will be a limited number of shuttle buses between Silver Spring, Takoma and Fort Totten “for riders with no other travel alternative.”
The agency urged riders who typically board the Red Line at Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen or Silver Spring to instead use Grosvenor-Strathmore, White Flint or Twinbrook.
Additionally, riders may want to consider using Green Line stations such as West Hyattsville and Prince George’s Plaza, officials said.
Numerous bus routes that head downtown from Silver Spring may offer commuters a direct trip, while other options include MARC’s Brunswick Line, which stops at Rockville, Kensington, Silver Spring and Union Station.
Montgomery County’s Ride On service also runs several bus routes between Silver Spring and Takoma.
However, if the weather cooperates, the easiest alternative for many commuters may be biking. The distance between Metro’s Takoma and Fort Totten stations is about 2 miles, and the ride from Takoma to Silver Spring is a similar distance.
Regional leaders urge anyone who chooses to drive during the shutdown to carpool instead of driving alone and adding more vehicles to the already crowded roads.
