WASHINGTON — Metro will run on reduced Sunday hours on Thanksgiving Day and will begin a 16-day Red Line shutdown Saturday that will hit commuters when they return from the long weekend.
Trains will not run late enough on Thursday for anyone who stays for the second half of the Redskins-Giants game at FedEx Field. The game is scheduled to start around 8:30 p.m. The last trains from Largo Town Center are scheduled to leave at 10:21 p.m. (Silver Line) and 10:28 p.m. (Blue Line).
Weekend Metro work
On Saturday, the Red Line shuts down between Silver Spring and Fort Totten for a 16-day, round-the-clock work zone.
Takoma Station will be closed from Nov. 25 through Dec. 10. Shuttle buses will be available between Silver Spring, Takoma and Fort Totten, but other options such as the Green Line, MARC trains or regular bus routes to and from downtown that serve Silver Spring and Takoma may be better options.
To provide additional time for riders using the shuttle buses to reach the last train to Shady Grove from Fort Totten, the last train from Glenmont is scheduled to leave 25 minutes earlier than usual this weekend: at 12:08 a.m. Saturday night and 10:08 p.m. Sunday night.
There is no track work scheduled on other lines this weekend.
On Dec. 2-3 next weekend, all Red Line stations between Fort Totten and Glenmont are scheduled to be shut down for additional work. Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma will be closed.
Thanksgiving Day
Metro trains and buses are on a Sunday schedule, which means the rail system is only open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. The last trains leave end-of-line stations earlier than 11 p.m.
Metro charges off-peak fares all day on the holiday, and parking is free at nearly all garages.
Due to the football game, parking at Largo Town Center and Morgan Boulevard stations costs $15 for anyone who does not ride Metro more than one stop before exiting the garage. Metro riders who tap out of the garage with the same SmarTrip card used for their trip can exit for free. The parking fee applies to drivers who exit from kickoff time until about two hours after the game ends.
MetroAccess paratransit subscription trips are canceled on Thanksgiving and must be rebooked separately.
On Friday, Metro will operate on a regular weekday schedule — 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. — with normal fares and parking fees.
Getting out of the District
To get out of the city, the 5A bus ($7.50 per rider) runs between Dulles International Airport and Rosslyn and L’Enfant Plaza stations.
Another option to get to the airport is the Silver Line to Wiehle-Reston East, where riders can transfer to Fairfax Connector Routes 981 and 983 (base fare of $2 per rider).
Metro’s B30 bus no longer runs to BWI Marshall Airport on Saturdays or Sundays. The bus between Greenbelt and BWI Marshall does still run once per hour on weekday schedules, including during the getaway Wednesday.
MARC Penn Line trains are another option to reach the airport. MARC trains do not run on Thanksgiving Day. The day after Thanksgiving, the Penn Line is scheduled to run on an “R” schedule with no service on the Camden or Brunswick lines.
Maryland’s MTA Commuter Bus does not operate on Thursday or Friday, with the exception of Route 201. Other MTA service is normal Friday.
In Virginia, VRE has no service on Thanksgiving but runs on an “S” schedule on Friday.
PRTC plans to have some extra overflow buses available Wednesday, has no service Thursday, and runs no commuter bus service Friday.
Metro Direct and Omnilink buses run on a regular schedule Friday.
Loudoun County Transit buses do not run Thursday or Friday.
Many other bus systems across the area run on reduced schedules Thursday and Friday.
