Metro is limiting track work Saturday for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, even though trains will not run early enough for all runners to reach the start line.
Metro is running regular weekend service Saturday, opening at 7 a.m. with no track work scheduled during the day.
A number of Metrobus routes will have detours, reduced service or significant delays from about 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday due to the race, so Metro is offering free special transfers to the rail system for Metrobus riders. Bus riders can ask their bus operator for a transfer slip to show a Metrorail station manager to use the rail system.
The marathon begins around 7 a.m. at Constitution Avenue and 14th Street NW, so marathon runners will need to either use race shuttles, other buses or another mode of transportation to reach the start line.
The shorter 5K and half marathon races begin later, between 8 a.m. and 8:10 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and 9:05 a.m. respectively, so runners in those races may be able to take Metro depending on where they are coming from.
The finish lines for all three races are at RFK Stadium.
Road closures are scheduled to begin as early as 2 a.m. and last as late as 3 p.m. Saturday.
The closures include Constitution Avenue past the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial up Rock Creek Parkway, then across through Columbia Heights past Howard University where the race turns south down North Capitol Street, east on H Street NE then past RFK Stadium across East Capitol Street down Minnesota Avenue SE, then through Fort Dupont Park to Pennsylvania Avenue SE to reach Anacostia Park before looping back to RFK.
Metro closes at 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights now, so the Daylight Saving Time switch early Sunday morning no longer impacts Metro service since the system closes before clocks spring forward.
Sunday track work
After 10 p.m. Saturday and all day on Sunday, Metro plans track work on the Red, Yellow and Blue Lines.
The Blue and Yellow Lines are scheduled to single-track through Pentagon, with trains every 24 minutes on each line.
Red Line trains are scheduled to single-track between Van Ness and Dupont Circle, with trains every 16 minutes from the ends of the line.
Additional trains are scheduled between Farragut North and Silver Spring from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
