A pair of Metro stations — one in Arlington, Virginia, and another in Prince George’s County, Maryland — will be closed for over three months in early 2021. The rail service will provide shuttle buses during that period.
The Arlington National Cemetery (Blue Line) and the Addison Road (Blue and Silver) stations will be closed starting on Feb. 13, 2021 and stay closed for platform reconstruction work, the transit agency said in a statement released Monday.
Since the only station in the network exclusively served by the system’s Blue Line is the Arlington National Cemetery stop, the Blue Line will also be closed.
The stations and transit line will remain closed until May 23. Metro’s statement said the full-time closure of the stations will allow the renovation to be completed sooner and with fewer disruptions than if it had been done in a piecemeal way.
Additional Yellow Line trains will cover the gap left by the missing Blue Line trains for the segment from Springfield, Virginia, through Mount Vernon Square. Riders who usually rely on the extra train volume on the Blue Line should add extra time for their commutes, the transit agency said. They should also consider bus service.
Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Wiedefeld called the projects “critical” even during the agencies pandemic-related budget challenges.
