Now that it’s August, relief is in sight for Metrorail riders who’ve been impacted by the monthslong closure of four stations on the Red Line.
The Metro stops at Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen and Silver Spring have been shutdown since the start of June, but they are scheduled to be back open in the coming weeks.
“I know this month is the last month,” said resident Corey Page, as he waited for a shuttle bus to pick him up on Georgia Avenue outside the Wheaton Metro station. “I’m sure it’s going to be easier because the train goes right there.”
The stations are scheduled to be closed through Aug. 31, and a Metro spokesperson confirmed to WTOP on Friday that the stations are “projected to reopen on schedule.”
Riders who typically use the now-closed stations have had to find workarounds, including using those shuttle buses provided by Metro.
Chase Brown said that has made his commutes longer.
“It adds about 30 minutes each way,” Brown said. “I have to get up a little earlier or get prepared a little earlier.”
Audrey Maran said it adds “more time than usual” for her commutes, too.
“I’m definitely looking forward to having the Metro back,” said Maran.
During the closure, construction work is being done at the Silver Spring station in order to connect it to a future station for the Purple Line, a light-rail line that will eventually have 21 stations between New Carrollton and Bethesda, connecting Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
“I’m happy they’re doing the work they’ve been doing, but at the same time, it’ll be nice to get back to normal,” said Brown.
Metro said it decided to close additional Red Line stations along with Silver Spring in order to carry out other maintenance, repairs and improvements.
“This allows Metro to utilize a singular outage over three months, rather than more than eight months of weekend closures and disruptions if the work were done individually in shorter segments,” according to Metro.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
