WASHINGTON — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced Friday the maintenance work will cause late-night Metrorail service to be reduced on weeknights for three weeks.
According to a release from WMATA, crews will be working to maintain the tracks during late-night and overnight hours Monday through Thursday starting Feb. 27. The work is expected to happen weeknights until March 16.
Each weeknight, crews will begin working at 10 p.m.
Trains will move to single-tracking between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery on the Blue and Blue+ Lines and between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery on the Blue and Blue+ lines, and between Foggy Bottom and Ballston on the Orange and Silver lines.
WMATA says the single-tracking area is around three miles long and coupled with the Yellow Line Bridge closure will lead train service to be reduced to every 26 minutes on the four lines.
Trains will gradually transition from the end of the lines starting at 9 p.m. until all trains are operating every 26 minutes by 10 p.m. as follows:
- Blue Line Franconia-Springfield to Downtown Largo
- Orange Line Vienna to New Carrollton
- Silver Line Ashburn to Ballston; transfer to/from Orange Line to continue trip
- Blue Line+ Huntington to National Airport; transfer to/from Blue Line to continue trip
During the reduced service, trains will take turns going through the single track, two at a time in each direction.
"Between Rosslyn and Stadium-Armory Orange and Blue line trains will operate back-to-back with two minutes between them, followed by a 24-minute gap while trains come through in the opposite direction. Trains will arrive every 26 minutes at all other stations," the WMATA release reads.
The agency claims ridership after 10 p.m. only accounts for about 4% of total ridership systemwide and by doing this maintenance at night, they are minimizing the impact to customers while allowing more work to get done.
The maintenance work will have crews replacing the grout pads, concrete slabs that must support the weight of trains and to which the tracks are anchored.
Metrobus options will also be available to riders. Orange and Silver Line customers may also consider the 38B Metrobus which operates between Farragut Square and Ballston.
Metro CEO Randy Clarke announced in a meeting today that 'open gangways' could be coming to metro trains in the DMV.