SILVER SPRING, Md. — Leaders in Montgomery County are raising the alarm about the impacts of planned construction along the Red Line this summer. The Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma stations will all be closed over the summer, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
In a letter to Metro General Manager Randy Clarke and Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld, leaders including County Executive Marc Elrich and Council President Andrew Friedson offered several options for minimizing impact to commuters during the construction planned from June to September 2024.
"Loss of Red Line service to these communities will have a major impact regardless of the management plan implemented during this period," the letter reads.
The planned work includes upgrading the signaling system, installing communication and train control cables, and repairing the interlocking; which allows trains to cross from one track to the other outside the Takoma Station. Detailed service plans were still being developed when Metro announced the planned closures last month.
The letter offers a number of options as the plan takes its final form. Among them:
- Delay implementation of MTA Commuter Bus Service Reductions in Montgomery County until no later than Oct. 2024
- Implement additional MARC service between Rockville and Washington Union Station.
- Provide shuttle service for station-to-station travel
- Consider new connections to the Green Line at Fort Totten from communities along the Red Line and along the US 29 corridor that would otherwise connect to Metrorail at Silver Spring.
- Consider reduced or fare-free service on alternatives to the Red Line like MARC, MTA, Commuter Bus and Metrorail shuttle buses
- Implement priority treatments for shuttle bus operations
- Consider shared-ride/microtransit services along the affected corridor
The letter points out the large immigrant population in the affected neighborhoods, and asks that Metro's outreach is provided in multiple languages.
Riders we spoke to at the Silver Spring station said they were not even aware of the upcoming closures. Anna told us that the train is reliable for her commute, but closures will make things tougher.
"It's going to be very very hard. We don't know if the bus is coming on time. Also it's going to take time, it's going to take longer to travel," she said.
For riders like Jared who take the train twice a day, the temporary alternative doesn't cut it.
"It would mean I couldn't get to work, or go all the way around to the other side of Maryland to get here," he said.
Montgomery County leaders say they are ready to assist WMATA in any way possible as the summer construction looms.
"We also stand ready to provide technical assistance and to implement mitigation measures for your project that are within County authority," the letter says.
A Metro spokesperson provided the following statement regarding the summer construction:
"We will continue to work with our MDOT partners, as well as Montgomery County and the District of Columbia, to provide quality service to customers during the closure. We understand and value the importance of dedicated bus lanes. We hope to collaborate on the development of bus lanes that will expedite shuttle service and existing Metrobus and Ride On bus service to get customers where they need to go faster.
We will release detailed local and express shuttle plans for the impacted area on April 1."
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