Metro News Release

Over the three-day Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, Metro will advance major track work on the Blue and Orange lines, along with single tracking on the Red Line. The work will begin at 10 p.m. Friday night and continue through system closing on Monday, January 16.

On the Blue and Orange lines, Metro personnel will install new "Guarded #8" switches near Federal Center SW, an NTSB safety recommendation. On the Red Line, crews will continue to advance NTSB-recommended track circuit replacement, a critical key step toward restoring automatic train operations, as well as cable installation and station platform rehabilitation.

Blue/Orange Lines

• Beginning shortly before 10 p.m. Friday and continuing through closing Monday, free shuttle buses will replace Blue and Orange line trains between L'Enfant Plaza and Eastern Market, making intermediate stops at Federal Center SW and Capitol South stations.
• Two stations -- Federal Center SW and Capitol South -- will be closed.
• Blue Line trains will operate every 16 minutes in two segments: between Franconia-Springfield and L'Enfant Plaza, and between Eastern Market and Largo Town Center.
• Orange Line trains will operate every 16 minutes in two segments: between Vienna and L'Enfant Plaza, and between Eastern Market and New Carrollton.
• At stations served by both Blue and Orange line, trains will operate every eight minutes in each direction.
• The last Orange Line train from New Carrollton will depart 15 minutes earlier than normal -- at 2:22 a.m. on Saturday night (early Sunday) and at 11:22 p.m. on Sunday and Monday.  The last Orange Line train from Vienna will depart at its normal time.
• The last Blue Line train from Largo Town Center will depart 10 minutes earlier than normal -- at 2:16 a.m. on Saturday night (early Sunday) and at 11:16 p.m. on Sunday and Monday.  The last Blue Line train from Franconia-Springfield will depart at its normal time.
• On Friday night, the last trains to operate through the work zone before bussing are:

• Depart New Carrollton at 9:33 p.m., Eastern Market at 9:50 p.m., L'Enfant Plaza at 9:56 p.m. and arrive at Vienna at 10:30 p.m.

• Depart Vienna at 9:12 p.m., L'Enfant Plaza at 9:46 p.m., Eastern Market at 9:52 p.m. and arrive at New Carrollton at 10:09 p.m.

§ Depart Largo at 9:22 p.m., Eastern Market at 9:40 p.m., L'Enfant Plaza at 9:46 p.m. and arrive at Franconia-Springfield at 10:26 p.m.

• Depart Franconia-Springfield at 8:59 p.m., L'Enfant Plaza at 9:39 p.m., Eastern Market at 9:45 p.m. and arrive at Largo at 10:03 p.m.

• Customers traveling through the work zone should allow 20-30 minutes of additional travel time.

Red Line
Beginning at 10 p.m. Friday and continuing through closing Monday, Red Line trains will single track in two areas: between Dupont Circle and Van Ness-UDCto allow for NTSB-recommended track circuit replacement, as well as rail and fastener renewal, and between Takoma and Forest Glen to allow for fiber optic cable installation and platform rehabilitation. Throughout the weekend, Red Line trains will operate between Shady Grove and Glenmont every 24 minutes. Between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, additional trains will operate between Fort Totten and Farragut North. Customers should allow additional travel time.

No track work is scheduled on the Green or Yellow lines this weekend.

_____________________________________

WEEKDAY TRACK WORK

Red Line

• Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day: Trains will single track between Van Ness and Friendship Heights for rail and fastener renewal. Minor delays expected.
• Monday through Thursday, beginning at 10 p.m. each night: Trains will single track between Dupont Circle and Van Ness for rail and fastener renewal, and between Takoma and Forest Glen for cable installation. Customers should allow about 20 minutes of additional travel time.

Blue/Orange Line

• Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day: Trains will single track between Clarendon and Ballston for rail and fastener renewal. Minor delays expected.
• Monday through Thursday, beginning at 10 p.m. each night: Trains will single track between Smithsonian and Eastern Market for prep work associated with an upcoming NTSB-recommended switch replacement project, and between East Falls Church and West Falls Church for testing related to the Dulles rail project.

Green/Yellow Line

• On Monday and Tuesday, beginning at 10 p.m. each night: Trains will single track between Georgia Ave-Petworth and Fort Totten for rail joint work.  Minor delays expected.

Metro is advancing a six-year, $5 billion Capital Improvement Program (CIP) that is focused on safety and bringing the Metro system into a state of good repair. In FY2012, the CIP includes projects to replace escalators; retrofit track; replace critical track circuitry and equipment along the right of way; rehabilitate third-rail power systems, running rail and track pads; modernize 12 stations; replace 100 Metrobuses and the rehabilitate 100 more; renovate three bus garages; and install 30 new track turnouts.

The Trip Planner on Metro’s website will not reflect the impact of this work on schedules. For more information on traveling by Metrobus or Metrorail, customers may call 202-637-7000 or TTY 202-638-3780, or visit wmata.com.