For immediate release: November 13, 2020

Metro to advance safety-critical work on Blue Line during historically low ridership

Información en español

Updated February 17, 2021

Metro and its contractor made substantial progress on the signal system upgrades with an additional scheduled shutdown over the Presidents Day weekend. This work, including the previous shutdowns, allowed Metro to complete the project ahead of schedule. Additional work may be necessary but will not require the remaining scheduled shutdowns on the weekends of February 27-28 and March 6-7 and 13-14. 

Updated 12/9/2020 

Due to the announcement by Wreaths Across America to close the event to the general public, Metro will begin the closure one day earlier on Saturday, December 19.

Published 11/13/2020

Metro today announced plans to accelerate major capital work on the Blue Line in Virginia that will modernize the signal system in the Alexandria Rail Yard, resulting in improved safety, reliability and on-time performance. Taking advantage of the historically low ridership during the pandemic, Metro will consolidate the project into a shorter series of outages that will close two stations – Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn St. 

The work will take place over 10 weekends beginning Friday, November 27 and ending Sunday, March 14. In addition, a two-week shutdown will take place during the winter holiday period when ridership typically drops even further. During those times, local and express shuttle bus service will replace train service at Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn St. Blue Line trains will operate between Huntington and Largo Town Center. The schedule includes a break in work during Wreaths Across America (December 19), Inauguration week (January 16-24) and Presidents Day weekend (February 13-15).

Ridership at Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn St remains down by 80% or more compared with pre-Covid levels. 

During construction, Metro will replace all of the major components of the signal system in the Alexandria Rail Yard where it connects to the Blue Line, including switches, signals, track circuits and signal control rooms. The signal upgrades are necessary to modernize Metro’s Automatic Train Control System (ATC) which is more than 40 years old. This work cannot be done safely with trains in service and is best done with a shutdown.

“It is imperative that we continue our efforts to maintain safety-critical systems and a ‘State of Good Repair,’” said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Wiedefeld. “It makes sense to consolidate this work now so that we impact the fewest customers, while modernizing our system so that it is safe and reliable for decades to come.”

In addition to the construction, work crews will conduct a series of safety tests on thousands of circuits to safely commission the new equipment for use. These tests are critical to ensure the integrity of the signal system.

Working with local jurisdictions, Metro decided on the series of shutdowns because completing the same work with weekend single tracking could more than double the time for completion, while providing severely limited rail service with waits up to 36 minutes between trains. 

Customer information:

Weekends beginning, Friday, November 27 – March 14:*

  • Blue Line service will operate between Huntington and Largo Town Center.
    • Rail service on the Blue Line will be adjusted when Platform Improvement Project work begins at Arlington Cemetery in mid-February.
  • Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn St closed.
  • Free local and express shuttle buses will operate between:
    • Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn St. and Eisenhower Ave
    • Franconia-Springfield and Pentagon
  • With the exception of the first weekend, weekend closures will include Saturday and Sunday only.
  • Yellow Line service is available as an alternative for travel between Virginia and Downtown DC.
  • Weekend service frequencies may vary based on additional scheduled track work. Use Metro’s trip planner before traveling or check wmata.com/weekend for details.

*Construction work will be suspended and trains will service Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn St on the following dates:

  • Wreaths Across America – December 19
  • Inauguration week - January 16-24
  • Presidents Day weekend – February 13-15 

Weekdays December 21-25 and December 28-January 1:

  • Blue Line service will operate between Huntington and Largo Town Center.
  • Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn St closed.
  • Free local and express shuttle buses will operate between:
    • Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn St. and Eisenhower Ave.
    • Franconia-Springfield and Pentagon (excluding holidays)
    • Van Dorn St. and Pentagon rush hour service only: 5 a.m.-8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (excluding holidays)
  • Additional service details will be provided at a later date.