Metro News Release

For immediate release: June 4, 2008

Green and Yellow Line weekend track work at the Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail station to heavily impact riders

Metrorail riders should add 30 to 45 minutes of travel time into their schedules while riding the Green and Yellow lines this weekend as Metro completes a vital track rehabilitation project at the Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail station.

Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center switch replacement schedule

• Friday, June 6, 11 p.m., to Sunday, June 8, midnight.

This weekend, Metro will replace the switch at the Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail station. A switch or “interlocking” is an intersection in the track, where trains can “switch” from one track to another, depending on their destination and route. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended the track be replaced after last year’s derailment of a Green Line train at the Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail station.

One car of a Green Line train derailed as it was pulling into Mt Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center station in January 2007.

Green and Yellow Line weekend service patterns: 

• After 11 p.m. on Friday, June 6, and all weekend, Yellow Line trains will leave the Huntington Metrorail station every 24 minutes and will head to the Greenbelt Metrorail station. 

• After 11 p.m. on Friday, June 6, and all weekend, Green Line trains will leave the Branch Avenue Metrorail station every 24 minutes toward the Greenbelt Metrorail station. 

• After 11 p.m. on Friday, June 6, and, and all weekend, all Green and Yellow Line trains will leave the Greenbelt Metrorail station every 24 minutes. As a result, Metrorail customers traveling between the Greenbelt and Shaw-Howard U Metrorail stations will see a train every 12 minutes. 

• All Yellow and Green Line trains will share one track between the L’Enfant Plaza and Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail stations. 

• Upon entering the single track area to the Greenbelt Metrorail station, a Green Line train will arrive at the L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail station, followed by a Yellow Line train two minutes later. To expedite service, those two trains in a row will share the same track and head in the same direction between L’Enfant Plaza and Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center. When the Yellow Line train arrives at the Shaw-Howard U Metrorail station, that train will hold for 10 minutes and continue on to Greenbelt. 

• Upon entering the single track area to the Branch Avenue and Huntington Metrorail stations, a Green Line train will arrive at the Shaw-Howard U Metrorail station, and hold for 10 minutes, waiting for rail traffic to clear from the opposite direction, and to wait for the Yellow Line train to be within two minutes of the Green Line train holding. Both trains will then operate through the single track location between the Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center and L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail stations. 

• All Yellow Line trains will be six-cars and all Green Line trains will be eight-cars.

Travel options to bypass track maintenance

Metro provides these travel options for riders who wish to avoid the delays:

The 70 (Georgia Avenue-7th Street Line) Metrobus route provides service from to the Georgia Ave-Petworth, Convention Center, Gallery Pl-Chinatown, Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter, L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail stations.

The 52, 54 (14th Street Line) Metrobus route provides service from the L’Enfant Plaza to Takoma Metrorail stations with stops at the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter, Smithsonian, McPherson Square and Columbia Heights Metrorail stations.

Washington Nationals Games

On June 7 and 8, the Washington Nationals have home games at Nationals Park. People attending these games should add more time into their schedules if riding or connecting to the Yellow and Green Line as there will be longer waits for trains before and after the games.

Travel options for riders before the June 7 and 8 games:

• Metro will operate shuttle trains between the L’Enfant Plaza and Navy Yard Metrorail stations on the Green Line.

• Red Line riders from Shady Grove who transfer at the Gallery Pl-Chinatown Metrorail station should transfer at the Metro Center Metrorail station and catch a Blue or Orange Line train to L’Enfant Plaza. From there, they can board a Green Line train to Branch Avenue or a special shuttle train to the Navy Yard Metrorail station. 

• Fans on the Red Line can travel to the Union Station Metrorail station and Blue or Orange Line fans can travel to the Eastern Market Metrorail station and catch the N22 (Navy Yard shuttle) Metrobus route that provides direct service to the Navy Yard Metrorail station east entrance at New Jersey Avenue, SE.

Travel options for riders after the June 7 and 8 games:

• Metro will operate shuttle trains between the Navy Yard and L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail stations on the Green Line.

• At the end of the seventh inning, Metro will operate free shuttle buses every five minutes between the Navy Yard and Federal Center SW Metrorail stations. The shuttle buses will depart from M Street and New Jersey Avenue, SE.

• At the end of the seventh inning, Metro will operate free shuttle buses every five minutes on the N22 (Navy Yard shuttle) Metrobus route from Navy Yard to the Eastern Market and Union Station Metrorail stations.

Extra station managers, rail supervisors and Transit Police officers will be at the L’Enfant Plaza, Gallery Pl-Chinatown and Navy Yard Metrorail station to assist riders and to direct fans to the free shuttle buses after the baseball games. Metro will also have volunteers available to answer questions from riders on location of shuttle buses and how to walk to the nearest station and making sure fans have enough money on the cards to enter or exit the Metrorail system.

To alert customers about this project, station and train announcements will be made throughout the Metrorail system. Additional information will be available on Metro’s Web site at www.metroopensdoors.com.

The Trip Planner, located on Metro’s Web site, will not reflect the impact of this work on its schedules. Customers should allow more time for their trips because of this work. For more information on traveling by Metrobus or Metrorail, customers may call (202) 637-7000 or TTY (202) 638-3780.

News release issued at 1:49 pm, June 4, 2008.