Metro News Release
For immediate release: November 26, 2008
Metro announces its December weekend track maintenance schedule
Metro curtails weekend track maintenance during Christmas/New Years holiday
Metro is giving riders a holiday from delays caused by track repairs. The transit agency will conduct switch replacement work and replace crossties on the Red and Orange lines for the first half of December, but is canceling work for Christmas and New Year’s holiday weekends.
“With the holiday season approaching, we decided to curtail weekend maintenance work over the holiday time frame,” said Dave Kubicek, Metro’s Assistant General Manager for Metrorail. “We want our rail riders to leave their cars at home and use Metro to get to the airport, train station or local shopping center for the upcoming holiday season.”
Metro encourages riders to check its Web site at www.metroopensdoors.com at the end of each month to see the following month’s schedule of work. Metro will continue to post news releases each Thursday as a reminder to provide updates about any last minute track maintenance schedule changes.
Friday, December 5, to Sunday, December 7
- Red Line - Metrorail customers traveling between the Medical Center and Van Ness-UDC Metrorail stations should add at least 30 minutes of travel time for their trips because of switch replacement work at the Friendship Heights Metrorail station. A switch or “interlocking” is an intersection in the track, where trains can “switch” from one track to another, depending upon their destination and route. Inbound and outbound trains between Medical Center and Van Ness-UDC will share one track from 9 p.m., Friday, December 5, to closing (midnight) Sunday, December 7. To help expedite rail service, every other Red Line train traveling towards the Shady Grove Metrorail station will terminate at the Van Ness-UDC Metrorail station and return to the Glenmont Metrorail station.
- Orange Line - Metrorail customers traveling between the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations should add 25 minutes of travel time because personnel will replace crossties. Trains will share one track between these locations from 8 p.m., Friday, December 5, to closing (midnight), December 7. To help expedite rail travel back to Washington, D.C., every other Orange Line train in the direction of the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metrorail station will terminate at the West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail station and return to the New Carrollton Metrorail station.
Friday, December 12 to Sunday, December 14
- Red Line - Metrorail customers traveling between the Medical Center and Van Ness-UDC Metrorail stations should add at least 30 minutes of travel time for their trips because of switch replacement work at the Friendship Heights Metrorail station. Inbound and outbound trains between Medical Center and Van Ness-UDC will share one track from 9 p.m., Friday, December 12, to closing (midnight) Sunday, December 14.
- Orange Line - Metrorail customers traveling between the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations should add 25 minutes of travel time because personnel will replace crossties. Trains will share one track between these locations from 8 p.m., Friday, December 12, to closing (midnight), December 14. To help expedite rail travel back to Washington, D.C., every other Orange Line train in the direction of the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metrorail station will terminate at the West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail station and return to the New Carrollton Metrorail station.
Please note, this schedule is subject to change. Metro will update any service changes through news releases and on its Web site at www.metroopensdoors.com.
Be one of the first to find out when Metrorail is experiencing a service disruption by signing up to receive an e-alert. You can personalize Metro e-alerts by signing up to monitor service on specific lines on specific days of the week and on specific times of the day. You can always unsubscribe or change your e-alert preferences. To sign up, visit http://www.wmata.com/rider_tools/metro_service_status/rail_Bus.cfm.
News release issued at 1:23 pm, November 26, 2008.