Metro News Release

For immediate release: September 8, 2009

No Green or Yellow Line service at three Metrorail stations for Columbus Day Weekend for track work

Waterfront-SEU and Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter stations to close; no Green or Yellow Line service at L'Enfant Plaza

The Waterfront-SEU and Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Metrorail stations will be closed and the Green and Yellow Lines also will be closed at the L’Enfant Plaza, Metrorail station from 9:30 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 9, through Monday, Oct. 12, with no Green or Yellow Line service at these three stations at that time. Service will resume at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13. There will be no Yellow Line service in the District of Columbia or Maryland during the Columbus Day holiday weekend, with service available only between the Huntington and Pentagon Metrorail stations.

As part of the Columbus Day Weekend track rehabilitation program, Metro will replace four rail switches at the L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail station on the Green and Yellow lines. These four switches form a “double crossover,” which is an intersection in the track where trains can switch from one track to another, depending on their destination and route. Before the rail switch can be replaced, Metro needs to conduct preliminary work on the rail switches in preparation for their removal. In addition to the track maintenance work at L’Enfant Plaza on the Yellow and Green Lines, Metro will close the Yellow Line Bridge over the Potomac River to conduct an annual safety inspection and conduct track maintenance. This means that the Yellow Line will run only between the Huntington and Pentagon Metrorail stations. The Yellow Line will not operate in the District of Columbia or Maryland.

Throughout the next several weeks, Metrorail Green and Yellow Line riders should build 45 minutes to their weeknight, late evening trips as the transit agency conducts late-night preparation work leading up to the Columbus Day Weekend projects.

Green and Yellow Line Delays from Sept. 13 to Oct. 8

In preparation for the Columbus Day Weekend station closures on the Green and Yellow lines, Green Line trains will share one track between the Navy Yard and Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St- Convention Center Metrorail station, and Yellow Line trains will share one track between the Pentagon City and Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail station during the following dates and times:

• Sunday, Sept. 13, to Thursday, Sept. 17, from 9:30 p.m. to closing (midnight).
• Sunday, Sept. 20, to Monday, Sept. 21, from 9:30 p.m. to closing (midnight).
• Wednesday, Sept. 30, to Thursday, Oct. 1, from 9:30 p.m. to closing (midnight).
• Sunday, Oct. 4, to Thursday, Oct. 8, from 9:30 p.m. to closing (midnight).

During this time, all Yellow Line trains will operate between the Huntington and Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail stations. Customers traveling north of the Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail stations will need to catch a Green Line train to the Greenbelt Metrorail station.

Green/Yellow Line Service During Columbus Holiday Weekend

Starting Friday, Oct. 9, at 9:30 p.m., and continuing through Monday, Oct. 12, the Waterfront-SEU Metrorail station (Green Line) and Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Metrorail station (Green and Yellow Line) will be closed and there will be no service on the Green and Yellow Line at the L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail station. Regular service will resume service when the rail system opens at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

The Blue and Orange Line at the L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail station will not be affected.

As a result of these station closures on the Yellow and Green lines, the Yellow Line will operate only between the Huntington and Pentagon Metrorail stations. There will be no Yellow Line service between the L’Enfant Plaza and Fort Totten Metrorail stations. The Green Line will operate in two segments, between the Branch Avenue and Navy Yard Metrorail stations, and between the Gallery Pl-Chinatown and Greenbelt Metrorail stations.

Metro will operate free shuttle buses between the Navy Yard and Gallery Pl-Chinatown Metrorail stations to help riders get past the track work.

Metrorail customers who normally ride the Yellow Line between Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia are encouraged to ride the Blue Line during Columbus Day Weekend.

On Tuesday, Oct. 13, customers can expect Green and Yellow Line trains to operate at reduced speeds for a few days through the L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail station following the installation of the new double crossover.

Metro will provide additional details on the frequency of Metrorail service on the Green, Yellow and Blue Lines, shuttle bus service plans to support the Columbus Day Weekend station closures, and customer service efforts in early October.

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Media contact for this news release: Steven Taubenkibel at 202-962-1051.
For all other inquiries, please call customer service at 202-637-7000.

News release issued at 2:28 pm, September 8, 2009.