Metro News Release
For immediate release: February 11, 2010
Metrorail, Metrobus, MetroAccess service expand for Friday
Transit system expands as snow efforts pay off
The Metrorail system will open at 5 a.m. tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 12, with limited service and will close at midnight instead of 3 a.m. to allow work crews the additional overnight hours to continue to clear the tracks, rail yards and rail “switches,” which are critical track components that allow trains to maneuver around problem areas by switching tracks. A limited number of Metrobus routes will be in service Friday with the number expected to grow as more roadways become passable. MetroAccess trips will begin at 6:45 a.m., however the usual door-to-door service will be shifted to curb-to-curb service if it is not safe to offer door-to-door service.
Nine of Metro’s 86 stations will remain closed to start the day on Friday as work crews continue to dig out the tracks, many of which have snow drifts of up to six feet.
Metrorail service to start Friday morning will include all Green, Yellow and Blue line stations. The Red Line will operate between Medical Center and Glenmont Metrorail stations with Grosvenor-Strathmore, White Flint, Twinbrook, Rockville and Shady Grove Metrorail stations remaining closed due to heavy snow that remains on the tracks. The Orange Line will operate between New Carrollton and Ballston Metrorail stations with East Falls Church, West Falls Church-VT/UVA, Dunn Loring-Merrifield and Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metrorail stations remaining closed, also due to heavy snow on the tracks, including snow drifts of three to six feet.
Metrorail trains will operate at 20- to 25-minute intervals above ground and 10- to 15-minute intervals below ground. The longer than usual intervals are a result of 35 mph speed restrictions and the snow-covered switches.
Approximately 70 percent of parking spaces at Metrorail stations will be available for automobiles as many surface parking spaces are being used to pile snow to make other spaces available for automobiles. The top levels of 22 Metrorail parking garages are not expected to be available for parking. Work crews will address those top levels starting Friday.
Summary of Metrorail service expected for Friday, Feb. 12
• Red Line limited service: Medical Center to Glenmont
• Orange Line limited service: Ballston to New Carrollton
• Blue Line all stations open: Franconia-Springfield to Largo Town Center
• Green Line all stations open: Greenbelt to Branch Avenue
• Yellow Line all stations open: Huntington to Fort Totten
Metrobus service
Metrobus will operate starting at its normal time on Friday with most buses sticking to streets along snow emergency routes. Buses will serve more neighborhoods as the streets become passable. The routes listed below have been in service since Thursday afternoon with more routes expected to be operating Friday. As the Metrobus system expands to include more routes, those routes will be posted on Metro’s Web site, www.metroopensdoors.com.
Customers are reminded to please use caution near bus stops as many remain under ice and snow. Local jurisdictions are responsible for clearing bus stops. Local residents can help their neighbors by shoveling the bus stops along the sidewalks near their homes so that people are not standing in the icy streets while traffic is passing.
Bus routes operating in the District of Columbia
31 (Friendship Heights to Foggy Bottom-GWU)
32 and 36 (Friendship Heights to Potomac Ave)
34 (Archives to Branch Ave)
52 and 54 (From 14th Street and Colorado Ave to L'Enfant Plaza)
64 (Fort Totten to Georgia Ave-Petworth)
70 (Silver Spring to Canal and P Street, SW)
71 (Silver Spring to Archives) will terminate at Canal and P Street, SW
79 (Silver Spring to Archives)
80 (Fort Totten to Gallery Pl-Chinatown)
82 (Rhode Island Ave to Gallery Pl-Chinatown)
P6 (Anacostia to Eckington)
S4 (Silver Spring to Federal Triangle)
U8 (Capitol Heights to Benning Heights)
X2 (Minnesota Ave to Union Station)
V7 line (Deanwood to Potomac Ave)
Bus routes operating in Maryland
J2 (Bethesda to Silver Spring)
P12 (Eastover to Addison Road), bypassing United Medical Center
Q2 (Silver Spring to Wheaton)
Y5, Y7 and Y8 (Wheaton to Leisure World)
Z8 and Z9 (Silver Spring to Briggs Chaney Road Park and Ride
Bus routes operating in Virginia
1C (Fair Oaks to Dunn Loring)
2C (Washington Boulevard to Vienna)
16 line (Pentagon to Baileys Crossroads)
28A (Alexandria to Tysons Corner), bypassing Seven Corners and Southern Towers
MetroAccess
MetroAccess trips will begin at 6:45 a.m., however the usual door-to-door service will be shifted to curb-to-curb service if it is not safe to offer door-to-door service.
How to get Updates on Winter Weather Conditions
There are a variety of ways for customers to stay informed during a major storm. Metro constantly updates local news media of Metro service changes. Information is also available on Metro’s home page at www.metroopensdoors.com. Customers can also subscribe to e-Alerts and receive up-to-date service disruption information on Metrorail and MetroAccess.
News release issued at 7:04 pm, February 11, 2010.