Metro News Release

For immediate release: February 12, 2010

Metrorail, Metrobus, MetroAccess service expand Friday

Transit system expands as snow efforts pay off

The electrified third rail along the tracks (right side of photo) near the West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail station remains covered with snow and ice. Work crews are finding it challenging to clear the snow from this rail, which is the source of electricity that is necessary to provide power to move trains. Crews continue to try to clear tracks of snow (Feb. 12, 2010).

The Metrorail system will open at 5 a.m. 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.

Metrorail service as of 8:30 a.m. today includes all Blue, Yellow and Green Line stations and limited service on the Red and Orange Lines. Six of Metro’s 86 stations remain closed as work crews continue to dig out the tracks.

Summary of Metrorail service as of 8:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 12

• Red Line limited service: White Flint to Glenmont
• Orange Line limited service: East Falls Church to New Carrollton
• Yellow Line all stations open: Huntington to Mt Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center
• Blue Line all stations open: Franconia-Springfield to Largo Town Center
• Green Line all stations open: Greenbelt to Branch Avenue

The following Metrorail stations are closed due to snow that remains on the tracks: Shady Grove, Rockville and Twinbrook on the Red Line and Vienna/Fairfax-GMU, Dunn Loring-Merrifield and West Falls Church-VT/UVA on the Orange Line.

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.

Metro officials believed that the entire Yellow and Blue lines would be open at 5 a.m. on Friday, however during the middle of the night it was discovered that the roof over the King Street Metrorail station platform and tracks suffered snow and ice damage, causing a safety concern for anyone on the platform and to trains passing through the station. Staff was diverted from snow-clearing activities to fix the roof, which delayed snow-clearing activities from King Street to Franconia-Springfield on the Blue Line and from King Street to Huntington on the Yellow Line. All stations on the Blue Line were open by 6:10 a.m. and all stations on the Yellow Line were open by 7:15 a.m.

Approximately 70 percent of parking spaces at Metrorail stations are 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.

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 4:53 am, February 12, 2010.