Metro News Release
For immediate release: March 1, 2010
Metro sets March weekend track maintenance schedule
Metro curtails track maintenance the last weekend in March for the National Cherry Blossom Festival
This month, Metro will weld rail, and replace track fasteners, track circuits and floating slabs that will help ensure more reliable Metrorail service. Customers should expect travel delays during the weekends of March 5 to 7, March 12 to 14, and March 19 to 21.
Metro will not conduct major track maintenance during the opening of the National Cherry Blossom festival on Saturday, March 27.
Friday, March 5, to Sunday, March 7
Orange Line -- Metrorail customers traveling between the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations should add at least 30 minutes to their travel time because Metro will be welding new rail on the tracks. Trains will share one track between these locations on Saturday, March 6, and Sunday, March 7, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
To help expedite rail travel into downtown Washington, every other Orange Line train traveling toward the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metrorail station will terminate at the West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail station and will return to the New Carrollton Metrorail station.
Friday, March 12, to Sunday, March 14
Red Line -- Metrorail customers traveling between the Fort Totten and Silver Spring Metrorail stations should add at least 30 minutes to their travel time because Metro will be making track circuit upgrades at the Takoma Metrorail station. Trains will share one track between these locations the entire weekend from 10 p.m. Friday, March 12, to closing (midnight) on Sunday, March 14.
Blue Line -- Metrorail customers traveling between the Stadium-Armory and Addison Road-Seat Pleasant Metrorail stations should add at least 30 minutes to their travel time to allow Metro to replace concrete slabs underneath the rails. Trains will share one track between these locations from 10 p.m., Friday, March 12, to closing (midnight) on Sunday, March 14.
Friday, March 19, to Sunday, March 21
Red Line -- Metrorail customers traveling between the Medical Center and Grosvenor-Strathmore Metrorail stations should add at least 20 minutes to their travel time because Metro will replace rail fasteners that stabilize tracks, and make tunnel repairs. Trains will share one track between these locations the entire weekend from 8 p.m. Friday, March 19, to closing (midnight) on Sunday, March 21.
To help expedite rail travel into downtown Washington, every other Red Line train traveling toward the Shady Grove Metrorail station will terminate at the Friendship Heights Metrorail station and will return to the Glenmont Metrorail station.
This portion of work on the Red Line between the Medical Center and Grosvenor-Strathmore Metrorail stations is part of a larger multi-year Red Line rehabilitation project that will run through 2013.
Blue Line -- Metrorail customers traveling between the Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street Metrorail stations should add at least 20 minutes to their travel time because Metro will be welding new rail on the tracks. Trains will share one track between these locations on Saturday, March 20, and Sunday, March 21, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, March 26, to Sunday, March 28
There is no track maintenance scheduled for the weekend.
Please note, this schedule is subject to change. Metro riders should visit 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.
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Media contact for this news release: Steven Taubenkibel or Lisa Farbstein at 202-962-1051.
For all other inquiries, please call customer service at 202-637-7000.
News release issued at 12:02 pm, March 1, 2010.