Metro News Release
For immediate release: November 3, 2010
Weekend renovation to improve reliability, service on the Blue, Orange and Yellow lines
Station closures to allow upgrades to improve safety, efficiency, performance
This weekend (November 5-7), Metro will undertake a major project on the Blue and Orange lines that will impact rail service east of the Stadium-Armory Metrorail station and conduct additional maintenance on the Blue and Yellow lines in Northern Virginia. Rail riders traveling on these lines are advised to add an additional 40 minutes to their travel plans because some stations will be closed and single-tracking operations will be in place elsewhere.
Blue and Yellow Line Bridge Repairs
Metrorail customers traveling between the Braddock Road and Pentagon City Metrorail stations should add at least 30 minutes to their travel time because Metro will make repairs on its rail bridge outside the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metrorail station to return it to a state of good repair. Trains will share one track between these locations the entire weekend from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Saturday, November 6 and Sunday, November 7.
During this time, all Yellow Line trains will operate approximately every 30 minutes between the Huntington and Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail stations. After 6 p.m. on November 6 and 7, all Yellow Line trains will operate approximately every 15 to 20 minutes between the Huntington and Fort Totten Metrorail stations. All Blue Line trains will operate every 30 minutes between the Franconia-Springfield and Stadium-Armory Metrorail stations and between the Largo Town Center and Benning Road Metrorail stations. After 6 p.m. on November 6 and 7, all Blue Line trains will operate approximately every 15 to 20 minutes between Franconia-Springfield and Stadium-Armory and between Largo Town Center and Benning Road.
Blue and Orange Line Structural Repairs and Track Circuit Upgrades
Metro will close five stations on the eastern end of the Orange Line (Minnesota Avenue, Deanwood, Cheverly, Landover and New Carrollton) and there will be no Blue Line service between the Stadium-Armory and Benning Road Metrorail stations (the Benning Road Metrorail station will remain open) from 10 p.m., Friday, Nov. 5, to closing on Sunday, Nov. 7, as the agency undertakes a major rehabilitation and rebuilding project to improve safety, comply with a safety recommendation made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), maintain service reliability and return the area to a state of good repair. Normal service will resume on Monday, Nov. 8.
To help riders get through the work zone, Metro will operate free shuttle buses around the station closures. Customers should build an extra 40 minutes into their travel plans if they need to pass through the work zone.
The Orange Line will operate only between the Vienna-Fairfax/GMU and Stadium-Armory Metrorail station. The Blue Line will be split in two sections throughout the weekend. Blue Line trains will operate between the Franconia-Springfield and Stadium-Armory Metrorail stations and between the Largo Town Center and Benning Road Metrorail stations.
During the weekend, Metro will make preliminary repairs to the stabilize the ground, the abutment and aerial structure outside the Cheverly Metrorail station because a developer performed work on land adjacent to Metro property that shifted the ground and caused movement of Metro’s aerial structure. Metro officials will also install new track circuits outside the Stadium-Armory Metrorail station, to comply with an NTSB safety recommendation. In addition, Metro will replace 4,290 feet of track, 680 insulators, 2,418 rail ties, 650 track fasteners and two track switches at the New Carrollton Metrorail station and conduct platform repairs at the Minnesota Avenue Metrorail station to maximize the amount of work to be done while there are no trains in the area.
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/ealerts/.
###
News release issued at 12:26 pm, November 3, 2010.