Metro News Release

For immediate release: December 14, 2010

Metrorail improvements planned for Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend

Foggy Bottom closed MLK Weekend; Customers advised to check metroopensdoors.com for important service changes before traveling

Metrorail will conduct significant safety and reliability work on the Blue, Orange and Red rail lines to comply with National Transportation Safety Board recommendations during the Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Holiday Weekend, causing some temporary service changes for customers.

On the Blue and Orange Lines, there will not be service between the Rosslyn and Farragut West Metrorail stations, and the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metrorail station will be closed during the MLK Holiday Weekend from 10 p.m., Friday, Jan. 14, to closing on Monday, Jan. 17. During that time, the agency will undertake work to replace four track switches, begin replacing escalators and elevators, and improving cell phone coverage. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Jan. 15 to 17, extra Metro employees will be available between the Rosslyn and Farragut West Metrorail stations to help customers navigate around the weekend closure using free bus shuttle service. Customers should add an extra 40 minutes to travel through the impacted area and are also encouraged to use alternate Yellow Line service where they can transfer to Blue and Orange trains at L’Enfant Plaza.

On the Red Line, state of good repair work will include repairing tunnel leaks and installing new bumpy tiles on the station platform at the Tenleytown Metrorail station. Trains will share one track between these locations from 10 p.m. Friday, Jan 14, to closing on Monday, Jan. 17. Metrorail customers traveling between the Friendship Heights and Van Ness-UDC Metrorail stations are advised to add 20 minutes to their travel times throughout the weekend.

Also, as part of the Red Line rehabilitation project, trains will be single tracking between New York Avenue-Florida Avenue-Gallaudet U and Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood Metrorail stations from 10 p.m. on Jan. 14, to closing on Jan. 17.

From Jan. 15 to 17, Red Line trains will depart approximately every 15 minutes from the Shady Grove and Glenmont Metrorail stations. From 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., more frequent service will be offered on the Red Line and will operate approximately every 8 minutes between the Van Ness-UDC and New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U Metrorail stations.

Weekend Blue, Orange and Yellow Line Service

From 10 p.m., Friday, Jan. 14 to closing on Monday, Jan. 17, the Blue and Orange lines will be split in two sections. The Blue Line will operate between the Franconia-Springfield and Rosslyn Metrorail stations and between the Largo Town Center and Farragut West Metrorail stations. The Orange Line will operate between the Vienna-Fairfax/GMU and Rosslyn Metrorail stations and between the New Carrollton and Farragut West Metrorail stations.

Throughout the weekend, Blue Line trains will operate approximately every 20 minutes between the Franconia-Springfield and Rosslyn Metrorail stations with all 8-car trains. Blue Line trains operating between the Largo Town Center and Farragut West Metrorail stations will operate approximately every 15 to 20 minutes. Orange Line trains will operate approximately every 20 minutes between the Vienna-Fairfax/GMU and Rosslyn Metrorail stations with all 8-car trains. Orange Line trains operating between the New Carrollton and Farragut West Metrorail stations will operate approximately every 15 to 20 minutes.

For Metrorail riders who normally use the Blue Line between Franconia-Springfield and the Pentagon and who wish to bypass the weekend closure at the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metrorail station, Metro will operate additional Yellow Line trains between the Huntington and Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metrorail stations between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15, Sunday, Jan. 16, and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 17.

In addition to the closure of the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metrorail station, Orange and Blue Line trains will be single-tracking in two locations. From 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 14, to closing on Monday, Jan. 17, Orange Line trains will share one track between the West Falls Church-VT/UVA and East Falls Church Metrorail stations to allow the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project to conduct major construction activities that will eventually connect the new rail line to the existing Metrorail system. On the Blue Line, from 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 14, to closing on Monday, Jan. 17, trains will share one track between the Van Dorn Street and Braddock Road Metrorail stations to allow for maintenance work related to the Wilson Bridge project.

Customer Tips

For people attending weekend events at the Verizon Center or the Washington Convention Center, Metro recommends adding up to 40 minutes to their travel plans.

To alert customers about this work, Metro will send e-Alerts, post signs in key stations, place notices on station kiosks, take out paid advertisements and make train and system announcements. Additional information will be available on Metro's web site at www.metroopensdoors.com.

The Trip Planner, located on Metro=s Web site, will not reflect the impact of this work on its schedules. Customers should allow more time for their trips because of this work. For more information on traveling by Metrobus or Metrorail, customers may call (202) 637-7000 or TTY (202) 638-3780.

News release issued at 5:18 pm, December 14, 2010.