Metro News Release
For immediate release: March 18, 2015
Metro service information for Cherry Blossom season
Metro is gearing up for the busy Cherry Blossom season, a time when weekday ridership increases 15 percent and weekend ridership can nearly double.
Weekend Metrorail Service
This year, Metro will perform limited track work over the first two weekends of the Cherry Blossom festival. The work, which will take place between Braddock Road and Reagan National Airport, is necessary to allow personnel to replace sections of rail and clear speed restrictions for a safer, smoother, faster trip. The last two weekends of the festival will be track work free.
- Sat. Mar. 21 & Sun. Mar 22: Regular weekend service (no track work) on the Red and Green lines. Orange, Blue and Silver will each run every 18 minutes, rather than every 12-15 minutes, as crews replace sections of rail between Braddock Road and Reagan National Airport. Through Downtown DC (between Rosslyn and Stadium-Armory), a train will arrive at each station about every 6 minutes during daytime hours. Yellow Line trains will run every 18 minutes between Huntington and Mt Vernon Square.
- Sat. Mar. 28 & Sun. Mar. 29: Same as above.
- Sat. Apr. 4 & Sun. Apr 5: No weekend trackwork. Regular service on all lines.
- Sat. Apr. 11 & Sun. Apr 12: No weekend trackwork. Regular service on all lines. Metrorail will open two hours early (at 5 a.m.) for the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run.
Travel Tips
Metro encourages all customers to consider the following travel advice for a more pleasant trip during Cherry Blossom season:
- Make it an off-peak trip. Trains and stations are always more crowded during Cherry Blossom season. Visitors are encouraged to travel during non-rush hour times and especially avoid traveling at the peak of evening rush hour (4 to 6 p.m.) when trains are very crowded.
- Avoid Smithsonian. Smithsonian Station can become extremely busy with visitors at this time of year. Consider L’Enfant Plaza, Archives, Arlington Cemetery or Federal Triangle instead.
- Buy in advance. Skip the long lines at vending machines by loading enough value for your entire roundtrip, in advance, on your SmarTrip card. If using a paper farecard, remember to add $1 for each trip ($2 for roundtrip) to the applicable fare.
- Multiple trips? Buy a One-Day Pass. For maximum convenience, visitors can purchase an unlimited One-Day Pass for $14.50 at any station. The pass allows you to take an unlimited number of Metrorail trips on the day it is used, through system closing time.
- More room in the back. Metro runs a combination of 6- and 8-car trains. You can check the train's length on the digital platform displays or via wmata.com on your mobile device. If your upcoming train is 8 cars long, spread along the entire platform and consider boarding the last two cars, where more space is usually available.
For Your Safety
- Stay clear of the doors. When boarding, please move as far into the train as possible to allow others to board. Do not stop in the doors or block the doors at any time. They will not reopen like elevator doors.
- Stand right. When riding on Metro escalators, kindly stand on the right side to allow others to pass on the left.
- Take kids by the hand. With moving trains, moving escalators and other potential hazards, it's important that your little ones stay with you at all times. Please hold the hands of small children so you don't get separated and they don't get hurt.
- Step back from the platform edge. For your safety, all riders should stand behind the "bumpy" warning strip on Metrorail platforms until lthe train comes to a complete stop. When the doors open, allow passengers to exit before you attempt to board.
- Slow down. The most common types of injuries on Metro are slips, trips and falls. April showers can cause platforms and floors to become slippery. Please take your time and don't run. There's always another train.
For More Information
National Cherry Blossom Festival website
News release issued at 3:45 pm, March 18, 2015.