Emergency repairs to disrupt Metro service during peak cherry blossom season, St. Patrick's Day

WASHINGTON - Metro has announced that the Silver Line will have service reduced and the Blue Line will be rerouted during the peak cherry blossom season and on St. Patrick's Day due to needed repairs.

Metro said the structural repairs needed near Benning Road would reduce service on the Silver Line and reroute the Blue line to New Carrollton beginning on March 16 and was expected to last until the morning of March 19.

The cherry blossoms will reach their peak between March 17 and March 20, according to the National Park Service. The St. Patrick's Day parade is also slated for March 18.

Officials said the repairs were necessary to address a crack in the concrete "floating slab" beneath the rails between Benning Road and Capitol Heights stations. Until the repairs can be made, train speeds will be restricted in the area.

Metro said Silver Line trains would operate every 24 minutes with single-tracking through the work zone starting at 10 p.m. on March 15, all day March 16 and throughout the weekend. Blue Line trains will be rerouted to New Carrollton. Metro expects normal service to resume at 5 a.m. on March 19.

Metro provided the following details for service between March 16 and March 18:

The following 10 stations will experience reduced service (trains every 24 minutes). Riders who normally use these stations are encouraged to use stations on other lines:

Metro's new "Rush Hour Promise" will not be in effect for customers traveling to or from the 10 affected stations, but will remain in effect on all other lines and the 81 remaining stations, according to officials.