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Extensive track work to affect Metro schedules over the weekend

By FOX 5 DC Digital Team
Published  November 17, 2023 9:48pm EST
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
FOX 5 DC

WASHINGTON - Metro riders should prepare for significant service changes on Saturday and Sunday as crews begin essential track maintenance and rail adjustments.

The work, focusing on a stretch between Foggy Bottom and Clarendon/Arlington Cemetery, will cause significantly reduced train frequencies on the Blue and Orange lines — operating every 26 minutes. The Silver Line will only run between Ashburn and Ballston.

To accommodate the influx of passengers, particularly those attending Sunday's Washington Commanders game against the New York Giants, Metro has announced additional Blue Line service. Trains will run every 13 minutes from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, between Downtown Largo and Smithsonian stations. 

For fans traveling from other lines to the game, a transfer to this supplemental service is recommended at L’Enfant Plaza.

Extensive track work to affect Metro schedules over the weekend, Nov. 18 - Nov. 19. 

Metrobus is also stepping up to ease the inconvenience for travelers on the Orange and Silver lines. The 38B route, covering Ballston to Farragut Square with stops near key stations, will increase its frequency to every 10 minutes on Saturday and 15 minutes on Sunday.

In addition to the work on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines, other parts of the system will also see adjustments. Single tracking will be implemented between Van Ness and Friendship Heights on the Red Line for leak mitigation and between L’Enfant Plaza and Navy Yard on the Green Line for various repairs, including concrete work and fiber-optic cable installation.

The need for this weekend's work was identified following recent inspections that revealed the necessity for rail replacement and adjustments — particularly on a curved section subject to increased tension. 

The complex process involves measuring, gauging, and realigning the rail, along with demolition and construction of new concrete grout pads.

Metro hopes to complete the following tasks over the weekend:

  • Adjusting 2100 linear feet of rail, equivalent to the length of seven football fields.
  • Replacing 400 feet of grout pads.
  • Installing around 60 insulators, 115 stud bolts, and 300 fasteners.
  • Inspecting and tightening 3600 linear feet of stud bolts and fasteners, which spans 22 Olympic-size pools.

Metro advises passengers to plan their trips accordingly.