Metro is prepared to move customers for Inauguration Day with additional train service and earlier hours. Per the request of the United States Secret Service and the United States Capitol Police, Metrorail will open at 4 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 20 to accommodate the crowds.
Additional information, per WMATA: “Five stations will be closed, and trains will bypass these stations for security reasons from Sunday, Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21:
– McPherson Square (Blue, Orange, Silver lines)
– Federal Triangle (Blue, Orange, Silver lines)
– Smithsonian (Blue, Orange, Silver lines)
– Mt. Vernon Sq.-Convention Center (Green, Yellow lines)
– Archives-Navy Memorial (Green, Yellow lines)
In addition, certain station entrances will be closed Sunday, Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21:
– Metro Center: 13th and G St. NW and 12th and F St. NW entrances
– Farragut West: 17th and I St. NW entrance
Some station entrances will be closed select hours due to Inaugural events:
– Gallery Place: 7th and F St. NW entrance closes on Jan. 19 from 2 a.m. to 10 p.m.
– Judiciary Square: F Street/National Building Museum entrance closes on Jan. 19 at 4 p.m. and will reopen Jan. 20 at 5 a.m.
– Metro’s Union Station Metrorail station will not be accessible via the Amtrak/Union Station entrance on Jan. 20 at 4 p.m. and reopens Jan. 21 at 5 a.m. The Metrorail station will still be accessible from exterior entrances (1st St NE and on Massachusetts Ave. NE)
Those attending the Inauguration will have specific Metrorail stations listed on the back of the event ticket that will show your specific security entrance. Those stations are Union Station, Judiciary Square, Capitol South, and Federal Center SW.
Expect crowding at those stations as well as L’Enfant Plaza, Gallery Place, Metro Center, Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, Pentagon City, Crystal City, and Rosslyn.
Metro will have additional signs and staff inside stations directing you to the event and to assist.
Inaugurations are typically high ridership events. Be prepared for long lines, full trains and buses, and the possibility of intermittent delays due to large crowds.
Please plan enough time to make your trip. Plan your trip at WMATA.com using our trip planner. You can also find real-time information on Metro Pulse at WMATA.com/MetroPulse. Customers are encouraged to sign up for WMATA.com/MetroAlerts to get up-to-the-minute MetroAlerts or text alert service information.
More information at wmata.com/inauguration.
Service Information
Metrorail
Metrorail will operate from 4 a.m. until midnight on Inauguration Day.
On Friday, it operates from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday from 7 a.m. to midnight.
On Inauguration Day, Metro will run more service between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. with Red Line trains arriving every 4 minutes and all other lines will have trains arriving every 8 minutes. The Yellow Line will also be extended to Greenbelt for additional service.
Metrobus
On Inauguration Day, buses will operate on a Saturday Supplemental schedule. Check timetables for schedule information.
From Jan. 18-21, detours will be in effect in downtown D.C. due to the security perimeter and road closures. Customers traveling through downtown should allow additional travel time.
The following bus routes will be affected: 3F, 3Y, 7A, 10A, 11Y, 16A, 16C, 16E, 16Y, 22A, 38B, 31, 32, 33, 36, 42, 43, 52, 54, 59, 63, 64, 70, 74, 79, 80, 96, D4, D6, D8, G8, L2, N2, N4, N6, P6, S2, S9, X2, X8, and X9.
MetroAccess
On Inauguration Day, subscription trips will be canceled.
Due to the number of road closures in downtown D.C., customers are advised to plan for delays. Service will not be available to customers in any secure/closed area.
Parking
Parking will cost $3-$5.20 on Inauguration Day depending on the location. Parking is free on the weekends.
Tips for riding
- The easiest way to pay for Metro is by adding a mobile SmarTrip card to your phone’s wallet. Make sure you add enough fare to cover a roundtrip. Add funds to your mobile SmarTrip before arriving in case cell service is overloaded or use Metro station Wi-Fi. Newer phones will still let you tap in even if your battery dies if you have the feature enabled.
- Physical SmarTrip cards will be available at all stations.
- Everyone over the age of 5 needs a SmarTrip card to enter and exit stations.
- Avoid transfers if possible. Each of Metro’s five rail lines has a stop near the National Mall. Use Metro’s “Best Route” trip planner at wmata.com to find the best station to use.
- At the end of the event customers may be metered into stations to manage overcrowding on the platform and the trains. Stations near the event may become “exit only” before the event and “entrance only” after the event.
- Certain end of line Metro stations will have additional portable toilets in addition to a restroom being open in most stations.
- Oversized coolers, bicycles/scooters, dollies/hand trucks and any other large objects will not be permitted in the rail system Monday, Jan. 20.
- Several items are prohibited in the Inauguration security zone. Do not bring any items from this list to the area.
Commemorative Inauguration SmarTrip Card
Metro will sell a commemorative Inauguration SmarTrip card while supplies last in select fare vending machines with special SmarTrip starting Jan. 15:
Ashburn
Franconia-Springfield
Glenmont
Greenbelt
King St-Old Town
L’Enfant Plaza
Metro Center
Navy Yard-Ballpark
New Carrollton
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Shady Grove
Stadium-Armory
Union Station
Vienna
Washington Dulles International Airport
Make sure you add enough fare to make a round trip (one-way fares vary from $2.25 to $6.75 depending on distance) or purchase a 1-Day unlimited pass for $13.50. A $2 SmarTrip fee will also be charged.”