Per WMATA: Metro’s Red Line customers will see more frequent service beginning Monday, December 5, as the transit agency continues to bring more 7000-series trains into service.
Red Line trains will operate every eight minutes during the peak periods of 6 – 9 a.m. and 3 – 7 p.m. to alleviate crowding during the busiest weekday hours. Red Line trains will operate every 10 minutes at all other times, except during scheduled trackwork.
Metro welcomes customers and visitors to the region to take Metro wherever your travels take you during the Thanksgiving holiday. On Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 24, Metrorail and Metrobus will operate on a Sunday schedule, with trains operating from 7 a.m. until midnight. MetroAccess customers may make a reservation to travel on the holiday; however subscription trips will be canceled.
The day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 25, Metrorail will open at 5 a.m., closing at 1 a.m., and Metrobus and MetroAccess will operate normal weekday service.
Per WMATA: Metro celebrated the opening of the Silver Line Extension on Tuesday, connecting customers to six new stations, adding 11.4 miles of track to the Metrorail system, and beginning operations at a modern rail maintenance facility. The Silver Line Extension gives customers a new connection to Washington Dulles International Airport and new service between Reston, Va., and eastern Loudoun County. Today’s grand opening also marks the completion of the Silver Line project, a generational infrastructure investment in Northern Virginia.
Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke was joined by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other federal, state, and local officials for the grand opening ceremony at Washington Dulles International Airport Station. The event was followed by an inaugural train ride with nearly 100 customers who shared their happiest Metro memories to receive a “Silver Ticket” for the special preview train ride.
Starting Monday, November 14, a long-term pedestrian detour along Wisconsin Ave will go into effect around the work zone for Purple Line construction. The crosswalk between Elm St. & Waverly St. will be closed. A new crosswalk with signals at Elm St will be available. Pedestrians will need to use the signed detour. See photos below for additional information/exact location.
Per WMATA: In observance of Veterans Day, Friday, November 11, Metro will operate normal weekday service with scheduled track work and maintenance on the Red and Green lines. Metrobus will operate on a Saturday Supplemental schedule and MetroAccess customers may make a reservation to travel on the holiday; however, subscription trips will be canceled.
Metrorail
Metrorail customers will be back on track south of Reagan National Airport with full service resuming to six closed stations on Sunday, Nov. 6. Blue Line trains will serve all six stations – Braddock Rd, King St-Old Town, Eisenhower Ave, Huntington, Van Dorn St, and Franconia-Springfield – while long-term work continues to rehabilitate the Yellow Line Tunnel and Bridge.
Per WMATA: Metro is also making progress on the Yellow Line Tunnel and Bridge Rehabilitation Project which began during the closure. The Yellow Line will remain suspended through May 2023, while these critical tunnel and bridge repairs continue. Instead, the reopened stations will be served by additional Blue Line service. Trains will run every 15 minutes between Franconia-Springfield and Largo on the Blue Line, with Blue Plus service operating every 15 minutes between Huntington and New Carrollton.
Service to Washington Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County
Per WMATA: Opening day is set for the Silver Line Extension – Tuesday, November 15 – connecting Metrorail customers to Washington Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County for the first time. The announcement came from Metro Board Members and employees in a video touting “We’re Ready,” marking the opening for customers and culmination of the largest expansion of Metrorail since the system’s inception.
Per WMATA: Metro Transit Police officers will begin issuing fare evasion citations on Tuesday, November 1, following a monthlong awareness and warning campaign. Citations with associated fines may be issued to anyone jumping fare gates, improperly using emergency gates, or not tapping fare boxes on Metrobuses.
Fare recovery is a major issue and has been mentioned as one of the top concerns of customers when talking with Metro staff and Metro Board Members. Revenue from fares allows Metro to keep buses, trains, and MetroAccess serving our community.
Statements from Metro Board Chair Paul C. Smedberg and Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke
Date for opening now rests with Safety Commission concurrence on both Silver Line certification and new 7K Return to Service Plan
Per WMATA: After successfully completing two weeks of simulated service, Metro leaders said today that they will be able to open the extension to Dulles Airport Station in time for the start of busy Thanksgiving travel, subject to approvals this week from the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) of two submissions — a data-driven Return to Service Plan for 7000-series railcars, and a safety certification report of the Silver Line extension. “We committed for the Silver Line extension to being operationally ready for the Silver Line extension in October, and we have met our deadline,” said General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke. “Since control of the extension was turned over to Metro, we and our partners at the Airports Authority, Fairfax, and Loudoun have worked diligently to complete all of the steps needed for Metro to offer safe and reliable service for rail travel to Dulles Airport and Loudoun County, and we are just awaiting concurrence from our Safety Commission partners.”
Per WMATA: Metro is going on the road with ‘Better Bus’, a new initiative to rethink, redesign, and revitalize bus service. In a bold inaugural effort to redesign the current bus network, Metro is holding events across the region to hear from customers and the community. Together with Metro, customers will shape the future of bus service.
The bus network redesign is just the beginning of a reimagined Metro that better serves the needs of customers, including the transition to zero-emission buses, construction of all-electric bus garages, priority bus lanes and signals, bus stop and shelter improvements, and ensures equity of service across communities.