WASHINGTON — The holidays have come early for Metro riders.
For the next three weekends, Metro will dial back almost all of its track
work. The decision eliminates built-in delays during one of the busiest times
of the year.
“We wanted to give folks a really convenient way to get to the shopping
destinations, or Union Station or Reagan National Airport without worrying
about track work affecting their travel plans on Metro,” says Dan Stessel, a
Metro spokesman.
The next two weekends will be largely free of track work. The weekend right
before Christmas won’t have any track work at all.
The weekend of Dec. 5-7, just five stations on the east end of the Orange Line
will be affected by maintenance, from Minnesota Avenue to New Carrollton.
The following weekend (Dec. 12-14), the far east end of the Blue and Silver
Lines will have work, extending from Benning Road to Largo Town Center.
Greenbelt Station will also be affected.
Metro says this is the most significantly it has scaled back track work around
the holidays since massive rebuilding effort began in 2011.
“The rebuilding effort will need to continue for a couple more years, but the
pace of it can ease up a little bit, and we can take some breaks around
holidays and major events to be more sensitive to customers,” Stessel says.
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