Photo by southpaw20WMATA released its July weekend track maintenance schedule earlier this week (there was no work scheduled for the 4th of July holiday weekend), and it’s a big ‘un. The combination of so many repair and maintenance projects with the ongoing Red Line crash investigation should make for slow going in many areas across the Metrorail system for the next several weekends.
This weekend, the Red, Orange, Blue and Yellow lines will all be affected.
Red Line: Work originally scheduled between Silver Spring and Forest Glen has been canceled due to the ongoing NTSB investigation, but Red Line riders will still see delays in other areas this weekend. Track work, fastener replacements and tunnel repairs will cause 30 minute delays while trains share the same track between Van Ness-UDC and Dupont Circle from 10 p.m. on Friday, July 10, to closing (midnight), on Sunday, July 12.
Additionally, all day on Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12, all Red Line trains will operate only every 17 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont.
Orange Line: Single-tracking between Vienna/Fairfax-GMU and West Falls Church-VT/UVA will cause 30 minute delays while Metro replaces crossties. Trains will share one track between these locations from 8 p.m., Friday, July 10, to closing (midnight) on Sunday, July 12. While this is going on, every other Orange Line traveling in the direction of Vienna/Fairfax-GMU will terminate at West Falls Church-VT/UVA and return to New Carrollton.
Blue and Yellow Lines: Here’s one we haven’t seen before: Metro will be “tamping the rail tracks to ensure durability” between Braddock Road and Van Dorn Street (Blue Line) and Huntington (Yellow Line), which will cause 30 minute delays while trains single-track between these locations. This work will go on from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12. As a result, Yellow Line trains will be operating every 12 to 14 between Huntington and Greenbelt, and Blue Line trains every 12 to 15 minutes, split up into two sections: between Franconia-Springfield and King Street and then between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Largo Town Center. Blue line trains will not service the Braddock Road station.
Park and Ride customers are encouraged to use the Huntington lot, instead of the Franconia-Springfield or Van Dorn Street lots.
