Photo by army.archWhile we’re waiting for this evening’s Red Line delays to sort themselves out, let’s take a look at the December track maintenance schedules and see what planned delays are in store for us in the coming month.
First, the good news: weekend track work will be cut back during the month of December. Where the last several months have seen 30-minute delays seemingly all weekend, every weekend on most every line, Metro is promising no track work during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weekends. So that’s a relief. There will still be delays to contend with during the first three weekends of the month, however, which are outlined in greater detail here. Of note: on the long-suffering Red Line, weekend work will continue between Medical Center and Grosvenor-Strathmore from Dec. 4 to 6 and Dec. 11 to 13, while the weekend of Dec. 18 to Dec. 20 will see the return of track circuit upgrades at the Takoma station; also on the weekends of Dec. 4 to 6 and Dec. 18 to 20, Blue and Yellow Line riders will want to be careful to note that both lines will service Huntington both weekends while a major weed trimming operation goes on along the tracks. A special Blue Line shuttle train between Franconia-Springfield and King Street will be available during those times.
Next, the less good news: these weeknight track work alerts are now being treated as normal, instead of unusual, and sure enough we’ve got another one to dissect for December. WMATA says weeknight track work delays are planned for “most nights in December,” and that customers should add at least 20 to 30 minutes of additional travel time on Sunday through Thursday nights between 9:30 p.m. to closing (midnight) on the Red, Blue and Orange Lines. The exceptions to this advisory will be Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, both Thursdays, when no work is planned. Read all the details here.
