Photo by M.V. Jantzen.

WMATA announced today that five Red Line Metrorail stations — Takoma, Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Wheaton and Glenmont — will be closed during the entire Labor Day weekend. It will be the largest maintenance shutdown in Metro’s 34-year history.

All five stations will be closed between 10 p.m. on Friday, September 3 until closing on Monday, September 6 — the Red Line will operate between Shady Grove and Fort Totten in the interim. Shuttle buses will operate between the Fort Totten and Glenmont stations, but Metro is telling customers that should expect to add an extra 40 minutes of travel time if they decide to grab one of those buses. Riders can also try to ride the C8, J2, and Q1, 2, 4 and 6 buses to get around the closures.

Metro is closing the stations to save money on several major rehabilitation projects, most of it work recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board. According to WMATA, workers will be replacing track switches at Silver Spring and installing 750 new track fasteners, 1,720 new crossties, 525 feet of new track, 500 new rail insulators, new heater tape and new tunnel safety lights. WMATA anticipates that 500 track maintenance employees will work on these projects over the holiday weekend. Additionally, new communications cables will be installed to improve cell phone reception.

By shutting down the five stations, WMATA will save about $1 million in late-night maintenance costs and 150 days of single-tracking between the five stations.