Photo by Adam Fagen.

Photo by Adam Fagen.

Metro chief Richard Sarles announced yesterday that he’s retiring in mid-January. Who will take his place? What does this mean for your daily commute? More importantly, how will this affect scheduled weekend track work? These are questions of which we have no answers. Instead, all we have is the present, and presently, there’s a little bit of track work scheduled for Metro this weekend.

It’s not a lot—only three lines are affected—but Green Line riders might want to take heed before waiting for a train this weekend. Via WMATA:

Red Line

Trains every 10-22 minutes.

Red Line trains will operate as follows throughout the weekend:

  • Between Shady Grove and Glenmont: every 22 minutes.
  • Between Grosvenor and NoMa-Gallaudet: every 10-12 minutes Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. only.

Work Performed: Rail tie renewal between Rhode Island Ave and Fort Totten. On Saturday and Sunday, Metro will continue railcar testing and acceptance of the new fleet of 7000-series railcars between Twinbrook and Shady Grove.

Orange Line

Orange Line trains will operate every 24 minutes throughout the weekend. Normal service is every 12 minutes.

Work Performed: Platform rehabilitation, rail tie, fastener, insulator and grout pad renewal between Stadium-Armory and Cheverly.

Green Line

Buses replace trains between Southern Ave and Branch Ave stations.

Green Line trains will operate at regular weekend intervals between Greenbelt and Southern Ave.

Stations Closed: Naylor Road, Suitland and Branch Ave

Free shuttle buses will replace Green Line trains between Southern Ave and Branch Ave. Shuttle buses will operate on two routes:

  • Express buses will operate between Southern Ave and Branch Ave. Please add up to 25 minutes of additional travel time.
  • Local buses will operate between Southern Ave and Branch Ave, making intermediate stops at Naylor Road and Suitland. Please allow 15 minutes of travel time for each station stop.

Work Performed: NTSB-recommended track circuit replacement, rail renewal and joint elimination between Southern Ave and Branch Ave stations.

Filed Under: metro, weekend track work, wmata,