If you have the day off on Veterans Day (you probably do), enjoy it! Just don’t ride the Metro. Thanks to HBO and Starbucks, there’s going to be a massive concert—The Concert for Valor—on the National Mall featuring Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Metallica, Dave Grohl, Rihanna, Jamie Foxx, and a lot of other famous people.
In order to accommodate people going to the concert, Metro recently announced that they’re suspending Blue Line service that day, instead beefing up Yellow Line service. “In order to provide the fastest, most direct trip for the greatest number of riders—and to provide longer, more frequent trains—Metro will replace Blue Line trains with additional Yellow Line trains on Veterans Day,” it said in a release. “A Yellow Line train will get Virginia riders to the concert 12 minutes faster than a Blue Line train. This, in turn, means that Metro can run trains more frequently and maximize space for other riders. Yellow trains will run as frequently as every 3 minutes before and after the event.”

Additionally, Metro released an overview of how the system will work on Veterans Day in order to accommodate concert-goers:
- All stations will be open except Smithsonian.
- Hours: Open at 5 a.m. Close at Midnight. Selected stations near the National Mall will remain open after midnight until all passengers in line are accommodated.
- Fares: Off-peak fares in effect all day.
- Parking: Free at all Metrorail-owned facilities.
- Service: To allow for faster, more frequent direct service to and from the event, as well as more 8-car trains, Blue Line service will be replaced with additional Yellow Line service (see below for details).
- Arlington Cemetery: A special shuttle train will run continuously between Arlington Cemetery and National Airport, making stops at Pentagon, Pentagon City and Crystal City. The shuttle will operate from 5AM until 7PM.
- Smithsonian Station will be CLOSED all day. The station falls within the security zone for the concert.
- The following nine (9) stations near the National Mall will remain open past midnight for concert attendees: Metro Center, Federal Triangle, L’Enfant Plaza, Archives, Gallery Place, Federal Center SW, Union Station, Judiciary Square and Capitol South. Riders must be in line at midnight. Other stations will be available for “exit only” until the system closes.
- As an alternate travel option, Metro will run free express shuttle buses between Rosslyn and Pentagon stations every 12 minutes throughout the service day (5AM until midnight).
In lieu of no Blue Line, Metro says they’re offering a free Express Shuttle Bus between the Rosslyn and Pentagon stations.