(Photo by Dennis)

Upate: Metro officials say they’re extending SafeTrack Surge 13 by three days “to make up time lost during Tuesday’s winter storm and the wind and cold temperatures that followed.”

The surge will now run through April 12. And officials warn that on March 24 and April 12, buses may replace trains after 8 p.m. south of Braddock Road so that crews can move heavy construction equipment. Metro will send confirmation via email alerts, texts, and social media.

Original: Metrorail riders traveling south of Reagan National Airport on the Blue and Yellow Lines won’t be saved by limited maintenance work during cherry blossom season.

Metro officials announced yesterday that passengers who travel to the southern ends of the Blue and Yellow lines are in for significant delays as SafeTrack’s next surge hits the rails this weekend for a 37-day stretch, through April 9, coinciding with nearly all of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

The maintenance plan’s 13th surge is broken down into two phases, the first of which begins Saturday. The surge has varying levels of impact, with the fewest amount of trains operating south of Reagan National Airport during the first phase.

The first phase impacts both the Blue and Yellow Lines through April 1. Passengers can expect to wait 24 minutes for Blue Line trains arriving between Braddock Road and Huntington/Van Dorn stations. And Yellow Line passengers will wait 24 minutes for service between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square stations.

Blue Line service will go back to normal during the second phase, but the surge will continue to plague Yellow Line riders.

The surge comes just as D.C. is gearing up for one of its most popular tourist events of year. Around 1.5 million people come to see the famed Yoshino cherry trees in bloom each year.

The official festival is slated to run from March 20 to April 16, but the blooms are likely to show up even earlier. The National Park Service announced yesterday that its prediction for peak bloom (defined as 70 percent of the flowers in bloom) is between March 14 and March 19.

Metro spokesperson Dan Stessel told DCist that, in light of this news, officials were able to cancel most of the system’s weekend track work for the weekend of March 18-19 (in past years, Metro have given riders between three and five weeks free of weekend disruptions). He also said that Metro is working to run additional Yellow Line trains between Reagan National Airport and Mount Vernon Square to accommodate commuters during the festival weekend.

But riders traveling south of Reagan National Airport will still have to contend with 24 minute wait times.

“SafeTrack surges are planned months in advance and involve hundreds of workers scheduled around the clock… and this safety critical work must take priority,” Stessel said. He added that Metrorail will still be “a great option” for most Tidal Basin visitors, however, riders who live along the Blue and Yellow Lines in Virginia “should take note of SafeTrack impacts during this year’s festival.”

And Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld has given a heads up to Green Line riders yesterday that SafeTrack’s 14th surge will run from April 15 through May 16.

Phase One: March 4-April 1

Photo courtesy of WMATA

On weekdays:

• Continuous single tracking between Braddock Road & Huntington/Van Dorn Street stations.
• Blue Line trains will run every 24 minutes, even during rush hour. All Blue Line riders should consider alternate travel options.
• No Yellow Rush+ service between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt.
• Yellow Line trains will operate every 24 minutes between Huntington and Mt Vernon Square, even during rush hour. All Yellow Line riders south of Reagan National Airport should consider alternate travel options during this time.
• Additional Yellow Line trains will operate between Reagan National Airport and Mt Vernon Square. Customers traveling south of Reagan National Airport should consider transferring prior to the airport station at Pentagon, Pentagon City or Crystal City to continue their trip and avoid crowding.
• After 10 p.m. all Yellow Line trains will operate between Huntington and Mt Vernon Square every 24 minutes.

Phase 2: April 2-9

Photo courtesy of WMATA

On weekdays:

• Continuous single tracking on the Yellow Line only between King St-Old Town and Huntington stations.
• Yellow Line trains between Huntington and Mt Vernon Square will operate every 24 minutes at all times. All Yellow Line riders should consider alternate travel options.
• Additional Yellow Line trains will operate between Reagan National Airport and Mt Vernon Square. Customers traveling south of Reagan National Airport should consider transferring prior to the airport station at Pentagon, Pentagon City or Crystal City to continue their trip and avoid crowding.
• No Yellow Rush+ service between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt.
• Blue Line service will operate normally (every 12 minutes during rush hour).
• After 10 p.m. all Yellow Line trains will operate between Huntington and Mt Vernon Square every 24 minutes.