It’s that time again—the cherry blossoms are coming.
In preparation for the hordes of escalefters bound to descend on the city to witness the trees’ breathtaking beauty, Metro has announced that it will halt daytime weekend track work for four weeks, from March 23 to April 14. All lines will be running at regular weekend intervals, which means they’ll leave end-of-the-line stations every 12 minutes on Saturdays and every 15 minutes on Sundays. Downtown, where stations are served by more than one line, trains will arrive every four to seven minutes, according to the transit agency. Trains will serve the Red Line every six minutes between Shady Grove and Silver Spring during the day.
The fly in the ointment: Metro says in its press release announcing the halt that it “may begin overnight track work after 10 p.m. when ridership is lighter.”
WMATA generally stops track work for cherry blossom season (though even this annual tradition couldn’t stop Safe Track in 2017). Peak bloom this year is expected between April 3 and April 6.
Natalie Delgadillo