Metro reduced train and bus service several times during the coronavirus pandemic. Ridership has plummeted since the outbreak began.

Tyrone Turner / WAMU

This story will continue to be updated as transit agencies alter their schedules.

This story was last updated April 7 at 10:38 a.m.

As cases of the coronavirus continue to rise in the Washington region, transit agencies are adapting their schedules in an attempt to balance the virus’ impact on ridership and public health.

[Read the latest updates about coronavirus in our region here]

Here’s the latest:

Metro

  • On the weekend of April 4 and 5, Metro will run extremely limited service on both trains and buses, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. Metrorail trains will run every 20 minutes on the Red Line and 30 minutes on every other line. Metrobus will only operate service on 27 bus lines. See the full list here.
  • Additionally, over the weekend, Metro will use some MetroAccess vans to operate shuttle service to three area hospitals from rail stations: to Sibley Hospital from the Friendship Heights station; to Georgetown University Hospital from Dupont Circle station; and to Prince George’s Hospital from New Carrolton station. More information on where to pick up the shuttles is here.
  • Starting Monday, April 6, Metrorail service will end two hours earlier, operating from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Buses will end service earlier too, with the last trips departing at 11 p.m.
  • On weekdays, Metrorail is running trains every 20 minutes on all lines except the Red Line, which will operate trains every 15 minutes. Stations with multiple lines should expect trains every 7 to 10 minutes.
  • Metro has closed 19 stations across the system and shut 10 station entrances to cut down on staffing needs and cleaning supply use. See below for a map of shuttered stations.
  • All trains will operate with the maximum eight rail cars to allow for social distancing, with the first and last cars of all trains closed to the public for the protection of train operators and Metro staff.
  • On weekdays, Metrobuses are operating on a modified Sunday schedule with no supplemental trips.
  • On Wednesday, March 25, a tweet indicated that a number of lines in Northern Virginia were not operating due to operational capacity. Those lines included: 1C, 2B, 3A, 4B, 5A, 10A, 10N, 16G, 22A, 22C, 22F, 23B, Metroway-Potomac Yard Line.
  • Metrobus will not collect fares for bus rides as of March 24. The agency will begin rear-door boarding “as an additional step to help protect bus operators,” per a request from union leadership, Metro said in a release. Riders who need assistance via a ramp or bus-kneeling may still board through the front door.
  • Metrobus drivers will be allowed to bypass bus stops to maintain social distancing on buses.
  • Subscription MetroAccess trips are canceled. For those with critical needs, Metro asks that they make a new reservation.
  • Metro is still urging people to choose other means of transportation as it aims to cut its ridership during the coronavirus outbreak.
  • “We all need to think of transit service as a limited resource because, right now, it is. If you are boarding a bus when you could walk, that increases the likelihood of the bus reaching capacity and having to bypass a stop where a nurse might be heading in to start a shift,” WMATA General Manager Paul Wiedefeld Wiedefeld said in a news release.
  • The agency has entered into Phase 3 of its pandemic response plan — the most extreme stage. “Phase 3 is the highest level of response and will include all subsequent mitigation steps required during the public health emergency. Metro expects to be at Phase 3 until further notice,” the agency said in a statement.

A map of station closures across the Metro system.Courtesy of WMATA

MARC

  • “Due to sharply reduced ridership as a result of increased teleworking, MARC Train will begin operating on a ‘R’ schedule effective Tuesday, March 17. Only train(s) with an ‘R’ under the train number will operate,” reads an update on the Maryland Transit Administration’s website.
  • MTA will supplement the R schedule by running additional trains on the Penn and Brunswick lines. More information here.
  • Stay tuned for more possible changes to service as the situation evolves, too. “MTA management is meeting regularly to review plans to ensure continuity of operations and will adjust service based on guidance and recommendations issued by the State, Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),” a notice on the MTA website reads.

VRE

  • VRE will cut back train service starting Tuesday, March 17, due to falling ridership.
  • “VRE will run a “S” schedule on each of its two lines, Fredericksburg and Manassas, beginning Tuesday, March 17. The number of trains in service will go from 16 to eight – four inbound each morning and four outbound each afternoon,” the agency said in a statement.
  • The service change will be in effect “indefinitely,” and VRE will continue to adjust service as the outbreak develops.

Amtrak

  • According to a March 27 update, the Acela service between D.C. and Boston is suspended.
  • Amtrak cut back service starting on Monday, March 16. “We will be operating approximately 40% of our typical weekday Northeast Corridor schedules,” Amtrak’s website reads.
  • Amtrak is temporarily accepting cashless payments only, in an attempt to protect customers and employees.
  • Weeks ago, Amtrak suspended three Acela trains that make nonstop trips between Washington and New York because of reduced demand.
  • The cafe car will be closed on some trains between New York City and Washington.
  • Amtrak is waiving change fees on existing and new reservations made before May 31, 2020.

D.C. Circulator & Streetcar

  • Starting Tuesday, April 7, DC Circulator will operate on weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and weekends from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. for essential trips only.
  • Fares for the DC Circulator are suspended as of March 18 to allow passengers to board the bus from the back door.
  • Service on the DC Circulator National Mall route is suspended as of March 18.

ART Bus

  • ART 42 & 87 will terminate at the Pentagon instead of Pentagon City
  • ART 45 will start 1 hour early at 6:30 am
  • ART 43 will operate every 20 minutes from 6 am to 11 pm following its weekday route
  • All other ART routes will not operate.
  • Riders are requested to board ART buses from the back door to reduce driver contact with the public. Fares will be waived as a result.
  • The county’s STAR paratransit service will operate normal hours. ART requests that passengers not take rides if they are feeling sick.
  • “ART and STAR services will be monitored daily and may be subject to change in response to the latest conditions,” the announcement of service change reads.

DASH Bus

  • DASH will implement service changes later this week as part of the Alexandria community’s effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
  • Starting on Friday, March 20, fares will be eliminated and DASH will ask passengers to board through the rear doors to minimize driver exposure to the public.
  • Starting on Thursday, March 19, all regular DASH routes will run on a Saturday schedule, with some supplements on busy routes during weekday peak periods. Full details on those additions to the regular Saturday schedule will be forthcoming on Tuesday, March 17.
  • DASH is not changing its weekend service plans at this time.

Fairfax Connector Bus

  • The Fairfax Connector will cut back service on 14 routes and eliminate service on 39 routes, beginning on Saturday, April 11. 38 routes will continue to operate as normal. Details on the changes can be found here.
  • Starting on Tuesday, March 24, riders will be asked to board and exit through the rear doors of Connector buses, to maintain distance between the bus operators and the riding public. Fares will be waived.

OmniRide

  • Beginning Wednesday, March 25, OmniRide is changing some of its Express commuter bus schedules and cutting others to account for ridership declines due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Friday service levels will be offered on the D-100, D-200, D-300, L-200, MC-200 and 602 routes.
  •  No service will be available on the D-400, L-100, L-300, MC-100, RS, Tysons-Woodbridge, 601 and 543 routes.
  • On Local and Metro Express routes, OmniRide is requesting that passengers board through the rear doors of the bus to minimize contact with the driver. Fares will not be collected.
  • Commuters on the OmniRide Express bus will be required to pay fares with a SmarTrip card. No cash or cash reloading will be accepted on board.

Ride On Bus

  • Starting March 29, Montgomery County’s Ride On bus service will cut back service significantly, eliminating service on some bus routes entirely.
  • 35 bus lines will still operate “so that residents can take Ride On for essential trips during the COVID-19 health crisis,” the Ride On website says. Some further changes have been made to the routes themselves. See the full “essential service plan” schedule here.
  • Ride On is asking passengers to board through the back doors of the bus, in an attempt to “limit close contact between passengers and drivers.” Others who require assistance can still board through the front of the bus.

TheBus

  • Starting March 31, TheBus will operate the “Loop B” schedule on the Routes 13 and 28 and suspend the “Loop A” schedule.
  • Route 26 will operate every 90 minutes.
  • On the Route 37, one morning trip at 7:02 am from Camp Springs and two afternoon trips (4:30 pm/5:45 pm) from the Southern Avenue Metro Station will be suspended.
  • Starting March 23, TheBus will terminate service on Routes 11, 12, 14, 15x, 23, 27 and 34. Previously, service was suspended on Routes 21x, 22, 25, 35s, 51, and 53.
  • TheBus will not charge fares for rides on the routes that are still operating, and they are requesting that passengers board through the rear doors of the bus to minimize driver exposure to the riding public.

Baltimore-Washington International Airport

  • Weeks ago, a spokesman said in an email that BWI Marshall Airport is working alongside the Maryland Department of Health and federal health authorities on the response to the coronavirus. “We have been in close communication with these authorities since the onset of the outbreak. And we continue to work with our airline partners and other airport tenants on these issues,” he said.
  • The spokesman referred questions about whether known COVID-19 cases had traveled through the airport to the Maryland Department of Health, but noted that “there is not any airline service from countries that have experienced major outbreaks of COVID-19” at BWI.

Dulles International & Reagan National Airports

  • Dulles International is one of 13 airports across the country now conducting additional medical screening for flights arriving from Europe, China and Iran. That caused long lines and crowds over the weekend, as Americans scrambled to get home.
  • “We are following all CDC-recommended protocols for cleaning at our airports and sharing with our employees important information provided by the CDC about the virus and following the CDC’s recommendations on healthy habits, such as hand-washing and covering your cough,” a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which oversees Dulles and Reagan airports, told WAMU in an email.

This story was updated to reflect new service changes from Metro, the DC Circulator, Amtrak, DASH Bus, Ride On, ART Bus, TheBus OmniRide, Fairfax Connector and TheBus. 

 

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