WMATA to Close Segments of Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines Over MLK Weekend for Infrastructure Repairs 

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will close segments of its Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines over MLK weekend.

WMATA issued a press release announcing the four-day closure over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend will impact its Blue, Orange, and Silver lines. From January 12^th to January 15^th, Metro will close segments of these lines between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery/Clarendon to allow crews time to complete infrastructure repairs. The Rosslyn tunnel under the Potomac River is one of the busiest “with trains passing through every three to four minutes all day causing more frequent wear on the infrastructure.” In addition, the Rosslyn and Court House stations will be closed with alternative shuttle bus service provided for riders. 

According to the release, the agency chose this holiday weekend because it will “impact the fewest customers” as ridership is “historically 27 percent lower on Metrorail than the average Friday through Monday.” During this time, crews will replace concrete grout pads that support the rails. In order to do this, the rails have to be removed and the old grout pads will be demolished. Then, new concrete will be poured with time allocated for it to set. Additionally, new rails, fasteners, platform-edge lighting and fiberoptic cables will be installed along with drain maintenance. Crews will also weld rails together to eliminate joints.

Information on alternative routes for passengers traveling to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport can be found here.  

From January 13^th to January 14^th, the MDOT MTA Purple Line project will also undergo construction which will impact Metro’s Red Line. There will be no service on the Red Line between Takoma and Forest Glen, and the Silver Spring Station will be closed. Crews will “perform leak mitigation, replace rail ties, and preparatory work for switch replacement.”