Traveling by Metro is going to be much more complicated for users of the Yellow and Blue lines starting next week.
What’s going on: Major construction involving the new Potomac Yard station and aging Yellow Line infrastructure will cause significant service interruptions over the next eight months.
- From September 10 to October 22, Metro will connect the new Potomac Yard station to existing tracks. All six stations on the Blue and Yellow Lines south of Reagan National will be closed during that time.
- From September 10 through May 2023, all Yellow Line service will stop for extensive work on the line’s more than 40-year-old tunnel and bridge.
Why it matters: It depends where you live. Riders who rely on Blue or Yellow Line service to get to and from Northern Virginia will be hit the hardest, but anyone who uses Metrorail to get to DCA or who frequents the Yellow Line will likely experience longer wait times and trips. crowded.
Between lines: Metro says it will increase frequencies on the Blue and Green Lines while the Yellow Line is idle, but that is contingent on the return of some additional 7000-series trains.
Getting closer: The Yellow Line bridge crosses the Potomac and is located between the Pentagon and L’Enfant Plaza.
- Necessary repairs include waterproofing the tunnel, strengthening its lining, and replacing communication cables used by multiple jurisdictions.
The new Potomac Yard station, which will run between the DCA and Braddock Road stations, is expected to open this fall, according to Metro.
Paige’s thought bubble: Many people, myself included, choose where to live based on proximity to one of these lines, so the upcoming changes are incredibly inconvenient. But, to Metro’s credit, they’ve been warning us about outages for months and there are some viable alternative travel options (see below).
Detour – Here are other ways to get around during upcoming construction projects.
Hopefully, Metro passengers will avoid shelling out tons of extra money for carpools during upcoming Metro projects thanks to these alternative options:
The Virginia Express Train It is free during the month of September and between certain seasons in October. Commuter rail service runs from the northern Virginia suburbs to Union Station and has two lines, Fredericksburg and Manassas.
- Details: VRE has ample capacity both on its trains and in its parking lots (most of which are free and largely empty). However, the trains do not run on weekends and generally only run north in the morning and south at night.
- The price after the free promotion ends varies according to the duration of the trip. According to the VRE app, a one-way trip on the Fredericksburg Line from Franconia/Springfield to Union Station costs $7.80. A seven-day pass for the same trip costs $62.40.
Seven free Metro shuttles will be available during the six-week project that will affect all six stations south of DCA.
- Details: Two local buses will run during all Metrorail hours; two express buses will be available from 4:30 am to 9 pm and 6:30 am to 9 pm on weekends; three limited shuttle services will be available during peak hours.
The three limited stop ferries operating during the weekday rush hour will continue to operate from late October through May during Yellow Line construction.
