Metro to suspend Silver Line service during summer platform shutdown
All nine Metrorail stations west of Ballston will be shut down this upcoming summer as Metro forges ahead with its Orange Line platform replacement program, instead of just three stations on the Orange line. All Orange line stations from East Falls Church to Vienna will be closed, as well as all Silver line stations from East Falls Church to Wiehle beginning May 23. There is no scheduled reopening date, although Metro has previously said they should reopen by September 7, Labor Day.
The summer closure is part of Metro's multi-year project to demolish and rebuild platforms at 20 outdoor stations which began in 2019. All six rail stations south of National Airport on the Yellow and Blue lines were closed for 107 days from Memorial Day to around Labor Day. Green line stations north of Fort Totten were originally set to close this summer, but Metro postponed that closure.
Metro's original project schedule required the closures of Vienna, Dunn Loring, and East Falls Church stations in order to "rebuild the deteriorating platforms" at those stations.West Falls Church, which would also receive new platforms, was scheduled to remain open as the western terminus of the Orange Line. On that earlier schedule, Silver Line trains would continue - albeit at half their normal frequencies - up to Wiehle.
The first change in those plans came when East Falls Church, McLean, and Greensboro stations were closed on March 26 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Announced in a PDF uploaded during the evening on Wednesday, April 22, Metro is now planning to also close West Falls Church, Tysons, Spring Hill and Wiehle-Reston East stations when the platform project begins on May 23. Two bus shuttles will cover the Orange Line segment - one local route stopping at all stations, and one express from Vienna to Ballston - and one local route to Wiehle stopping at Ballston, Tysons, Spring Hill, and Wiehle.
While the project is still set to begin on time, the agency is not setting an end date for the project in stone. With the impacts of the pandemic still being determined, agency staff have told local jurisdictions they don't feel they have the certainty to be able to specify a date at this point in time. As one example, staff noted last summer that "stations were flooded with people," with up to 100 construction workers on site per shift. That may not be possible this year with "physical distancing," the CDC-recommended process to leave six feet of space between people to prevent the spread of viruses.
Metro says the changes were made for several reasons
First, ridership is down system-wide due to the ongoing pandemic. Weekday average ridership is down 95% to around 34,000 riders per day, and weekends are down 95% as well to around 14,000 riders per day. Metro trains have been running only ever 20 minutes (15 on the Red line) during the week since late March, and every 30 minutes on the weekend. The governors of Maryland and Virginia and the mayor of D.C. have urged people to stay home except when making essential trips as part of the the region's effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The lower ridership due to the pandemic response allows them to shut down the Silver Line, advancing needed work at the Wiehle-Reston East station in preparation for Phase II of the Silver Line. Metro staff previously told WTOP they were looking into a possible two to three week shutdown of the station to allow contractors on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority-led Silver Line construction project to test and integrate hardware and software needed to allow trains to safely run west of Wiehle.
Trains would be crossing over between tracks at four locations between West Falls Church and Ballston, each of which would require several manual steps by the rail controllers. Closing stations west of Ballston means the controllers only have one crossover point to manage (at Ballston). The Rail Operations Control Center has been "chronically understaffed" for years, and some employee self-isolation required due to the coronavirus pandemic has aggravated the issue.
Buses will run twice as frequently as trains
Bus shuttles are scheduled to run between stations every 10 minutes during the week, and every 15 minutes on weekends. Three routes are now scheduled to cover the lines, a local and an express on the Orange line, and a local route on the Silver line. Orange Line trains run every 20 minutes during the week and every 30 on weekends, and are scheduled to do so until further notice as part of Metro's response to the pandemic. With Silver line stations closed west of Ballston none will be running during the shutdown.
The agency says they will have enough shuttle buses available to carry additional riders as needed, like in the case that Virginia lifts its stay-at-home order currently set to expire on June 10. The coach bus shuttle contract for the shutdown was awarded before the onset of the pandemic and assumed higher ridership levels, so the agency says they have ample capacity available if they need to ramp service back up. In addition, the Silver line stations could reopen prior to the end of the summer shutdown as needed.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, Metro appears to be leaving their options open for the time being. With no scheduled reopening date and the potential to shift rail and bus plans mid-shutdown, riders will need to be on the lookout for updates from Metro as time progresses.
The summer closure is part of Metro's multi-year project to demolish and rebuild platforms at 20 outdoor stations which began in 2019. All six rail stations south of National Airport on the Yellow and Blue lines were closed for 107 days from Memorial Day to around Labor Day. Green line stations north of Fort Totten were originally set to close this summer, but Metro postponed that closure.
Metro's original project schedule required the closures of Vienna, Dunn Loring, and East Falls Church stations in order to "rebuild the deteriorating platforms" at those stations.West Falls Church, which would also receive new platforms, was scheduled to remain open as the western terminus of the Orange Line. On that earlier schedule, Silver Line trains would continue - albeit at half their normal frequencies - up to Wiehle.
The first change in those plans came when East Falls Church, McLean, and Greensboro stations were closed on March 26 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| Metro plans to run three shuttles during the summer shutdown, two on the Orange line and one on Silver. |
Announced in a PDF uploaded during the evening on Wednesday, April 22, Metro is now planning to also close West Falls Church, Tysons, Spring Hill and Wiehle-Reston East stations when the platform project begins on May 23. Two bus shuttles will cover the Orange Line segment - one local route stopping at all stations, and one express from Vienna to Ballston - and one local route to Wiehle stopping at Ballston, Tysons, Spring Hill, and Wiehle.
While the project is still set to begin on time, the agency is not setting an end date for the project in stone. With the impacts of the pandemic still being determined, agency staff have told local jurisdictions they don't feel they have the certainty to be able to specify a date at this point in time. As one example, staff noted last summer that "stations were flooded with people," with up to 100 construction workers on site per shift. That may not be possible this year with "physical distancing," the CDC-recommended process to leave six feet of space between people to prevent the spread of viruses.
Metro says the changes were made for several reasons
First, ridership is down system-wide due to the ongoing pandemic. Weekday average ridership is down 95% to around 34,000 riders per day, and weekends are down 95% as well to around 14,000 riders per day. Metro trains have been running only ever 20 minutes (15 on the Red line) during the week since late March, and every 30 minutes on the weekend. The governors of Maryland and Virginia and the mayor of D.C. have urged people to stay home except when making essential trips as part of the the region's effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The lower ridership due to the pandemic response allows them to shut down the Silver Line, advancing needed work at the Wiehle-Reston East station in preparation for Phase II of the Silver Line. Metro staff previously told WTOP they were looking into a possible two to three week shutdown of the station to allow contractors on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority-led Silver Line construction project to test and integrate hardware and software needed to allow trains to safely run west of Wiehle.
Second, closing all nine stations west of Ballston simplifies and reduces the amount of work needed to be performed by the Rail Traffic Controllers that govern Orange and Silver Line operations. The previous plan, where West Falls Church stayed open as the Orange Line terminus, would require the controllers to manage more than they usually do.Metro to close additional 17 stations and selected entrances amid low-ridership, need to conserve critical cleaning supplies during COVID-19 response beginning Thursday. https://t.co/G8LrI2nyXj #wmata pic.twitter.com/b6Ve9tADsX— Metro (@wmata) March 24, 2020
Trains would be crossing over between tracks at four locations between West Falls Church and Ballston, each of which would require several manual steps by the rail controllers. Closing stations west of Ballston means the controllers only have one crossover point to manage (at Ballston). The Rail Operations Control Center has been "chronically understaffed" for years, and some employee self-isolation required due to the coronavirus pandemic has aggravated the issue.
Buses will run twice as frequently as trains
Bus shuttles are scheduled to run between stations every 10 minutes during the week, and every 15 minutes on weekends. Three routes are now scheduled to cover the lines, a local and an express on the Orange line, and a local route on the Silver line. Orange Line trains run every 20 minutes during the week and every 30 on weekends, and are scheduled to do so until further notice as part of Metro's response to the pandemic. With Silver line stations closed west of Ballston none will be running during the shutdown.
The agency says they will have enough shuttle buses available to carry additional riders as needed, like in the case that Virginia lifts its stay-at-home order currently set to expire on June 10. The coach bus shuttle contract for the shutdown was awarded before the onset of the pandemic and assumed higher ridership levels, so the agency says they have ample capacity available if they need to ramp service back up. In addition, the Silver line stations could reopen prior to the end of the summer shutdown as needed.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, Metro appears to be leaving their options open for the time being. With no scheduled reopening date and the potential to shift rail and bus plans mid-shutdown, riders will need to be on the lookout for updates from Metro as time progresses.
