Last week, Metro announced that it would shut down all Silver Line stations in addition to the Orange Line stations that had previously planned trackwork for Summer 2020. Metro had already scheduled to close just three Orange Line Stations this summer, including Vienna, Dunn Loring, and East Falls Church Station for trackwork. But with low ridership due to COVID-19, Metro has now decided to close all stations west of Ballston.
“This is about two things: working smarter and working safer,” said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Wiedefeld. “Closing the stations to get the work done while ridership is historically low allows us to limit the exposure of our frontline staff and contractors, mitigate delays to our capital program, and minimize inconvenience to the public.”
These additional shutdowns result in nine total Metro stations scheduled to close in Virginia beginning May 23, 2020, and lasting until or after Labor Day 2020.
Metro’s Summer 2020 Plans at a Glance:
- Beginning Saturday, May 23: All stations west of Ballston on the Orange and Silver Lines will close.
- Orange Line Station closures: East Falls Church, West Falls Church, Dunn Loring, Vienna
- Silver Line Station closures: McLean, Tysons Corner, Greensboro, Spring Hill, Wiehle-Reston East
Metro alternatives
- In an effort to ease the impact of the Silver and Orange Line shutdowns, Metro will run free shuttle buses every day that will operate during Metrorail’s regular hours.
- The free shuttles will run every ten minutes on weekdays (5 a.m. – 9 p.m.) and every fifteen minutes on weekends (8 a.m. – 9 p.m.)
Shuttle 1: Orange Line service between Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church, and Ballston.
Shuttle 2: Orange Line express service between Vienna and Ballston.
Shuttle 3: Silver Line service between Wiehle-Reston East, Spring Hill, Tysons Corner, and Ballston.
Shuttles will not stop at East Falls Church, McLean, and Greensboro.
Parking
- Metro plans to provide free parking at Vienna and Dunn Loring during the shutdown.