As riders prepare for the temporary closure of several red line Metro stations beginning Saturday, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is sharing new information about alternative transit options.
The Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen and Silver Spring stations will close Saturday and reopen Sept. 1 and the Takoma Metro station will close Saturday and reopen June 30 to allow for construction at the stations and the building of the light-rail Purple Line. WMATA announced Feb. 9 that it would temporarily close the five Metro Red Line stations over the summer.
Free shuttle buses will be provided between open and closed stations in partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), Montgomery County Department of Transportation and the Washington, D.C., transportation department.
Local and limited-stop shuttle buses will be available between the Glenmont and Fort Totten Metro stations, and free Express Shuttle buses will run from Silver Spring into downtown D.C. Express buses, which do not make stops in between the destination, will not be available on weekends, while local shuttles will stay open.
From Saturday to June 29, free shuttle buses replace trains between Glenmont and Fort Totten. Green Line service and Red Line service to and from Shady Grove will be available at Fort Totten. From June 30 to Aug. 31, free shuttle buses replace trains between Glenmont and Takoma. Green and Red Line service will remain available at Fort Totten. With the reopening of the Takoma station, customers traveling between the closed stations and Takoma should use the local shuttle bus, or the limited stop shuttle bus to the Red Line via Fort Totten.
Red Line trains will run every six minutes all day due to capacity issues. Officials say commuters should anticipate more crowded trains. Trains will run every 10 minutes after 9:30 p.m. Free shuttle buses will run every four to eight minutes.
Parking, which usually comes with a charge, will be free at all five stations for the summer closure.
Through collaboration with MDOT and the county government, seven miles of bus-exclusive lanes were created along Georgia Avenue. Drivers are prohibited from using these lanes and are subject to ticketing and fines.
WMATA has also created a bus cheat sheet to help riders plan their trips.
The shuttle plan came after Montgomery County officials wrote a letter in March urging WMATA and MDOT to collaborate on solutions for commuters.
The closure of the Metro station at the Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center in downtown Silver Spring is expected to create obstacles for commuters because many connect to the Metro via MARC commuter trains, county buses and Metrobuses, according to the letter.
The MARC train Brunswick Line will also be offering service to and from Rockville, Garrett Park, Kensington, Silver Spring and Union Station. Due to the Metro closure, MARC is offering a $3 one-way fare deal for commuters from Kensington and Silver Spring to Union Station on the Brunswick Line. Weekly tickets will be discounted to $22.50 and monthly tickets will be discounted to $81.
The county is also encouraging commuters to consider using RideOn bus services to reach their destinations.
More information on specific travel alternatives is available on WMATA’s website.