Several major Metro stations around downtown D.C. will close starting today for winter construction work on the Orange, Silver and Blue lines through year’s end.
Why it matters: Expect longer travel times over the next 10 days.
The big picture: Metro’s construction project to improve tracks and signaling — which makes for smoother rides — is timed around the holidays because ridership is historically 40% lower, according to WMATA.
- A long closure prevents a month’s worth of weekend shutdowns in the same area.
Closures are as follows:
- Dec. 20-26 : Farragut West, McPherson Square, and the lower level (Blue, Orange, Silver service) at Metro Center will be closed.
- Dec. 27-30: Farragut West, McPherson Square; lower level (Blue, Orange, Silver service) at Metro Center, Federal Triangle, and Smithsonian; and the lower level of L’Enfant Plaza (Blue, Orange, Silver service) will also be closed.
- Dec. 31: All stations reopen.
Zoom in: Free express shuttles will replace train routes during construction, with wait times estimated between 8-12 minutes.