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Metro to close six Virginia stations over the summer for repairs beginning May 24

The shutdown is scheduled to last for 15 weeks on the Yellow and Blue lines

By Andrew Giambrone Updated
The King Street–Old Town station in Alexandria
Shutterstock

Starting Saturday, half a dozen Blue and Yellow line Metro stations south of Reagan National Airport will shutter for platform reconstructions and other improvements for a duration of 15 weeks. The shutdown is expected to affect 17,000 daily riders who move through Alexandria.

“Whether or not you usually take Metrorail, now is the time to make sure you are familiar with all your transportation options and have a plan for how to get around this summer,” Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson said in a statement. The closures are set to last through September 8, and rail service will be replaced by five free shuttle routes. The stations are:

  • Braddock Road (Yellow and Blue lines)
  • King Street–Old Town (Yellow and Blue lines)
  • Eisenhower Avenue (Yellow line)
  • Huntington (Yellow line)
  • Van Dorn Street (Blue line)
  • Franconia–Springfield (Blue line)
Metro stations closing over the summer
Metro

Virginia transportation officials are working with Metro to provide additional transit service on Metrobus, DASH, Fairfax Connector, OmniRide, Virginia Railway Express, and Amtrak. A Blue Line shuttle will stop as far north as Regan Airport while a Yellow Line shuttle will stop as far north as King Street–Old Town. Metro trains will travel north from Reagan as normal.

In a statement, Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said these transit alternatives “are preferable to driving on airport roadways, which can become congested during the peak summer travel season.” Officials are putting up $4.4 million in funding for the alternatives.

Metro says the shutdown is part of a three-year, multimillion-dollar project to completely redo 20 outdoor rail platforms, with an eye toward safety and accessibility improvements.