Metro Service Inches Closer to Normal

Metro's rail system continues to inch closer to normal. 

There was limited service Friday -- even before a Red Line derailment near Farragut North -- and the rail system will close at midnight instead of 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday to allow work crews the additional overnight hours to continue to clear the tracks.

As of 1:30 p.m. Friday, the majority of Metrobuses were in service, according to Metro. But there are still several routes that are not running.

MetroAccess trips began at 6:45 a.m., however the usual door-to-door service will be shifted to curb-to-curb service if it is not safe to offer door-to-door service.

Metrorail service as of 8:30 a.m. Friday includes all Blue, Yellow and Green Line stations and limited service on the Red and Orange Lines. Six of Metro’s 86 stations remained closed as work crews continue to dig out the tracks. All stations were open by 4 p.m. and all will open at the normal Saturday time of 7 a.m.

Metrorail trains will operate at 20- to 25-minute intervals above ground and 10- to 15-minute intervals below ground. The longer than usual intervals are a result of 35 mph speed restrictions and the snow-covered switches.

Approximately 70 percent of parking spaces at Metrorail stations were available for automobiles Friday as many surface parking spaces were being used to pile snow to make other spaces available for automobiles. The top levels of 22 Metrorail parking garages are not expected to be available for parking. Work crews will address those top levels starting Friday.

Metrobus will operate starting at its normal time on Friday with most buses sticking to streets along snow emergency routes. Buses will serve more neighborhoods as the streets become passable. The routes listed below have been in service since Thursday afternoon with more routes expected to be operating Friday. As the Metrobus system expands to include more routes, those routes will be posted on Metro’s Web site, www.metroopensdoors.com.

Customers are reminded to please use caution near bus stops as many remain under ice and snow. Local jurisdictions are responsible for clearing bus stops. Local residents can help their neighbors by shoveling the bus stops along the sidewalks near their homes so that people are not standing in the icy streets while traffic is passing.

On Wednesday, with most of the D.C. area taking a snow day and Metrorail only serving underground stations, the transit agency experienced record low ridership. Only 36,097 trips were taken, the Washington Business Journal reported. With normal weather and service conditions, 634,500 more trips were taken the previous Wednesday. The previous record low was 56,326 on Christmas Day 2006.

When eight inches or more accumulates on the tracks, Metro is forced to close above-ground stations. Wednesday's blizzard conditions delayed work to clear tracks. Otherwise Metro employees have been working in 12-hour shifts since Friday to keep tracks clear.

Wondering how Metro is doing clearing snow? The transit agency has put a photo gallery of their efforts on their Web site.