Metro will add additional post-blizzard service on Wednesday, increasing how often Metrorail trains run -- but Silver Line service still may not return.
Metro trains on every line but the Silver Line will run every 8 minutes starting at 5 a.m. Wednesday, agency spokesman Dan Stessel said in an update Tuesday afternoon.
It wasn't immediately clear if Silver Line tracks would be cleared of enough ice and snow to allow for service Wednesday, Stessel said. That decision will be made before 5 a.m. Wednesd
If Silver Line service is not restored, shuttle buses will be offered between all Silver Line stations and West Falls Church, where connections can be made to the Orange Line.
Metro buses will run on more lines under a "moderate" service plan. Service will be stored on 160 regional commuter routes. See Metro's website for route-by-route information.
MetroAccess service was restored Tuesday and will be available again Wednesday. However, some door-to-door service will not be possible because of road conditions.
Metrorail service resumed Tuesday on most of the system's lines, but the Silver Line remained closed while shuttles ran between four Orange Line stations. Metro trains ran every 12 minutes on each line and regular fares and parking costs were charged after 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. The system was closed for two days after a historic blizzard dumped 2 to 3 feet of snow on the region.
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The final five stations on the Silver Line were not served Tuesday, as they were some of the hardest hit by the snow, Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said. The Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church stations on the Orange Line also were closed after crews discovered weather-related damage overnight. Shuttle bus service ran between the four stations.
"We don't want to put people out there and then get them stranded," Wiedefeld said Monday. "That's why we are taking our time and getting this right."
Metrobuses were operating Tuesday on a "severe" weather service plan -- upgraded from "lifeline" service, Wiedefeld said. Service was available on 79 regional routes, only on the busiest portion of the route.
Special equipment clears snow and ice from Metro rails, News4's Adam Tuss saw at Metro's railyard in Alexandria, Virginia. More than half of Metro tracks are above ground and outdoors.
