Metro to resume track work, station shutdowns on weekends

Grab a few refrigerator magnets and peg this list to them, if your refrigerator is big enough. This is Metro’s schedule of major track work for the rest of 2012. That’s major track work, not all track work.

These are the weekends when free shuttle buses will replace trains service on segments of lines. Sometimes, stations will be closed. Metro managers like this approach to maintenance, because it clears big areas to create safe work zones for several projects at once. The bus bridges between the stations work fairly smoothly, though unlike the other style of maintenance, which relies on single-tracking, these major outages force riders out of their train seats and into the open air to board buses.

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Not to worry. If you prefer the single-tracking style, you’ll still have plenty of opportunities to participate. Metro plans to continue that, too. The midday and weekend single-tracking were suspended because of the crowding that occurs during cherry blossom season. But midday work resumes Monday, and weekend maintenance starts again next weekend.

Major track work

April 21-22

●Red Line: Buses replace trains between Rhode Island Avenue and Silver Spring. Crews work on ties, insulators, rail fasteners, switch resurfacing and station rehabilitation at Fort Totten and Takoma. Brookland, Fort Totten’s Red Line platform and Takoma stations are closed.

●Blue Line: Buses replace trains between Pentagon and Rosslyn for replacement of rail ties. Arlington Cemetery station is closed.

April 28-29

●Blue Line: Buses again replace trains between Pentagon and Rosslyn to continue replacement of rail ties. Arlington Cemetery station is closed.

May 5-6

●Green Line: Buses replace trains between Greenbelt and Prince George’s Plaza. Crews work on ties, insulators and rail fasteners. College Park and Greenbelt stations are closed.

May 19-20

●Orange Line: Buses replace trains between East Falls Church and West Falls Church. Crews work on switch installation for the Silver Line extension and tie replacement.

May 26-28

●Green Line: Buses replace trains between Greenbelt and West Hyattsville. Crews work on switch installation. Prince George’s Plaza, College Park and Greenbelt are closed.

June 2-3

●Orange Line: First of three consecutive weekends for work on the west end of the line. Buses replace trains between East Falls Church and West Falls Church. Crews continue work on switch installation for the Silver Line and tie replacement.

June 9-10

●Orange Line: Buses replace trains between East Falls Church and West Falls Church. Crews continue previous weekend’s work.

June 23-24

●Orange Line: Buses replace trains between East Falls Church and West Falls Church. Crews continue previous weekends’ work.

June 30-July 1

●Orange/Blue lines: Buses replace trains between Stadium-Armory and Landover and Benning Road . Crews work on rails, fasteners and platforms. Minnesota Avenue, Deanwood and Cheverly are closed.

July 7-8

●Orange/Blue lines: Buses replace trains between Stadium-Armory and Landover and Benning Road. The previous weekend’s work continues. Minnesota Avenue, Deanwood and Cheverly again are closed.