Riders of Metro’s Blue Line began seeking alternatives Saturday as the transit agency shut down the line for three months to replace platforms at two stations.
The project is expected to last until May 23. Until then, Metro officials said, customers can use shuttle buses, which will ferry riders between stations. The transit system also will run more Yellow Line trains from Franconia-Springfield to Mount Vernon Square, Metro said.
Yellow Line service between the Huntington and Greenbelt stations will not be affected.
Platforms at Addison Road and Arlington Cemetery are among nine that Metro has left to replace. The platforms, which are outdoors, have undergone decades of use and weather-related deterioration.
New platforms will include slip-resistant tiles, LED lighting, larger digital displays with arrival information and service alerts, stainless-steel shelters, improved surveillance systems and charging ports for riders’ digital devices.
Metro replaced platforms at the Reagan National Airport station in the fall. Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church platforms were rebuilt in the summer, and the Braddock Road, King Street-Old Town, Eisenhower Avenue, Huntington, Van Dorn Street and Franconia-Springfield platforms were reconstructed in summer 2019.
The next group of platforms to be replaced are those at Greenbelt, College Park-University of Maryland, Prince George’s Plaza and West Hyattsville. Metro said they will be torn down and rebuilt this summer. Platforms at New Carrollton, Landover and Cheverly will be replaced in summer 2022.
During the Blue Line construction that began this weekend, shuttle buses will run between the Rosslyn, Arlington Cemetery and Pentagon stations every 12 to 15 minutes, Metro said, while buses between the Addison Road and Capitol Heights stations will run every six to eight minutes.
Metro won’t charge parking fees at the Addison Road station during the shutdown.
Silver Line trains will pass through the Addison Road station without stopping, and Metro recommended that riders traveling between Largo Town Center and Rosslyn use Silver Line trains. Passengers headed to downtown D.C. from stations south of Arlington Cemetery can board Yellow Line trains, Metro said.
Transit officials said Metrobus and the Fairfax Connector bus lines also serve as alternative transportation options. Details on the platform project, including bus routes and schedules, can be found at wmata.com/platforms.