As you have probably heard, Metro is shutting down until 5am Thursday for inspections. Thankfully our area has a fair amount of buses, but they’re sure to be mobbed — they’re planning to run on regular service, with additional service to the Pentagon.
WMATA has the full rundown of transit options, but doesn’t mention a few others I’d suggest (but you’d better be quick): Capital Bikeshare and Car2Go. Or your own bike — Target has some inexpensive models for adults and kids.
It’s probably going to be a mess out there, so walking might be a good option too — it might take a bit longer but promises to be lower stress and you’ll get a bit of exercise. Or try to camp out at one of our local coffee shops — I like working at Tynan, Qualia and the Coupe, although they can all be crowded even on regular days.
Here’s WMATA’s full release. Good luck.
All Metrorail service will be suspended Wednesday, March 16, for emergency inspections
Metro General Manager/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld, with support from the Authority’s Board of Directors, today announced the full closure of the Metrorail system on Wednesday, March 16, for emergency inspections of the system’s third-rail power cables following an early morning tunnel fire yesterday.
The inspections of approximately 600 “jumper cables” will occur along all tunnel segments on the Metrorail system. At the conclusion of the inspection process, there may be a need for additional rail service outages. Any further service impacts will be announced to the public as soon as they are known.
“While the risk to the public is very low, I cannot rule out a potential life safety issue here, and that is why we must take this action immediately,” Wiedefeld said. “When I say safety is our highest priority, I mean it. That sometimes means making tough, unpopular decisions, and this is one of those times. I fully recognize the hardship this will cause.”
The Metrorail system will close at its normal time tonight (midnight) and remain closed until 5 a.m. Thursday. All six Metrorail lines and all 91 stations will be closed on Wednesday.
The unprecedented action follows an early morning electrical fire involving a cable in the tunnel outside McPherson Square Station yesterday. There were no injuries; however, service was disrupted along the Blue, Orange and Silver lines throughout the day.
“The investigation into yesterday’s cable fire at McPherson Square is ongoing,” Wiedefeld said. “As a preliminary matter, the conditions appear disturbingly similar to those in the L’Enfant incident of a year ago, and our focus is squarely on mitigating any risk of a fire elsewhere on the system.”
Metrobus and MetroAccess service will continue to operate on a regular schedule. Limited, supplemental Metrobus service will be provided between Pentagon and Downtown DC (Franklin Square). Parking will be free in all Metro-owned lots and garages for customers who wish to take bus or carpool.
Alternate service options throughout the region will be extremely limited, and severe crowding is expected on buses. Consider the following alternates:
- Bus Service
- DC Commuter Bus
- MD Commuter Bus
- PA Commuter Bus
- VA Commuter Bus
- Vanpool
- MARC commuter rail
- VRE commuter rail
The public is advised to make alternate travel arrangements as early as possible.
News release issued at 4:35 pm, March 15, 2016.
