Metro will close two of its stations in Northeast for 45 days this summer, as part of the transit agency’s ongoing repair and maintenance efforts.
The Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood station and the Brookland-CUA station will close July 21 and reopen Sept. 3, with no Red Line trains running between Fort Totten and NoMa stations, the transit agency announced.
“This 45-day project will allow crews to complete structural repairs at Metro’s oldest outdoor station, including addressing deteriorating platform conditions that affect the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] accessibility of the station,” the transit agency said Tuesday.
Subway riders will need to use the Green Line between Fort Totten and Noma-Gallaudet stations, or Metro shuttle buses between Fort Totten, Brookland, Rhode Island Avenue and NoMa.
After several track fires and one train derailment last year, the agency is moving ahead with plans to update and repair its infrastructure, which will cost $1.25 billion in 2018 alone.
“We have made significant improvements in getting Metro back to good and want visitors to know that Metro is a convenient affordable option to get around,” Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said in a statement.
Last year, Mr. Wiedefeld announced that Metro will need $500 million a year in dedicated funding to keep the beleaguered transit system running safely and smoothly.
However, leaders from the District, Maryland, Virginia and the federal government have yet to agree on a funding plan.
After the repair work is completed at the Rhode Island Avenue and Brookland stations, other projects have been scheduled, Metro said.
In August, trains will “single-track” for 14 days between the McPherson Square and the Smithsonian stations so that worn-out rails can be replaced. Metro warned that the Orange, Blue, and Silver lines will have “significantly reduced service” during the track work.
From Nov. 2-5, the stations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Crystal City will be closed so that several switches and the concrete pads on which train rails rest can be repaired. Metro will provide shuttle buses between the Braddock Road and Pentagon City stations.
Two weeks after Thanksgiving, the Yellow Line bridge over the Potomac River will be shut down for repairs. Riders will have to use the Blue Line, as Yellow Line service will run only between the Reagan Airport and Huntington stations.
Metro said that crews working on the Yellow Line bridge will conduct “gout pad reconstruction and fastener replacement along the entire bridge.”
The transit agency said it will suspend all track work during the Cherry Blossom Festival, Major League Baseball’s All Star Week, and the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon.
• Julia Airey can be reached at jairey@washingtontimes.com.
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