Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (Metro) fifth SafeTrack surge begins Wednesday, July 20, resulting in around-the-clock single tracking between East Falls Church and Ballston stations through July 31, 2016.
The replacement of nearly 2,000 deteriorated wooden rail ties and renewal of 3,100 linear feet of rail infrastructure was completed in the same segment of the Orange and Silver lines during surge #1, on the opposite track. Over the next twelve days, similar work will be completed on the outbound track with a focus on repairing or replacing critical rail infrastructure that affects reliability, safety and ride quality.
During SafeTrack #5, all Orange and Silver line customers traveling in Virginia traveling to or from stations west of Ballston (e.g. Vienna, Tysons and Wiehle-Reston East) are encouraged to consider alternate travel options, and avoid traveling during rush hour if possible.
Due to severely reduced service, Orange and Silver line customers should expect extreme crowding and delays. Weekday Orange Line trains will only operate every 18 minutes between Vienna and Ballston. Silver Line trains will operate every 18 minutes between Wiehle-Reston East and Largo Town Center stations.
For customers with no other travel options, limited supplemental shuttle bus service will operate between Ballston-MU, East Falls Church and West Falls Church stations, and enhanced rush hour bus service will be available on select routes.
