Dates announced for summer Metro Red Line station closures

WMATA to partner with county on free shuttle service

April 23, 2024 9:09 p.m.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced Monday that the Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen and Silver Spring Metro stations will close June 1 and reopen Sept. 1 and the Takoma Metro station will close June 1 and reopen June 30 in order to allow for construction at the stations and the Purple Line.  


WMATA announced Feb. 9 that it would temporarily close the five Metro Red Line stations over the summer.

Free shuttle buses will be provided between open and closed stations in partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation, Montgomery County Department of Transportation and the District Department of Transportation.

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Local, and limited-stop shuttle buses will be available between the Glenmont and Fort Totten Metro stations, and free Express Shuttle buses will run from Silver Spring into downtown D.C.

This comes after Montgomery County officials wrote a letter in March urging WMATA and MDOT to collaborate on solutions for commuters.

The closure of the Metro station at the Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center in downtown Silver Spring is expected to create obstacles for commuters because many connect to the Metro via MARC commuter trains, county buses and Metrobuses, according to the letter.

“This is not just about the disruption that it’s going to cause for Metro riders,” Council President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) said at a March 18 media briefing. “It’s about the disruption that it’s going to cause for the entire transportation network, and everybody in Montgomery County who commutes not just to work, but as part of their everyday life–to run errands to pick up children, to go to and from their activities on a daily basis.”

Each day, more than 130,000 riders use the Metro stations within the county, according to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). Metrobus provides 15 million transit trips per year and Metrorail provides 40 million trips per year in the county.

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The construction and renovations planned for the station closures include upgrading the signaling system, installing communication and train control cables, and repairing the interlocking – the system that allows trains to cross from one track to the other – outside the Takoma Metro Station at 327 Cedar Ave. NW in Washington, D.C.

The Purple Line is a light-rail line under construction that will run from Bethesda to New Carrollton. WMATA has conducted some renovations and accommodated Purple Line construction by closing specific stations over weekends and during off-peak hours. However, according to WMATA, some of the planned renovations and construction are too complicated to be completed by closing the stations for short periods.

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