Metro riders may need to factor more time into their travels this weekend as some stations on the Red Line will be closed for construction on Saturday and Sunday.
Tracks between the Medical Center station in Bethesda and the Grosvenor-Strathmore station in North Bethesda will be closed for construction and train service will be replaced with free shuttle buses on Saturday and Sunday, according to a Thursday news release from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
Trains will run between the Shady Grove and Grosvenor-Strathmore stations every six minutes during the day and every 10 minutes from 9:30 p.m. until closing, according to WMATA. A free shuttle bus “bridge” will be available between Grosvenor-Strathmore and Medical Center. WMATA did not disclose how frequently the shuttles will run. Trains will run between the Medical Center and Glenmont stations every eight minutes during the day and every 10 minutes from 9:30 p.m. until closing.
Construction crews aim to renew rail fasteners and conduct third rail maintenance, repair grouts and remove old material this weekend, according to WMATA.
The construction follows a summer of Red Line station closures on the eastern side of the county for Purple Line construction. The Takoma Metro station was closed from June 1 until June 30 and the Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen and Silver Spring stations were closed from June 1 until Sept. 1. The Purple Line, a 16-mile light-rail line that will run from Bethesda to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County and be operated by the Maryland Transit Administration , is slated to be complete in late 2027.