Metro Shutdown Mitigation In Alexandria Relies On 7000 Series Return

ALEXANDRIA, VA — As Metro prepares for two shutdowns that will affect rail service in Alexandria, city officials are pressing the transit agency to provide options to mitigate impacts to commuters. Officials reiterated the importance of the 7000 series cars returning before the shutdown.

In preparation for the Potomac Yard Metro station openings, Metro will shut down rail service south of Reagan National Airport for six weeks from Sept. 10 to Oct. 22. That shutdown will allow Metro to conduct a cutover of train tracks to the new station.

That Metrorail shutdown was expected by city officials for the long-awaited station opening. What wasn't expected was the announcement of a separate project to shut down Yellow Line service over the Yellow Line bridge for seven to eight months. During that time, Yellow Line service will not be available between Pentagon and L'Enfant Plaza starting Sept. 10 through spring 2023. Crews will be renovating the Yellow Line Bridge over the Potomac River and repairing tunnels.

Alexandria's mayor and Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors previously expressed concerns with Metro's Yellow Line bridge shutdown. Nevertheless, as the project moves forward, city officials have specific requests for Metro to implement during the shutdown.

Last week, City staff provided an update to City Council on preparations for the Metro shutdown. Metro staff were on hand to take questions from City Council members.

Yon Lambert, director of the city's Department of Transportation and Environmental Services, said Metro's final mitigation plan is expected in June. Initial details about rail, bus and shuttle service were provided in a presentation to City Council.

During the Potomac Yard Metro cutover, the plan will include no Yellow Line service and two Blue Line routes. One Blue Line route will be Reagan National Airport to Largo Town Center, and the other will be Reagan National Airport to New Carrollton.

Metro will also provide free local and express shuttle buses to serve the closed Yellow and Blue Line stations. The express routes will serve the Franconia-Springfield and Huntington stations to the Pentagon. Metro is also planning downtown DC connection shuttles, according to Lambert. An airport connector shuttle and weekday Metrobus alternatives are also being explored.

When the Potomac Yard Metro cutover shutdown is finished, mitigation impacts for the Yellow Line bridge project are planned from Oct. 23 to spring 2023. At that time, all stations south of the airport will be reopened. However, there will be no Yellow Line service and more frequent Blue Line service. Aside from the normal Blue Line route from Franconia-Springfield to Largo Town Center, Blue Line trains will run from Huntington to Largo Town Center. Free downtown DC connection shuttles and weekday Metrobus alternatives are being planned by Metro.

Frequency of train service will be dependent on Metro's return of the 7000 series trains. The 7000 series trains had been taken out of service due to the ongoing investigation into the October 2021 derailment of a train between Rosslyn and Arlington National Cemetery.

"I think I made this point in their letter to the general manager a little while ago, and I would reiterate that I think our ability to withstand this depends on [Metro] getting the 7000 series back," Mayor Justin Wilson told Metro officials at last week's City Council meeting.

Regina Sullivan, Metro's director of government relations and policy, told City Council the 7000 series restoration is on track for later summer. The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission had approved Metro's latest return to service plan, Sullivan said.

"Right now we're training and testing that, and that will take a couple of weeks, we can officially bring back some trains," said Sullivan. "We are also at the same time putting in place, and it is on time and on schedule, the automated Wayside Inspection System."

In the presentation, Lambert said another city priority is for Metro to restore the 11Y bus route and provide frequent service during the shutdown. The 11Y express route from Mount Vernon to downtown DC served Washington Street and Abingdon Drive in Alexandria but had been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. The route was replaced by the 11C route, which only goes from Mount Vernon to the Braddock Road Metro.

The 11Y route had been a crucial connection for commuters during the summer 2019 Metro shutdown and experienced crowding, according to WTOP.

"The one thing that even up to the very end of the shutdown I still got complaints about regularly was capacity on 11Y," said Wilson. "So during the shutdown the 11Y was absolutely critical for us in keeping folks moving, and so obviously we were really sad to see that go because of the pandemic, and we wanted that restored regardless of what happens here."

Peter Cafiero, managing director of inter-modal planning at Metro, said Metro is looking to restore 11Y service during the entire Yellow Line shutdown. Cafiero said there are ongoing conversations with city staff about what would happen to the bus service after the shutdown.

Councilmember Alyia Gaskins inquired about the impact of train operators not having the proper certifications on the projects. In May, it was revealed nearly half of Metro's rail operators had failed their recertifications.

Sullivan said Metro began recertifying for the train operators with the longest time since they were last certified. The recertification of 24 train operators allowed Metro to restore Green and Yellow Line trains to every 15 minutes.

"We expect it will take about a couple of months, and then we will have the full complement of rail operators back," Sullivan said. "Those will be in place and moving expeditiously. [Metro is] also looking into just candidly how this occurred and why it wasn't flagged sooner. No excuses there. The executive team has been told by the board of directors to make sure that they come back with a report on that."

Following the City Council meeting, Wilson wrote to Metro interim general manager Andrew Off about the mitigation impacts the city wants to see during the shutdown. Wilson called for frequent Blue Line service, restoring 11Y bus service, express shuttles serving the West End, and direct shuttle service from King Street/Old Town to L'Enfant Plaza (and Reagan National Airport during the Potomac Yard Metro cutover). The mayor said Metro should provide fare-free options in addition to shuttles, including on the 11Y and Metroway.

"If the 7000 Series cars are not back in service, then the Yellow Line Bridge and Tunnel work should be delayed until frequent Blue Line service can be provided," Wilson wrote.