Weekend Shutdowns Planned For Franconia, Van Dorn Street Stations

SPRINGFIELD, VA — Metro is planning weekend shutdowns of the Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street stations starting on Nov. 27 to advance capital work as the Metrorail system experiences low ridership.

Metro plans to accelerate a project to improve the signal system in the Alexandria Rail Yard through weekend shutdowns from Nov. 27 to March 14. However, Trains will service Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street for Wreaths Across America (Dec. 19), Inauguration week (Jan. 16-24) and Presidents Day weekend Feb. 13-15. In addition, there will be a two-week shutdown during the winter holidays when ridership drops more. The two stations will be closed on the following weekdays: Dec. 21 to 25 and Dec. 28 to Jan. 1.

Metro says the work on the signal system will boost safety, reliability and on-time performance. of the Automatic Train Control System, which is over 40 years old. All major components of the signal system will be replaced, including switches, signals, track circuits and signal control rooms.

Working with local jurisdictions, Metro decided on the weekend shutdowns because weekend single tracking was estimated to double the completion time and have waits up to 36 minutes between trains. Ridership at the Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street stations is down by 80 percent or more compared to pre-pandemic levels.

"It makes sense to consolidate this work now so that we impact the fewest customers, while modernizing our system so that it is safe and reliable for decades to come." said Metro General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld in a statement.

Weekend closures will happen on Saturday and Sunday only, except for the first weekend on Friday, Nov. 27. Blue Line service will run between Huntington and Largo Town Center when the Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street stations are closed. Rail service on the Blue Line will be adjusted when Platform Improvement Project work begins at Arlington Cemetery in mid-February.

When the stations are closed, shuttle buses will service Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn Street and Eisenhower Avenue. There will also be a Franconia-Springfield and Pentagon route, except on holidays. Yellow Line service is an alternative for travel to and from downtown DC.

Riders should check wmata.com/weekend for updates each week on weekend closures.