Metro announces that Huntington station will close for 16 days in May 2018

June 1, 2017 Transportation

Huntington sign

The Huntington and Eisenhower Avenue stations on the Yellow Line will be closed for 16 days in May 2018, Metro announced today.

The stations will close between May 12 and May 27 — two full commuting weeks — so that workers can rebuild interlocking and grout pads outside of Huntington, the transit agency said in its press release.

During the Huntington closure, the Yellow Line service will operate at regular rush-hour intervals between Franconia-Springfield and Mount Vernon Square, according to Metro.

Metro’s announcement comes as the last of the 16 SafeTrack surges ends later this month. Yellow Line riders who use Huntington dealt with two major disruptions in service during the SafeTrack period, which caused riders to either find alternative modes of transportation or deal with longer, more crowded Metro commutes.  

“SafeTrack was the most aggressive track renewal program in Metro’s history, and it achieved its primary goals – but it all came with the cost of great inconvenience to our riders,” Metro General Manager/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld said in a statement. “Now, like every other mature transit system, we must do everything in our power to prevent another SafeTrack through a healthy program of preventive maintenance combined with planned capital projects.”

In addition to the major work scheduled for Huntington next spring, two other capital projects were announced. The Branch Avenue and Suitland stations on the Green Line will be closed from Aug. 5-20, and the Takoma station on the Red Line will close from Nov. 25-Dec. 10, 2017.

Metro also announced that when SafeTrack officially ends on June 25, the rail system will begin new operating hours that are aimed at increasing overnight maintenance work:

  • Monday-Thursday 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
  • Friday 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.
  • Saturday 7 a.m. to 1 a.m.
  • Sunday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Metro said the increased overnight hours will be used “for enhanced preventive maintenance including cable testing to prevent smoke and fire incidents, stray current testing, trackbed cleaning, switch maintenance, torqueing (tightening fasteners, joint nuts and bolts) to eliminate excessive strain on infrastructure, and track geometry work to ensure the correct rail alignment.”