Yellow Line Metro trains will stop running for two consecutive weekends starting Saturday, Sept. 19, as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) performs bridge and track rehabilitation across the line.
No Yellow Line trains will operate Saturday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 20, or Saturday, Sept. 26, through Sunday, Sept. 27. WMATA will not provide shuttle or bus service on either weekend, the agency said in a post on Instagram. Vienna's Metro station is on the Orange and Silver lines, but riders who transfer to the Yellow Line at L'Enfant Plaza or Pentagon will need to plan around the closures.
No stations will close during the shutdowns. Blue Line trains will alternate their final destination between Franconia-Springfield and Huntington, keeping all stations open, according to the Alexandria Brief. Transfers at the Pentagon station will not be available.
Alexandria's Transportation and Environmental Services department advised riders on Instagram to check station signs and confirm their train's destination before boarding.
Between the two weekend shutdowns, Yellow and Blue line trains will single-track between Reagan National Airport and Pentagon City from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23. WMATA said that work involves adjusting rail tension to prevent heat kinks in high temperatures, a process called destressing.
The weekend maintenance includes cable testing to prevent smoke and fire incidents, stray current testing, trackbed cleaning, switch maintenance and rail alignment, Patch reported.
In Fairfax County, the Yellow Line serves Huntington and Eisenhower Avenue stations. Vienna-area residents who drive or take a bus to those stations should expect disruptions both weekends. Riders on the Orange or Silver lines heading into D.C. can still reach downtown stations, but connections south through the Yellow Line corridor toward Alexandria and Huntington will not be available on the shutdown days.
WMATA warned the schedule could change. Riders can check the agency's track work page for updates.
