For those going tonight - fabulous weather (high 82, low 65, and above all not a trace of precip expected)...
...but the Metrorail logistics tonight and throught this Marlins series - hoo boy:
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=4034Track work will close Pentagon City, Crystal City and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metrorail stations Starting Friday, Sept. 4, at 9:30 p.m., until closing (midnight) on Monday, Sept. 7, Metro will undertake a complete track overhaul on the Blue and Yellow lines that will close the Pentagon City, Crystal City and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metrorail stations. Customers using the Blue and Yellow lines should add 45 minutes to their travel plans to transfer to a free shuttle bus to get past the affected work area. Throughout the weekend, extra Metro employees will be on hand to guide customers to their connecting shuttle buses. Regular service will resume when the Metrorail system opens on Tuesday morning, Sept. 8.
Metro will conduct six projects in the area of the closure during this time. Metro will replace four track switches at the Pentagon City Metrorail station, replace 2,000 feet of rail, 735 ties, perform concrete and deck joint repairs along the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metrorail station aerial structure, conduct fire line maintenance and install cable to upgrade cell phone service in the Metrorail system. The track switch replacement is work recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board and the cell phone service upgrade is a Congressional mandate.
“By completing this work during the Labor Day holiday weekend, we will save more than $1 million in late-night maintenance costs that would have resulted in 150 days of single-tracking,” said Gerald C. Francis, Metro’s Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer. “People can still take Metro to get where they want to go. It will just take a bit longer to get there.”
While planning for the work to be done at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metrorail station, Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority officials confirmed that Labor Day weekend is traditionally not a busy time for air travel.
“Metrorail ridership during Labor Day Weekend is relatively light, and we wanted to take advantage of this time to conduct major maintenance between Pentagon and Braddock Road,” said Mr. Francis. “This safety-sensitive track maintenance work may inconvenience some riders, however, the silver lining at the end of the weekend is that when we replace the rail switches at the Pentagon City Metrorail station, we will not have to return there for another 25 years.”
Service on the Blue/Yellow Lines From 9:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 4, to closing (midnight), Monday, Sept. 7, the Pentagon City, Crystal City and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metrorail stations will be closed.
The Blue Line will be split into two segments operating between the Largo Town Center and Pentagon Metrorail stations, and between the Franconia-Springfield and Braddock Road Metrorail stations.
The Yellow Line will be split into two segments operating between the Greenbelt and Pentagon Metrorail stations and between the Huntington and Braddock Road Metrorail stations.
At the Pentagon Metrorail station from 9:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 4., to closing (midnight) on Monday, Sept. 7., all Blue Line trains from the Largo Town Center Metrorail station will operate into the upper level of the station and all Yellow Line trains from the Greenbelt Metrorail station will operate into the lower level of the station.
All Blue Line trains will operate every 12 minutes during the day on Saturday, Sept. 5, and every 15 minutes during the day on Sunday, Sept. 6, and Monday, Sep. 7. After 9 p.m., all Blue Line trains will operate every 20 minutes.
All Yellow Line trains will operate every 16 minutes during the day on from Saturday, Sept. 5, to Monday, Sept. 7. After 9 p.m., all Yellow Line trains will operate every 20 minutes.
All Green Line, trains will operate every 12 minutes during the day on Saturday, Sept. 5, and every 16 minutes during the day on Sunday, Sept. 6, and Monday, Sept. 7. After 9 p.m., all Green Line trains will operate every 20 minutes.
From Friday, Sept. 4, to Monday, Sept. 7, the last Blue and Yellow Line trains departing the Franconia-Springfield and Huntington Metrorail stations for the Braddock Road Metrorail station will leave 30 minutes earlier than usual. This will allow for customers to connect to the free shuttle buses and to the last trains departing the Pentagon Metrorail station to the Largo Town Center and Greenbelt Metrorail stations.
On Friday, Sept. 4, and Saturday, Sept. 5, the last Blue Line train will depart Franconia-Springfield at 1:59 a.m., Van Dorn Street at 2:05 a.m., King Street at 2:10 a.m., and arrive at Braddock Road at 2:12 a.m. On Sunday, Sept. 6, and Monday, Sept. 7, the last Blue Line train will depart Franconia-Springfield at 10:59 p.m., Van Dorn Street at 11:05 p.m., King Street at 11:10 p.m., and arrive at Braddock Road at 11:12 p.m.
On Friday, Sept. 4, and Saturday, Sept. 5, the last Yellow Line train will depart Huntington at 2:04 a.m., Eisenhower Ave at 2:05 a.m., King Street at 2:07 a.m. and arrive at Braddock Road at 2:09 a.m. On Sunday, Sept. 6, and Monday, Sept. 7, the last Yellow Line train will depart Huntington at 11:04 p.m., Eisenhower Ave. at 11:05 p.m., King Street at 11:07 p.m. and arrive at Braddock Road at 11:09 p.m.
Labor Day Weekend Shuttle Bus Service to Get Around Station Closures During the closures, Metro will operate free shuttle buses from the Pentagon Transit Center to the Pentagon City, Crystal City, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Braddock Road and Franconia-Springfield Metrorail stations as follows:
Pentagon-Braddock Road shuttle: To get to the Braddock Road Metrorail station, a shuttle bus will depart from the Pentagon Transit Center lower level bus bay #6 and make one stop on Jefferson Davis Highway at 23rd Street in Crystal City. The shuttle bus stop at the Braddock Road Metrorail station is at bus bay B.
Pentagon-Franconia Springfield shuttle: To get to the Franconia-Springfield Metrorail station, a shuttle bus will depart from the Pentagon Transit Center lower level bus bay #7. The shuttle bus stop at the Franconia-Springfield Metrorail station is at bus bay D.
Pentagon-Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport shuttle: To get to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metrorail station, a shuttle bus will depart from the Pentagon Transit Center lower level bus bay #8. The shuttle bus stop for the Airport station is located on the southern end of the ticket level concourse.
Pentagon-Pentagon City and Crystal City shuttle: To get to the Pentagon City and Crystal City Metrorail stations, a shuttle bus will depart from the Pentagon Transit Center lower level bus bay #9. The shuttle bus stop at the Pentagon City Metrorail station will be at the eastern side of South Hayes Street (across from the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City) at 12th Street South. The shuttle bus stop at the Crystal City Metrorail station is on Bell St., north of 18th Street.
Metro will provide free shuttle bus service at the Braddock Road Metrorail station for customers who want to get to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Crystal City, or Pentagon City Metrorail stations.
Customer Assistance From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 5, to Monday, Sept. 7, 68 Metro employees wearing safety vests will be located at the Pentagon, Pentagon City, Crystal City, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Braddock Road, King Street, Van Dorn Street, Eisenhower Ave, Huntington and Franconia-Springfield/Huntington Metrorail stations to help customers navigate around the track work.
Labor Day Weekend Travel Tips Customers who were planning to ride the Yellow or Blue Line from the District of Columbia and suburban Maryland and exit at the Pentagon City and Crystal City Metrorail stations for dining and shopping can exit at the Pentagon Metrorail station and board a free shuttle bus to for a 5 minute ride to the Pentagon City Metrorail station and a 10-minute ride to the Crystal City Metrorail station.
Customers who were planning to ride the Yellow or Blue Line from the District of Columbia and suburban Maryland to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metrorail station this weekend can exit at the Pentagon Metrorail station and board a free, 15 minute express shuttle ride to the airport.
Customers who were planning to ride the Yellow and Blue Line from the District of Columbia and suburban Maryland and want to get to King Street for dining and shopping can exit at the Pentagon Metrorail station and board a free shuttle bus for a 20 minute ride to the Braddock Road Metrorail station, then take the train to King Street.
Customers who usually ride the Blue and Yellow lines from the Huntington and Franconia-Springfield Metrorail stations to go to this weekend’s Washington Nationals baseball games are encouraged to travel to the Branch Avenue or Suitland Metrorail stations and take the Green Line to the Navy Yard Metrorail station. Parking is free on the weekends. The Branch Avenue Metrorail station has 3,072 parking spaces and the Suitland Metrorail station has 1,890 parking spaces.To alert customers about this project, signs are posted in Metrorail stations. Station and train announcements will be made throughout the Metrorail system. The Trip Planner, located on Metro=s Web site, will not reflect the impact of this work on its schedules. Customers should allow at least 45 minutes extra for their trips because of this work. For more information on traveling by Metrobus or Metrorail, customers may call (202) 637-7000 or TTY (202) 638-3780.
[bolding in original; enlargement of penultimate paragraph mine (don't they realise not all of us drive?)]
