Bad News, Reston and McLean: Here's What's Happening to Your Metro Commute Soon [VIDEO]

Metro has unveiled a year-long plan called "SafeTrack" to fix pervasive problems throughout the rail system, and as part of that there will be 15 "Safety Surges" -- unfortunately for Reston and McLean Silver Line commuters, you're up first.

From June 4-16, the Orange and Silver lines will continuously single-track between East Falls Church and Ballston for the first "surge."

That work will have a major impact on the Silver Line over that period. Metro says that the work will result in reduced service at most Orange and Silver stations, and "severely" reduced service west of Ballston.

Basically, you'll have to wait 18 minutes for each Silver Line train, regardless of direction. At 10 p.m., that will extend to every 20 minutes until the Silver Line closes at midnight every day of the week.

It's not just longer wait times that will be a headache for commuters. Fewer trains will also mean that trains become extremely crowded, especially during rush hour.

As a result, Metro is advising riders to seek out other means of transportation during the surge, whether that means taking the bus, driving, hitching a ride or opening your wallet and paying Uber or a taxi service to get you through this rough period.

Metro is trying to solve system-wide smoke and fire problems that have become especially problematic in the last couple years, resulting in the death of a woman at the L'Enfant station last year. A 24-hour system-wide shutdown earlier this year failed to address the issues, so Metro authorities are now cramming three years worth of maintenance work into one year with the "SafeTrack" plan.

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