Reduced Weekend Service To McLean, No Trains After Redskins Game

MCLEAN, VA—McLean and Tysons residents venturing into DC this weekend could spend more time waiting in the stations. The wait time between Silver Line trains is expected to double this weekend as track work is completed between Clarendon and Foggy Bottom.

Silver Line trains will only run between Wiehle-Reston East and Ballston, which isn't uncommon for the weekends. The problem is, riders transferring to the Orange Line will wait longer as single track. This will reduce service from every 12 minutes during the day to every 24 minutes throughout the weekend of Sept. 23-24. Silver Line trains will also run every 24 minutes.

Football fans will feel frustration heading to and from the game. Metro closes at 1 a.m. on Saturday nights and 11 p.m. on Sunday nights, and it won't extend hours for Sunday's 8:30 p.m. Raiders at Redskins game. According to WTOP, the Redskins would have to pay Metro a $100,000 deposit for one additional hour of operations.

Some fans don't seem to be surprised.

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If you need to get to Reagan National Airport, service could be slower on the Blue Line too. Trains will run every 24 minutes and single track between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery.

Metro suggests bus routes as an alternative, but Yellow and Green Line trains are running normally if you'd prefer avoiding the drive into DC.

If there's anything positive to think about, biggest disruption in the metro area isn't in Virginia. Red Line trains will not run between Friendship Heights, Bethesda, Medical Center and Grosvenor-Strathmore and will be replaced by shuttle buses. According to WTOP, multiple weekend shutdowns have happened to remediate water pooling by the electrified third rail.

For more information, see WMATA's advisory on weekend service.

Image via Econterms/Wikimedia Commons, used under Creative Commons