Metro's Yellow Line Weekend, Late Night Service To Increase

ALEXANDRIA, VA — About a month since Metro restored Yellow Line service following its bridge and tunnel renovation project, riders will see increased service.

Starting Sunday, Yellow Line service will increase to every 8 minutes during remaining times of the day. Service already runs every 8 minutes much of the weekdays, except during the first hour of opening and late nights from 9:30 p.m. to close. Service is every 12 minutes on weekends, during weekday late nights and the first hour on weekdays.

Metro attributed the change to increasing ridership. The transit agency said ridership is up 20 percent after the eight-month Yellow Line suspension for the bridge and tunnel project. Since the reopening on May 7, Metro has recovered over 1 million Yellow Line trips and 600,000 over the Yellow Line bridge. Alexandria's new Potomac Yard Metro station that opened May 19 on the Yellow and Blue Lines has seen over 25,000 trips to or from the station.

But while Yellow Line service improves, riders on other lines in Northern Virginia will begin to see impacts this weekend. From June 3 to 25, Metro will not have Metrorail service at the Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church stations. The shutdown means Orange Line service will only run from Ballston-MU east to New Carrollton, while the Silver Line will run from Ashburn to McLean and Ballston-MU to Downtown Largo. Because of the East Falls Church station closure, Silver Line service from Ashburn to McLean (including Dulles International Airport) will be cut off from Metrorail service to and from Arlington and DC.

Customers will need to use free shuttle buses between the closed stations. Free local and express shuttles will serve the Orange and Silver Lines.