Metro is now providing shuttle services seven days a week for passengers who rely on the Orange and Silver lines amid a summer construction project to improve train safety and reliability.
From June 3 to June 25, Metro will be working to replace the 40-year-old steel rails on the lines. This means service will be suspended on the Orange Line between Vienna and Ballston-MU and the Silver Line between McLean and Ballston-MU, interrupting train service to Washington Dulles International Airport for travelers going to or from D.C., Maryland or east of Ballston-MU.
The additional free shuttle service comes after complaints and lines of customers waiting earlier in the week.
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Outside the Rosslyn Metro station on Sunday, there was a lot of hustling and helping. It wasn’t just Metro buses being used to shuffle riders to their destinations, but charter buses, too. Guide workers were spread out, providing passengers with the information they needed.
Alisa Fernland commutes into and out of Washington, D.C., which means having reliable public transportation service is a must.
“It’s nice that they’re free. It even saves money rather than going all the way to McLean on the Metro. This is cheaper for me,” she said. “I have to use these every day.”
Metro said in a statement that “as with all shutdowns, we continuously monitor shuttle operations, particularly in the first few days, to determine if additional resources or changes are needed.”
“It’s been fantastic… Time was perfect, service is very fantastic,” one rider said.
“I like the train," another said. "I like the Metro better, but in a situation like this, if we have the option of the shuttle and it’s free, why not?”
During the Monday commute, riders were both caught off guard by the shuttles and relieved.
“I had to Google it, but I was just surprised that it was like, I didn’t know what to expect, but an actual bus. But, I was like I guess I have to take it,” rider Josea Evan said.
“The commute is actually not bad going back and forth from the different airports. It’s not as bad as I thought it was gonna be, so it’s actually pretty good," rider De’von Shelton said.
The four stations that will be closed in June are Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church.
Shuttle buses will run every five minutes during rush hour and every 10 minutes during non-rush hour times. Metro is also offering an express shuttle between Rosslyn and McLean.
