WMATA released a final safety maintenance plan, according to a release Tuesday.
The plan includes 15 “safety surges,” which involve single tracking or complete shutdowns of portions of the Metro tracks, as well as reduced Metro hours and extra maintenance on weekends, according to the release. Starting June 3, the Metro will close every week night at midnight, rather than its normal 3 a.m. closing time on Fridays and Saturdays.
“Safety comes first, and I want to remind the region that SafeTrack is not just about the 15 maintenance surges,” Paul Wiedefeld, Metro General Manager and CEO said in the release.
Wiedefeld added that there will be not be early morning or late night service when it conflicts with track work.
The first “safety surge” begins on June 4 lasting 13 days, and will involve continuous single tracking between East Falls Church and Ballston stations with reduced service at all orange and silver line stations. None of the surges will directly impact the Foggy Bottom Metro station, according to the release.
WMATA will have 40 buses “dedicated to providing alternative service,” and will have additional eight-car trains on lines that are under repair. According to the plan, the last “safety surge” will be completed March 2017.
The release recommended that riders “use alternate travel modes” and “travel outside rush-hour periods.”