Montgomery County leaders are urging Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) officials to develop solutions to help county residents and commuters who will be impacted by the upcoming multi-month closure of several county Metro stations.
WMATA announced Feb. 9 that in early June it will temporarily close five Metro Red Line stations – Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma – all of which are located in or directly border Montgomery County.
The closures are slated to last through early September to allow for construction at the five stations as well as for the Purple Line, a light-rail line under construction that will run from Bethesda to New Carrollton. WMATA has not released exact closing and re-opening dates.
“Loss of Red Line service to these communities will have a major impact regardless of the management plan implemented during this period,” county officials wrote in a Friday letter to the transportation agencies. “However, we understand the need for facility maintenance and renewal as well as the need to accommodate other construction in the area, such as Purple Line elements at the Silver Spring Transit Center.”
The letter was signed by County Executive Marc Elrich (D), County Council President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1), council Vice President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4), and councilmembers Natali Fani-González (D-Dist. 6) and Evan Glass (D-At-large).
According to WMATA, free shuttle and express buses will be provided in lieu of trains at the closed stations. However, the service plans are still being developed, and county officials want input and collaboration.
“We know if there’s even a marginal increase in [use of] single-occupancy vehicles … it will have a dramatic impact on commute times for everyone,” Friedson said during a media briefing Monday.
Each day, more than 130,000 riders use the Metro stations within the county, according to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). Metrobus provides 15 million transit trips per year and Metrorail provides 40 million trips per year in the county.
The closure of the Metro station at the Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center in downtown Silver Spring is expected to particularly create obstacles for commuters because many connect to the Metro via MARC commuter trains, county buses and Metrobuses, according to the letter.
“This is not just about the disruption that it’s going to cause for Metro riders,” Friedson said. “It’s about the disruption that it’s going to cause for the entire transportation network, and everybody in Montgomery County who commutes not just to work, but as part of their everyday life–to run errands to pick up children, to go to and from their activities on a daily basis.”
The construction and renovations planned for the station closures include upgrading the signaling system, installing communication and train control cables, and repairing the interlocking – the system that allows trains to cross from one track to the other – outside the Takoma Metro Station at 327 Cedar Ave. NW in Washington, D.C.
WMATA has conducted some renovations and accommodated Purple Line construction by closing specific stations over weekends and during off-peak hours. However, according to WMATA, some of the planned renovations and construction are too complicated to be completed by closing the stations for short periods.
“The Maryland Purple Line light-rail line is not part of the Metrorail system, but building the new connection between the two will require the use of both tracks for an extended period and can’t be completed safely and timely with single tracking only,” the WMATA news release said.
Within the letter, county officials offer several recommendations to help riders, including:
- Delaying implementation of previously planned Maryland Transit Authority reductions to commuter bus service in the county;
- Increasing MARC commuter rail service between Rockville and the District;
- Considering reduced or fare-free service on transportation alternatives;
- Providing both point-to-point and express shuttle service to connect commuters to transit hubs in Silver Spring and D.C.;
- Considering a connection from the Green Line at Fort Totten to communities along the Red Line;
- Creating temporary bus-only lanes on Georgia Avenue; and
- Eliminating work zones on shuttle routes.
County leaders also encouraged transit officials to consider the local immigrant community and people with low and no vision in its communication and outreach plans and to make sure information is available in multiple languages.
“We also stand ready to provide technical assistance and to implement mitigation measures for your project that are within County authority,” the letter concluded.
Representatives with WMATA and MDOT did not immediately respond to MoCo360’s requests for comment Monday afternoon.