Five Red Line stations will be closed for months in Montgomery County beginning June 1.
SILVER SPRING, Md. — Metro transit leaders detailed their plans for an upcoming long-term Red Line closure in a press conference Tuesday. At the press conference, officials discussed a pilot program that would bring more than seven miles of pop-up, dedicated bus lanes to Georgia Avenue in Montgomery County.
Planned construction along the Red Line this summer will impact commuters in Maryland. The Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma stations will all be closed over the summer, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Closures are expected to begin on June 1.
The shut down will allow the Maryland Transit Authority (MTA) access to construct the Purple Line mezzanine at the Silver Spring station. Additional work is scheduled during these closures, including leak mitigation, automatic train control system replacements, traction power cables installation, drain pumping station replacement, tunnel standpipe replacement and elevator/escalator maintenance.
As the closures loom, Montgomery County leaders raised the alarm about their impact last month.
In a letter to Metro General Manager Randy Clarke and Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld, leaders including County Executive Marc Elrich and Council President Andrew Friedson offered several options for minimizing impact to commuters during the construction planned from June to September 2024.
Riders we spoke to at the Silver Spring station said they were not even aware of the upcoming closures. Anna told us that the train is reliable for her commute, but closures will make things tougher.
“It’s going to be very very hard. We don’t know if the bus is coming on time. Also it’s going to take time, it’s going to take longer to travel,” she said.
For riders like Jared who take the train twice a day, the temporary alternative doesn’t cut it.
“It would mean I couldn’t get to work, or go all the way around to the other side of Maryland to get here,” he said.
Now, Clarke and others unveiled their plan for a pop-up, dedicated bus lane along Georgia Avenue to help commuters get around the closures, highlighting the partnerships with the Maryland Department of Transportation, Montgomery County Department of Transportation, and the District Department of Transportation that that officials say “will make the bus shuttle service as seamless as possible.”
The bus lane stretches a little over seven miles, making it the longest dedicated bus lane in the county.
Leaders celebrating the collaboration between all the involved parties on Tuesday.
“You’re seeing teamwork, collaboration and regionalism in action,” said Montgomery County Council Vice President Kate Stewart.
The work will be done in two phases. June 1 through June 29 Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring, and Takoma stations will be closed. Then June 30 through Aug. 31, the construction area will shrink with the Takoma Station reopening, while the four other stations remain closed.
Free, Local, and Limited-Stop Shuttle buses will be provided between Glenmont and Fort Totten, and free Express Shuttle buses will run directly between Silver Spring and downtown D.C.
Transit officials acknowledged that the closure will be frustrating, but said the bus lane pilot program is a big step forward for public transportation.
“This is laying the groundwork for future transportation improvements,” said Council member Evan Glass.
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