Washingtonians, you can’t ride the Orange Line this summer. The FOCUS on NoVA Real Estate team brings you the latest on the station closures, how long they will last and what to expect once they open again.
Currently, no one is really traveling or using Metro, especially since WMATA has closed 19 stations since mid-March due to safety concerns regarding COVD-19.
However, once the shelter-in-place order lifts, which as of now is June 10, Orange line Metro stations are still going to be shutdown from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
As part of the Capital Improvement Plan, Metro is shutting down four of the Orange Line stations, to include: Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church. This is similar to the Blue and Yellow Line shutdown we saw last summer.
West Falls Church station is to remain open as the end point for the Orange Line. And, Orange and Silver Line trains will be accessing East Falls Church station but only as a passthrough station. East Falls Church station will be closed to customers.
So what improvements will we see come from the shutdown?
Improvements include:
- slip-resistant tiles
- LED lighting
- illuminated handrails
- charging ports for technology
- digital maps and information displays
- new surveillance technology
- safety call buttons
- clearer speakers for announcements
