Next SafeTrack Surge Will Be Tough Ride In Northern Virginia, Prince George's Co.

(WAMU) The start of the first, two-week shutdown of Metro’s yearlong SafeTrack rebuilding program is days away, and Metrorail riders from Virginia to Maryland are bracing for a rough time.

The second of 15 scheduled “maintenance surges” under SafeTrack promises to be more disruptive than the first, which involved continuous single-tracking along the Orange and Silver Lines between East Falls Church and Ballston. That project will wrap up Thursday without having severely inconvenienced commuters in Northern Virginia.

Surge No. 2 is the first of five shutdowns in the transit authority’s ambitious reconstruction plan. Metro estimates more than 60,000 daily trips will be affected by the closures on the eastern side of the rail system with crowding and delays affecting 13 stations.

“It's an emergency,” says Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker about preparations for the June 18 to July 3 shutdown of the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines between Eastern Market and Minnesota Avenue/Benning Road stations. Buses will replace trains to provide a “bus bridge” around the closed stations. ...............(more)

http://wamu.org/news/16/06/16/tough_ride_on_the_way_for_northern_virginia_prince_georges_metro_riders_for_safetrack_surge_no_2