Metro riders who frequently travel through downtown D.C. should plan ahead this holiday season, because a portion of the Red Line running through the downtown D.C. area will be closed for repairs starting Monday, Dec. 18.
It comes at a time when Metro said ridership is historically 40% lower than a typical workweek.
The project, which will entail critical repairs and upgrades to the Red Line, will disrupt service through Saturday, Dec. 30.
Even more stops on the metro line will be closed for repairs, including Union Station, on the weekend before Christmas: Friday, Dec. 22, through Sunday, Dec. 24.
The breakdown on how shuttles will accommodate commuters traveling to these stations is below.
Alternate routes and free shuttle service
As a result of the construction, Metro said there will be free shuttle buses and alternate routes for riders to get through the area.
From Dec. 18-21 and 25-30
Those with tickets to Madonna’s Celebration Tour at Capital One Arena on Dec. 18 and 19 may need to take into account service disruptions.
Red Line service between Dupont Circle and Gallery Place — which includes Farragut West and the top level of Metro Center — will be shut down. However, there will be Blue, Orange and Silver Line services at Metro Center, and Green and Yellow Line services through Gallery Place.
Trains will run every 8-10 minutes between Shady Grove and Dupont Circle and every 10-12 minutes between Gallery Place and Glenmont.
There will be shuttle buses running between the following locations:
Shuttle 1 — Express: Dupont Circle and Gallery Place
Shuttle 2 — Express: Dupont Circle and Farragut West
Shuttle 3 — Local: Dupont Circle, Farragut North, Metro Center and Gallery Place
From Dec. 22-24
Red Line service between Dupont Circle and Union Station will be shut down due to extended work, as well as between Farragut North and Judiciary Square, Metro said. The Gallery Place station entrance at 9th & G streets NW will also be closed during this work.
There will be Blue, Orange and Silver Line services at Metro Center, and Green and Yellow Line services through Gallery Place.
Trains will run every 8-10 minutes between Shady Grove and Dupont Circle and 8-10 minutes between Union Station and Glenmont.
There will be shuttle buses running between the following locations:
Shuttle 1 — Express: Will run every 6-8 minutes between Dupont Circle and Union Station
Shuttle 2 — Express: Dupont Circle and Farragut West
Shuttle 3 — Local: Dupont Circle, Farragut North, Metro Center, Gallery Place, Judiciary Square and Union Station
Other travel alternatives
Metro said it’s offering a number of travel alternatives such as Commuter Buses, DC Circulator service, Metrobuses, MARC and VRE.