Two Metro stations along the Orange and Silver Lines in Northern Virginia reopened Monday after weeks of construction closures.
The East Falls Church and West Falls Church Metro stations were closed while crews worked to replace decades-old rails at the western end of the Orange Line. The service return will end shuttle buses between McLean and Ballston.
“The biggest part we were doing is swapping out almost 30 miles of rail and that was our oldest, and if you will most unreliable rail, which could eventually lead to a potential safety issue,” Metro’s General Manager Randy Clarke said.
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The crews have added fiber optic cables and are working on vegetation and drainage management, according to Clarke. He hopes these efforts will make “the system more reliable and safer for decades to come.”
During Monday's commute riders weighed in on the reopening of the stations.
“I'm glad that it's over because it makes the commute a little bit easier, but honestly I think that they did a really good job,” rider Holly Linquist-Thomas said. “My commute was only about five to 10 minutes longer.”
“I'm so excited to finally not have to rely on the shuttle, especially in the pouring rain or when it was unreliable with the traffic,” rider Rob Bento said.
With the service improvements, Metro said Orange Line trains will now operate every 10 minutes, instead of 15 minutes, from opening until 9:30 p.m. The Blue and Silver Line trains will operate every 12 minutes from opening until 9:30 p.m.
The Vienna and Dunn Loring Stations will remain closed until July 16. There will be a shuttle service available while Metro continues maintenance work in the stations.
