WMATA shares details on summer Red Line construction plan

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) – Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) said starting June 1, every Red Line station between Glenmont and Takoma will be closed for construction.

On Monday, WMATA shared more about the travel alternatives.

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WMATA will have a free shuttle service for commuters while improvements are made to Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma.

There will be local service that stops at each Red Line station. A “Limited One” option that starts at Glenmont, stops at Wheaton which will then travel directly to Fort Totten. A “Limited Two” option that starts at Forest Glen, stops at Silver Spring then travels directly to Fort Totten. And there will be express service between Silver Spring and the Metro Center in D.C.

Several Montgomery County leaders penned a letter to WMATA last month voicing their concerns about the inconvenience of closing the five stations and how it will impact commuters. Montgomery County Council President, Andrew Friedson, was one of the leaders who helped draft the letter.

“Our biggest concerns are making sure that the state and WMATA,” Friedson said. “And our local transportation officials, are working in a collaborative way.”

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Friedson says there will certainly be challenges with this transition, which is why they’re doing all they can to help lessen the impact it will have on people’s commutes.

“There is no replacement in the region for Metro service,” he said. “So, we need the Metro service to be safe, we need it to be reliable, we need the necessary repairs to take place. We need that to happen as quickly as possible.”

The Takoma Station is scheduled to be closed from June 1 to June 29, and the other four stations will be closed until Aug. 31.

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