Shuttle Bus Routes Announced For Metro's Orange Line Shutdown

FALLS CHURCH, VA — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has announced details of free shuttle bus services and rail service information during the summer shutdown of three Orange Line stations in Northern Virginia. The Vienna, Dunn Loring, and East Falls Church stations will be closed from Saturday, May 23 to Monday, Sept. 7. West Falls Church will remain open, but single tracking will occur.

Three shuttle buses will be provided at all times during Metrorail's service hours. Shuttle 1 runs between Vienna and West Falls Church only, shuttle 2 runs between Dunn Loring and West Falls Church, and shuttle 3 runs between East Falls Church and Ballston-MU.

Two shuttles are available upon request. Shuttle 4 serves Vienna and Dunn Loring, while Shuttle 5 serves East Falls Church and West Falls Church.

Two shuttles will run during rush hour only, defined as 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. inbound and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. outbound. Shuttle 6 has limited stops at Vienna, Ballston-MU, Court House and Rosslyn. Shuttle 7 has limited stops at the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride, Ballston-MU, Court House and Rosslyn.

Rail service reductions are anticipated during the shutdown. Approximately 50 percent less Silver Line rail service will be provided during rush hours. Silver Line trains will run every 16 minutes throughout the day and every 20 minutes during late night hours. Trains will pass through East Falls Church Station while it is closed.

Service between Ballston-MU and Rosslyn will be reduced by 25 percent during rush hours, and service between Rosslyn and Stadium-Armory will be reduced by 17 percent. Extra Orange Line trains will run from Ballston-MU, service every eight minutes between Ballston-MU and New Carrollton on all days but Sunday. Other Orange Line trains will run every 16 minutes during the day and every 20 minutes during the late night.

Parking will be free during the shutdown at the Vienna and Dunn Loring stations starting on May 23. Effective March 15, the daily parking lot closed East Falls Church, and the kiss and ride lot remains open for pick-ups and drop-offs only. At West Falls Church, parking was cut in half as the surface lot closed. The parking garage will remain open with 1,100 spots, but Metro expects daily parking to fill by 7 a.m.

The only parking reduction at the Vienna station was the parking lot 1 closure on the north side, leaving around 4,200 daily parking spaces. The parking garages on both sides and lot 3 on the south side remain open. There are no parking changes at Dunn Loring station, which has 1,964 daily parking spaces.

The Orange Line shutdown will allow Metro to reconstruct the platforms at the Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church stations. For more information on the project and transportation alternatives, visit www.wmata.com/service/rail/PlatformProject.