A segment of Metro’s Red Line in D.C. and Maryland will close for three months starting Saturday, forcing thousands of residents to rethink their commutes, though free shuttle buses will be available.
Free shuttle buses will run along the closed segment. Local shuttles will stop at all of the affected stations every four minutes during peak hours and about every eight minutes at other times, according to Metro. There will also be faster “limited” shuttles making fewer stops between Fort Totten and Glenmont. Separately, there will be express nonstop shuttles connecting Silver Spring and Metro Center in downtown D.C., which will run only on weekdays.
Parking at the affected stations will be free during the summer closures.
While the stations are closed, Metro plans to perform maintenance along the eastern end of the Red Line between Glenmont and Fort Totten. The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is concurrently starting construction of a mezzanine that will connect the Red Line station platform at the Silver Spring stop with a Purple Line light-rail station and improve connections with the MARC train and bus lines. Service along the MARC Brunswick Line, which runs through Silver Spring, will not be impacted by the construction.
MARC and the Maryland Transit Administration commuter bus are charging reduced fares from Garrett Park, Kensington and Silver Spring to Union Station during the Red Line closure, according to the transit administration.
The Purple Line, run by Maryland, is expected to be completed in late 2027 after delays that caused its cost to grow by billions of dollars.
