Community Corner

No Scheduled Track Work, Additional Trains On Metro July 4

Smithsonian Station closed until fireworks conclude

Metro issued this release about July Fourth service: 

"Metro will provide extra rail service on July 4th for the benefit of customers attending holiday festivities on the National Mall and the Washington Nationals day game. 

On the holiday, Metrorail service will operate from 7 a.m. to midnight, with near rush-hour service levels from 6 p.m. to midnight, and there will be no scheduled track work anywhere on the system. 

To facilitate the safe movement of crowds, Smithsonian Station will be closed most of the day Monday. The station will reopen for entry-only at the conclusion of the fireworks display. Customers should use the following stations to access the National Mall:

  • Foggy Bottom-GWU
  • Metro Center
  • Archives Navy Mem’l-Penn Quarter
  • Gallery Pl-Chinatown
  • Judiciary Square
  • Union Station
  • L’Enfant Plaza
  • Capitol South
  • Federal Center SW

Metro expects to provide in more than 500,000 rail trips on Independence Day, with crowded trains leading up to the scheduled 9:10 p.m. fireworks display on the Mall

Metrorail Service Overview for July 4, 2011 

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  • Metrorail will open at 7 a.m. and close at midnight.
  • Smithsonian station will be closed for most of the day. It will re-open for entry only upon conclusion of the fireworks.
  • To provide adequate capacity, Metro will deploy a combination of six and eight-car trains on all rail lines.
  • For safety reasons, escalators at many downtown Metro stations will be turned off to help meter the flow of customers.
  • Beginning at 3 p.m., every other Orange Line train traveling in the direction of New Carrollton will terminate at Stadium-Armory and return to Vienna-Fairfax/GMU.
  • After 6 p.m., all Yellow Line trains will operate between Huntington and Mt. Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center stations.
  • At 6 p.m., trains will depart every eight minutes from the end of each rail line and trains will depart every four minutes from Shady Grove and Vienna/Fairfax-GMU stations.
  • After 6 p.m., all trains will operate every four minutes in the downtown portion of Washington.
  • Non-peak fares will be in effect all day.
  • Parking will be free at all Metrorail stations.
  • Bicycles will not be permitted within the Metrorail system.


Customer Assistance on Monday, July 4 

  • More than 80 Metro administrative staff will provide additional customer assistance throughout the system.
  • The Metro Customer Service Call Center will be open from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.


Security on Monday, July 4 

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  • Metro Transit Police will be visible throughout the system to ensure the customer safety and security.
  • Customers are encouraged to report any suspicious behavior, unusual activity or unattended items to any uniformed Metro employee or police officer, or by calling the Metro Transit Police at 202-962-2121.
  • As a reminder, any bags or packages brought onto the Metrorail system may be subject to a random inspection by Metro Transit Police.


Travel tips 

  • To avoid potentially long lines at fare vending machines following the fireworks, all Metro riders are encouraged to purchase either a One-Day Pass or be sure to have enough fare value on their SmarTrip cards or farecards to complete their round trip. Each customer must have their own fare card, SmarTrip card or One-Day Pass.
  • Customers are advised to avoid using Federal Triangle station and consider using any of several stations to the get to the National Mall, including Farragut North, Federal Center SW, Capitol South, L’Enfant Plaza, Archives Navy Memorial, Union Station and Judiciary Square stations.
  • If possible, customers are encouraged to avoid transferring from one line to another at Metro Center, Gallery Pl-Chinatown or L’Enfant Plaza, as these stations are particularly susceptible to crowding conditions.


Metrobus Service on Monday, July 4 

  • Metrobus will operate on a Saturday schedule.
  • Due to street closures near the National Mall and at various locations throughout the region, riders can expect numerous bus routes to be detoured. For more information and further updates on specific detours, please check Metro’s website at metroopensdoors.com.
  • Due to the many short-term bus detours, NextBus, Metro’s automated bus arrival information service will not be able to reflect changes in July 4 bus service.


MetroAccess Service on Monday, July 4 

  • MetroAccess will operate on a regular schedule on Monday, July 4th. However, all subscription trips will be canceled. Customers who wish to travel on July 4th will need to call reservations or visit Metro’s website to book their trips.
  • To the extent allowable by road closures, MetroAccess will provide regular service after the fireworks. Customers planning to attend July 4th events on the National Mall and in the downtown area should expect traffic congestion and delays.


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