Washington DC

The Washington, D.C. area’s popular yet maligned Metrorail subway debuted in 1976 — and is currently undergoing its largest sweep of renovations to date.

Click here for all you’ll need to know about Metro repairs, single-tracks, and outright closures.

Serving the Nation’s Capital and adjacent reaches of Maryland and Virginia with comfortable, quiet and carpeted trains, high-design stations and service offered every day, night and weekend, Metrorail was long the darling of the DMV. However, the entire six-line system was designed with only one track per direction for each line, and as Metrorail expanded, funding was earmarked largely for construction rather than maintenance.

As a result, in the last decade or so, Metrorail has been increasingly criticized for unreliable service and frequent breakdowns, as well as rain-flooded stations, a track fire, an oil spill, a rush-hour derailment at the heart of the Mall, a fatal crash, and a dramatic incident that left one rider dead and dozens injured inside a stalled, smoke-filled train. In 2015, after years of lip service by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) stepped in to oversee a year-long overhaul of Metrorail.

Called SafeTrack, this overhaul began in March 2016, and it’s so far been plagued by reports of significant delays on every line, stalled escalators during rush hours, and safety violations by Metrorail repair workers, as well as dangerous incidents like drivers running red lights at stations, smoke in a Green/Red-line station tunnel, and a derailment on the still-new Silver Line.

The chart below illustrates the repair schedule yet to come — but please note that unforeseen conditions/incidents mean this schedule is subject to change:

Start/End	Lines	Impact	Stations Affected
Aug. 14-18		Weeknight single tracking McPherson Square to Smithsonian	Metro Center & Federal Triangle
Aug. 14-18		Weeknight single tracking Fort Totten to Prince George’s Plaza	West Hyattsville
Aug. 20-Sept. 5		Single tracking Franconia-Springfield to Van Dorn Street	Franconia-Springfield & Van Dorn Street
Aug. 20-21		Weekend single tracking Wheaton to Glenmont	Wheaton & Glenmont
Aug. 20-21		Weekend single tracking Federal Center to Eastern Market	Capitol South
Aug. 21-25		Weeknight single tracking Fort Totten to Prince George’s Plaza	West Hyattsville
Aug. 22-25		Weeknight single tracking Stadium-Armory to Addison Road	Benning Road & Capitol Heights
Aug. 23-26		Weeknight single tracking Dupont Circle to Van Ness	Woodley Park & Cleveland Park
Aug. 27-28		Weekend single tracking Grosvenor to Twinbrook	White Flint
Aug. 28-Sept. 1		Weeknight single tracking Mt. Vernon Square to U Street	Shaw-Howard
Aug. 28		Emergency drill shutdown Pentagon to L’Enfant Plaza	Pentagon & L’Enfant Plaza
Aug. 29-Sept 1		Weeknight single tracking Stadium-Armory to Addison Road	Benning Road & Capitol Heights
Aug. 30-Sept. 2		Weeknight single tracking Dupont Circle to Van Ness	Woodley Park & Cleveland Park
Sept. 2-4		Weekend single tracking Mt. Vernon Square to U Street	Shaw-Howard
Sept. 3-5		Weekend single tracking Stadium-Armory to Minnesota Ave & Benning Road	Minnesota Ave, Stadium-Armory & Benning Road
Sept. 3-4		Weekend single tracking Silver Spring to Glenmont	Forest Glen & Wheaton
Sept. 5-8		Weeknight single tracking Mt. Vernon Square to U Street	Shaw-Howard
Sept. 6-9		Weeknight single tracking Farragut North to Dupont Circle	Farragut North & Dupont Circle
Sept. 9-Oct. 20		Single tracking Vienna to West Falls Church	Vienna, Dunn Loring & West Falls Church
Sept. 9-11		Weekend single tracking Mt. Vernon Square to U Street	Shaw-Howard
Sept. 9-11		Weekend single tracking National Airport to Braddock Road	National Airport & Braddock Road
Sept. 10-11		Weekend single tracking Silver Spring to Glenmont	Forest Glen & Wheaton
Sept. 12-15		Weeknight single tracking Silver Spring to Glenmont	Forest Glen & Wheaton
Sept. 12-15		Weeknight single tracking Mt. Vernon Square to U Street	Shaw-Howard
Sept. 13-16		Weeknight single tracking Farragut North to Dupont Circle	Farragut North & Dupont Circle
Sept. 16-18		Weekend single tracking Mt. Vernon Square to U Street	Shaw-Howard
Sept. 17-18		Weekend shutdown Pentagon to L’Enfant Plaza	Pentagon & L’Enfant Plaza
Sept. 19-22		Weeknight single tracking Mt. Vernon Square to U Street	Shaw-Howard
Sept. 20-23		Weeknight single tracking Farragut North to Judiciary Square	Metro Center & Gallery Place
Sept. 23-25		Weekend single tracking Mt. Vernon Square to U Street	Shaw-Howard
Sept. 26-29		Weeknight single tracking Mt. Vernon Square to U Street	Shaw-Howard
Sept. 30-Oct. 2		Weekend single tracking Mt. Vernon Square to U Street	Shaw-Howard
Oct. 10-Nov. 1		Line Segment Shutdown Fort Totten to NoMa-Gallaudet	Brookland & Rhode Island Avenue
Nov. 3-11		Single tracking East Falls Church to West Falls Church	East Falls Church & West Falls Church
Nov. 12-Dec. 6		Single tracking Greenbelt to College Park	Greenbelt & College Park
Dec. 7-24		Line Segment Shutdown Rosslyn to Pentagon	Arlington Cemetery
Jan. 2-13		Single tracking Braddock Road to Huntington/Van Dorn Street	King Street & Eisenhower Avenue
Jan. 23-Feb. 3		Single tracking Braddock Road to Huntington/Van Dorn Street	King Street & Eisenhower Avenue
Mar. 6-19		Single tracking East Falls Church to West Falls Church	East Falls Church & West Falls Church

The latest Metrorail controversy is WMATA’s plan to shorten weekend night service; Friday-Saturday service would end at 12 midnight instead of 3am, and Sunday service would end at 10pm instead of 12 midnight. If you enjoy attending late-night events like concerts and plays, Metrorail could become a stressful choice as you rush to make the last train — or find yourself stranded.

For now, before you choose Metrorail to get to that Nats game, catch your flight out of DCA, or visit the National Mall, be sure to note updates to the Safe Track schedule, as well as check out The Washington Post’s “Dr. Gridlock” transportation column — and see ParkWhiz’s guide to Washington, DC parking made simple to map out your Plan B within the DMV!

Do you have plans for St. Patrick’s Day in DC? Start the St. Patrick’s Day week of festivities off the right way by attending DC’s 45th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

DC St. Patrick’s Day Parade

The DC St. Patrick’s Day Parade (also known as the “Nation’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade”) will be held on Sunday, March 13 at 12, and goes on for about 2 ½ hours. This year’s theme is “Remember, Reflect, and Reimagine.” Look forward to over 100 marching bands, military units, dance schools and so many other organizations and floats from the community representing their causes.

The parade started as a “leisurely stroll” of several hundred people, but has grown to be a much larger procession as the years have gone by. It was started by the Irish American Club, but now is held in cooperation with the National Capital Park Service.

What’s the route for the 2016 South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade?

There are plenty of great vantage points to watch the parade, but some of the best are ticketed spots on the grandstand. Being in the grandstand means a comfortable and elevated spot near restrooms, as well as clear announcements for each group. Tickets start at $15 each.

The parade route is very straightforward – it’s along Constitution Avenue between 17th St NW and 6th St NW.

What’s else is there to do in DC for St. Patrick’s Day?

If you’re planning ahead, a great event to attend before the DC St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Shamrock Fest. There will be refreshments, party games, and some of America’s favorite bands.

If you’re skipping the parade, local Irish pub Ri Ra Georgetown opens early (7 AM) on St Patrick’s Day for a traditional Irish breakfast, followed by music and traditional Irish dancing.
Will you be attending the DC St. Patrick’s Day parade to kick off St. Patrick’s Day? Let us know in the comments!