Blue and Silver line riders headed to D.C.'s east side are in for a shuttle shuffle this weekend. Metro is shutting down part of both lines on Saturday and Sunday, April 25–26, and swapping trains for free shuttle buses between Stadium‑Armory and Downtown Largo. The work will close five stations on the eastern end of the corridor and tack extra time onto a lot of weekend commutes, especially for riders who usually start or end trips at Downtown Largo or nearby Prince George's County stops.
Per WMATA, shuttle buses will run between Stadium‑Armory and Downtown Largo on April 25–26, with rail service suspended at Benning Road, Capitol Heights, Addison Road, Morgan Boulevard and Downtown Largo. During the shutdown, Blue Line trains will operate only between Franconia‑Springfield and Stadium‑Armory. WMATA's weekend track work page lists the project as an "air‑blown fiber" installation meant to speed up communications upgrades along the line.
As reported by WJLA, Blue Line trains between Franconia‑Springfield and Stadium‑Armory are scheduled to run about every 12 minutes during the day and roughly every 15 minutes after 9:30 p.m. The Silver Line will still operate between Ashburn and New Carrollton but will skip Downtown Largo this weekend. Metro estimates end‑to‑end express shuttle rides at around 30 minutes, with local shuttles closer to 50 minutes, so riders are being told to pad their usual travel times.
What crews are installing and why it matters
Crews will be installing air‑blown fiber, a microduct system that lets fiber bundles be jetted into place. Metro says that setup helps speed up communications upgrades and cuts down on the need for longer, more disruptive station shutdowns. Once in place, the new fiber is expected to support faster communications for day‑to‑day operations and emergency response, and it lays the groundwork for future system improvements. According to the agency's track work advisory, the goal is to squeeze what could have been longer outages into shorter, targeted weekend closures.
How to get around this weekend
Transit agencies are urging riders to double‑check schedules and build in extra time. Montgomery County's Ride On newsletter has flagged the April 25–26 shuttle replacement and highlighted alternate bus options for some trips, while WJLA notes Metro is asking riders to plan for delays and use the shuttle buses on the affected stretch. For live updates before you head out, Metro says to check MetroAlerts or the MetroPulse app.
