Two Metro stations along the Orange and Silver Lines in Northern Virginia reopened Monday after weeks of construction closures.
The East Falls Church and West Falls Church subway stations were closed as crews worked to replace decades-old rails on the western end of the Orange Line. The return of service will end with the shuttle buses between McLean and Ballston.
“The biggest thing we were doing was changing almost 30 miles of rail and that was the older, less reliable rail, which could eventually lead to a potential safety issue,” Metro General Manager Randy Clarke explained.
Crews have added fiber optic cables and are working on vegetation and drainage management, according to Clarke. The official hopes these efforts will make “the system more reliable and secure for decades to come.”
During the trip on Monday, passengers expressed their opinion about the reopening of the stations.
“I’m glad it’s over because it makes the ride a bit easier, but honestly I think they did a really good job,” said rider Holly Linquist-Thomas. “My commute to work was only five to 10 minutes longer.”
“I’m very excited to finally not have to rely on the shuttle, especially in pouring rain or when it was unreliable with traffic,” said cyclist Rob Bento.
With the service enhancements, Metro announced that Orange Line trains will now operate every 10 minutes, instead of 15 minutes, from opening until 9:30 p.m. Blue and Silver Line trains will operate every 12 minutes from its opening until 9:30 pm
The Vienna and Dunn Loring stations will be closed until July 16. A shuttle service will be available while Metro continues with maintenance work at the stations.
