Metro shutdown causes chaos for riders

By Keya Vakil

May 29, 2019

The Metro shutdown is officially underway and things are not exactly going smoothly.

The stations closed by the shutdown are all Blue and Yellow line stations south of Reagan National Airport, that is the Braddock Road, King Street-Old Town, Eisenhower Avenue, Huntington, Van Dorn and Franconia-Springfield stations.

The affected stations will be shut down through September 8 and Metro is providing shuttle buses as alternatives for the estimated 17,000 daily riders affected by the shutdown.

But things are not going well so far, and many of those 17,000 riders are making their displeasure known.

Hey @wmata, let’s consider adding a few more buses to the Yellow Line shuttle route. By the time busses reach Braddock, they are mostly full. #MetroShutdown #wmata #dcmetro #shutdown2019 #shutdown pic.twitter.com/8cSLhJ6Hsd
— John E. Jones IV (@johnjones4) May 28, 2019

Hey @wmata, my normally 45min commute took TWO HOURS this morning. If I wanted to spend that much time commuting, I would live in a big house in the suburbs instead of a city apartment. Buckle up, were in for a frustrating summer. @unsuckdcmetro #MetroShutdown
— Paula Kostiuk (@Hey_HeyPaula) May 28, 2019

My @wmata Huntington shuttle at the Pentagon is at bus bay U3 and we just made it past U7. So far the line is moving but it wraps along the entire length of the bus bay. Wait currently at 12 mins but lots of (hot) of frustrated #MetroShutdown riders. pic.twitter.com/g6G1kJJtFm
— Shadé Olasimbo (@FCOlasimbo) May 28, 2019

Line for shuttle bus @ Crystal City more than two blocks long. Been waiting 15 min, first bus just appeared. Gonna be a long commute @wmata #metroshutdown @unsuckdcmetro pic.twitter.com/Dfapd0G9lk
— Lydia Beyoud (@ElleBeyoud) May 28, 2019

https://twitter.com/kristinleighty/status/1133353659012661256

Metro officials acknowledged that the shutdown would be a “shock to the [transportation] system,” but said it’s necessary to ensure the system’s long-term safety and reliability.

Metro has created a trip planner to help plan around the shutdown and has advised riders to add at least 30 minutes to their trips, though given the stories emerging over the last two days, riders may want to add even more time to their commutes.

Keya Vakil

Keya Vakil is the deputy political editor at COURIER. He previously worked as a researcher in the film industry and dabbled in the political world.

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