WASHINGTON — Red Line riders, who just faced two weeks of service cuts due to major track work, should expect reduced service the rest of this week.
The Red Line will need to be shut down between Silver Spring and Rhode Island Avenue this weekend to replace a faulty communications cable, Metro said Tuesday.
The cable is key to the signal systems that transmit train speed and location data between Brookland, Fort Totten and Takoma.
Metro just reopened Takoma Station Monday after a 24/7 shutdown. The agency said this cable was not dealt with during the track work, which focused on replacing a stretch of tracks where trains move from one track to the other.
In a statement, Metro said the cable problem identified Tuesday means Red Line service will be reduced again to every 10 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont rather than every 8 minutes. Additional trains that normally run between Grosvenor and Silver Spring will instead run between Grosvenor and NoMa-Gallaudet. In that area, trains will be scheduled every 5 minutes at rush hour.
With the most significant service cut between Silver Spring and NoMa-Gallaudet, riders should consider using Green Line trains or regular bus route, Metro said.
“If the cable installation this weekend goes as planned, normal Red Line service may be restored as soon as Monday, December 18,” Metro said.
