Metro to operate with 19 closed stations due to coronavirus concerns, ridership decline

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Starting Thursday, a total of 19 Metro stations will be closed – and it’s unclear when they will open again.

After closing Arlington Cemetery and Smithsonian last week in an effort to prevent people from riding Metro to see the cherry blossoms (and potentially spreading COVID-19), Metro announced Tuesday that 17 more stations would close Thursday.

Metro says it chose to close some of the stations because there are other stations nearby that riders can use. It chose to close other stations because of low ridership.

For example, riders took trips from the College Park station an average of 3770 times a day in 2019. On Monday of this week, that number had fallen to 325.

At a number of stations, Metro is closing not the entire station but one entrance to the station.

Metro says the moves will allow it to run the system using fewer employees during a time when it has fewer employees available (some are staying home to take care of children, others are being used for pandemic-related “reduncancy”).

Metro also says the move will save on cleaning supplies, which are dwindling fast in the wake of the pandemic.

Here is a list from Metro of stations that will close because other stations are nearby, and the recommended station to use instead:

• Federal Center SW - use L’Enfant Plaza or Capitol South
• Federal Triangle – use Metro Center
• Mt Vernon Sq, Judiciary Sq, Archives – use Gallery Place-Chinatown
• Greensboro – use Spring Hill or Tysons Corner
• Eisenhower Ave – use King St-Old Town
• Virginia Square – use Ballston
• Cleveland Park – use Woodley Park or Van Ness

Metro put out this list of stations that will temporarily close due to low ridership:

• Grosvenor-Strathmore (230 trips Monday)
• Cheverly (159 trips Monday)
• Clarendon (299 trips Monday)
• East Falls Church (239 trips Monday)
• College Park (325 trips Monday)
• McLean (148 trips Monday)
• Morgan Boulevard (322 trips Monday)
• Van Dorn St (404 trips Monday)

Finally, here is a list from Metro of the station entrances that will be closed while these stations themselves remain open:

• Anacostia – Entrance serving parking garage at Howard Rd north of the Anacostia Freeway closed; bus bay side open
• Farragut North - SW corner of L St & Connecticut Ave closed; 2 other entrances open
• Dupont Circle - South Entrance 19th St & Connecticut Ave closed; Q Street (north) entrance open
• Metro Center - 12th & F sts entrance closed; 3 other entrances open
• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport - North entrance closed (Terminal C); South station entrance (Terminal B) open
• U Street – Memorial side U St & Vermont Ave closed; 13th & U sts entrance open
• Gallery Place--Chinatown - 9th St & G St entrance closed; 2 other entrances open
• L'Enfant Plaza - 7th & D sts entrance closed; Maryland Ave & 9th & D sts entrances open
• Friendship Heights – Jennifer St entrance closed; Western Ave entrance open