Metro temporarily suspended bus service throughout the D.C. region amid heavy snowfall and treacherous road conditions Monday.
In a statement Monday night, Metro opened some bus lines after 6 p.m. under the transit service’s severe snow service plan on a route-by-route basis. However, some areas are “hazardous” due to snow and refreezing. Metro said that it may not be possible to restore all 68 routes that operate under the severe snow plan for the rest of the evening.
Earlier on Monday, MetroAccess services resume after 3:45 p.m.
Officials at Metro encouraged customers to use the train line — Metrorail continues to operate normally at above and below-ground stations.
“Heavy snow continues to fall throughout the region and travel is strongly discouraged unless absolutely necessary,” the Metro statement said. “As crews work to clear roads, Metro will continue to monitor road conditions to determine when it is safe to resume service.”
MetroAccess service was temporarily paused due to hazardous road conditions. MetroAccess trips were not canceled, but a temporary pause allowed roads to clear and weather conditions to improve, Metro said in an update about 11 a.m. Monday.
Metro said people who need to get around Monday should consider using Metrorail service, which continues to operate on a normal schedule with trains every 12-24 minutes. There may be some minor delays to allow de-icer trains to pass through to keep rails clear of ice and snow, Metro said.
The day started with Metrobus operating on a severe snow service plan late, which only runs service on major routes.
All buses carrying customers operated to the end of their lines to complete their routes, Metro said on Monday.
The D.C. area is under a Winter Storm Warning with up to 8 inches of snow expected in the first major winter storm of the season, leading to a slew of school and office closures Monday.
Separately Monday, DC Circulator bus service, which is run by the D.C. Department of Transportation, was also suspended for the day.
Metro said that it would continue to alert passengers to changes to rail status using their social media channels and MetroAlerts.