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All Md. Orange Line Metro stations to close for full month

WASHINGTON — All Orange Line stations in Maryland, as well as the D.C. stations east of Stadium-Armory will be shut down from May 16 through June 15, Metro announced Friday.

The 24/7 work zone that was added because of significant track problems that were found along the stretch had initially been planned as a very long single-tracking zone.

During the surge, Metro plans limited shuttle bus service at all closed stations, but that will add significant amounts of time to riders’ trips.

In Virginia, scheduled rush hour Silver Line service will be cut in half during the surge, with trains scheduled every 12 minutes between Wiehle-Reston East and Stadium-Armory.

Orange Line trains will be scheduled every six-eight minutes between Vienna and Largo Town Center, providing service similar to normal levels on the Virginia end of the Orange Line.

There are no changes planned for Blue Line service.

New Carrollton, Landover, Cheverly, Deanwood and Minnesota Avenue stations will be closed during the surge.

Metro alternatives include the Green or Red lines or the Blue Line stations in Maryland. MARC trains also serve New Carrollton with direct service to Union Station.

Also on Friday, Metro announced that the final scheduled 24/7 surge on the Red Line will be a complete shutdown between Shady Grove and Twinbrook rather than the single-tracking zone initially announced.

Shady Grove and Rockville stations will be closed in late June, but the exact dates were not announced.

Audit: Metro put millions of federal dollars at risk in failed Buy America program

WASHINGTON — Oversight and contracting failures at Metro risked an immediate loss of millions in federal funding, a new audit report from Metro’s Office of Inspector General found. The audit of Metro’s Buy America contract award and oversight process found $68 million in bus, paratransit or rail car vehicle and parts purchases did not meet federal contracting requirements, and $517 million of the $1.4 billion in contracts reviewed did not follow the Federal Transit Administration’s nonbinding suggested best practices.
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