Sept. 9 will be a return to normalcy for many Alexandria commuters as the area's six Metro rail stations open for the first time since Memorial Day weekend.
The improved Metro stations in the Alexandria area — Braddock Road, King Street, Eisenhower Ave., Van Dorn, Franconia-Springfield and Huntington — will reopen Sept. 9 as scheduled with a variety of improvements. In addition to stronger platforms (the main purpose of the Platform Improvement Project), commuters will see brighter lighting, new platform surveillance systems, operator-connected safety buttons, USB charging ports, new passenger information displays and a clearer public announcement system.
WMATA shut down all six Metrorail stations in late May to do these improvements, arguing that a months-long shutdown would actually inconvenience commuters less than years of single-tracking and temporary station closures. The stations were initially supposed to reopen Labor Day weekend, but WMATA moved the date to Sept. 9 early in the process.
Officials from the City of Alexandria, Fairfax County and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority advised commuters in the spring to add at least half an hour to their daily morning and afternoon commute this summer into the District and back, as commuters had to rely on buses, shuttles and shared rides.
Alexandria businesses reported varying impacts from the Metro shutdown this summer, with some reporting lower revenue but the majority reporting no change or an increase, a joint survey from Visit Alexandria and the Chamber of Commerce revealed this summer.
Several programs remain in place through the end of the Metro shutdown to encourage residents to stay local this summer and help residents and tourists get around town, including discounts at local garages and expanded hours for the King Street Trolley. Visit Alexandria is promoting its Love Your Summer hotel package, which include low hotel rates with free overnight hotel parking, two-day unlimited ride water taxi passes and a free Key to the City museum passes.
