Kailsta Diamantopolous
Updated 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 28.
Residents reported standing-room-only buses and a very, very crowded Pentagon Metro rail station platform Tuesday morning — the first real workday for most people commuting into the District from Alexandria.
Metro shut down rail line service to all station south of Reagan National Airport on Saturday, and that will last past Labor Day. The service suspension is part of Metro's effort to get "Back to Good" in terms of rail line and station repairs after years of neglect.
** For information on commute alternatives, see From Traffic to Telework. **
There was plenty of parking at both the Eisenhower and Van Dorn Street metro stations when Alexandria Living Magazine swung by between 8 and 8:15 a.m. Multiple WMATA officials were on hand at both stations directing commuters to new bus lines.
One person on Facebook on Alexandria Living Magazine's Facebook page wrote, "I left 45 minutes earlier than normal to make up for the delays, at Van Dorn around 6:20ish, things were smooth and efficient."
Things were not running as smooth at the Huntington Metro station. Residents in the Huntington area reported very long lines to get onto northbound buses. One resident tweeted, "Full buses not accepting any more passengers this morning at Huntington metro up to. Waited for 3 buses before I could get on and I was at front of the line."
In addition, it seems that some WMATA bus drivers were struggling. "My bus driver just asked if anyone knew how to get to the pentagon via expressway," one person wrote on a Huntington community Facebook group post. "We’re currently pulled over waiting for another driver." (The bus driver reportedly then followed another bus, but wound up in the District. Riders were dropped off at Anacostia station.)
"It took an over hour to get to the Pentagon via express bus," another Huntington wrote. And another wondered why his bus was not using the HOV lanes.
WMATA officials themselves seemed to be quiet with social media posts only reminding residents of the shutdown. However, Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld told WTOP News Tuesday morning: “So far, so good. ... The first day will always have its challenges, but we’ll work through them. I haven’t had a person yet that said ‘I don’t know what’s going on,’ but I’m sure we’ll find those as well.”
The evening commute wasn't much better for some residents, who faced very long lines for southbound buses from the Pentagon and other locations. In addition, commuters said they were directed to incorrect trains and traffic was heavier than usual on I-395 South, and a major accident compounded traffic issues on the main lanes.
One Huntington resident noted in a Facebook group, "Honestly I don’t mind traffic (though the accident cleared by the time I hit the shuttle apparently?) It’s the shuttle wait times — spent a half hour outside of Pentagon in line waiting to get on one. Line was wrapped around the bus bay." Her commute home was 1 hour, 40 minutes — more than double the normal time.
