DC Metro operating five of six subway lines

The Washington, D.C., Metro subway is operating five of its six subway lines on Tuesday as it struggles to recover from a blizzard that dumped as much as two feet of snow on the nation’s capital and surrounding areas.  

The agency that operates the D.C. Metro said it is running “service on all lines except the Orange Line between Vienna [and] Ballston and the Silver Line” for the first time since Friday, when the massive snow storm first hit the D.C. area.  

“Orange Line: Due to 3rd rail damage, no service btwn Vienna & Ballston Tues AM as previously announced. Use Ballston until further notice,” the agency tweeted. 

Orange Line: Due to 3rd rail damage, no service btwn Vienna & Ballston Tues AM as previously announced. Use Ballston until further notice.

— Metrorail Info (@Metrorailinfo) January 26, 2016

“Silver Line: Service is currently not operating due to blizzard recovery/snow/ice. Orange Line running Ballston-New Carrollton,” the agency continued. 

The agency added that it is operating buses on a “severe snow service plan, meaning service is limited to major corridors only” after shuttering for the entire weekend for the first time in its 40-year-history. 

{mosads}Metro is resuming fares for its rail service after offering free rides on Monday. 

The decision to close the Metro on Saturday and Sunday brought the nation’s second busiest subway system to a halt as the D.C. area was girding for several feet of snow. 

The Washington Metro system normally trails only the New York City subway in number of daily passengers.


The D.C. Metro typically carries more than 700,000 passengers per day. By comparison, the New York City subway averages 7.5 million passengers on a daily basis. The New York subway has 233 miles of tracks and 468 stations on its 24 routes. Washington’s Metrorail has 117 miles of track and 91 stations on six lines.