Metro Plans ‘SafeTrack’ Work on Red Line During August

In August, Metro’s Red Line will experience its first phase of SafeTrack construction. Many NIH commuters who take Metro to work will feel the impact, if they haven’t already. SafeTrack is an accelerated work plan to address safety recommendations and rehabilitate the Metrorail system. The multi-phase project began June 4 and will be completed by March 2017.

During Aug. 1-7, the Takoma to Silver Spring stations will undergo continuous single tracking, which will result in fewer trains going in both directions across most of the Red Line. This will create longer wait times at stations and more crowded trains.

The greater impact to NIH commuters will occur Aug. 9-18, when single tracking will take place between Shady Grove and Twinbrook stations. During this phase, trains will only serve Shady Grove and Rockville stations every 18 minutes. For more information on the impact to your Metro commute, visit www.wmata.com/rail/safetrack.cfm.

The Office of Human Resources encourages both supervisors and employees to proactively explore whether workplace flexibilities such as compressed work schedules, flexible work schedules and telework may alleviate transportation issues. For more information about work schedule flexibilities, visit https://traffic.nih.gov/Pages/workschedule.aspx.

The Office of Research Services’ Division of Amenities and Transportation Services has been reaching out to registered Transhare Program employees to alert them of the surges based on self-reported commutes through Transhare applications. Through these targeted emails, DATS has been and will continue to provide affected employees with additional commuter options and information about workplace flexibilities.

For more information on SafeTrack and strategies to manage your commute, visit https://traffic.nih.gov/Pages/default.aspx.