INTERVIEW – NATHAN BACA – Investigative Reporter, ABC7 News WJLA-TV Washington

• Preview the Metro summer shutdown and Metro summer shutdown platform project: It’s coming. Six Blue and Yellow Line Metro stations in Virginia close this Saturday for the entire summer.  WASHINGTON (WJLA) — Metro is preparing the final stages of a major summer shutdown that will impact all Blue and Yellow Line stations south of Reagan National Airport from May 25 until Sept. 8. The 100-plus-day shutdown will allow crews to work around the clock, expediting repairs that would otherwise take years to complete. Metro has timed the shutdown during its lowest ridership with the goal of impacting as few riders as possible. Metro plans to close and rebuild crumbling station platforms at Braddock Road, King Street, Eisenhower Avenue, Huntington, Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn.
• Here’s what you need to know about riding the VRE during the Metro shutdown. by Nathan Baca/ABC7 / WOODBRIDGE, Va. (ABC7) — 7 On Your Side joined passengers riding VRE Train 300 leaving just after 5:40 a.m. at the Woodbridge station. Finding a seat was easy, although it was the first train into Washington, and some decided to extend their sleep in the train car’s upper deck. “It’s a more direct route. You can read, watch your phone, you can do work if you have to. It’s a pretty calm, peaceful ride when you take the VRE,” said Tina Vey, a commuter from Woodbridge to L’Enfant. VRE is not without problems. Its own CEO admitted in a letter to Manassas-area delegate that on-time performance has slipped these past months, blaming track maintenance and problems switching to a new federally mandated safety system called Positive Train Control. Riders tell us delays are worse in the afternoons. Because all freight and passenger trains have to share one narrow bridge to cross the river, VRE simply can’t add more trains to its service. The CEO’s letter calls for additional funding to build a second bridge.