Crystal City construction update: Shuttles replace trains to airport and nearby stations for 10 weekends

Metro will replace trains with shuttle buses between Pentagon City and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport over 10 select weekends from February through June. Crystal City will be closed to build a second entrance at the station as part of Arlington County’s Crystal City Sector plan. The new entrance will accommodate growing ridership at the station, support new development in the area, and play a key role in a broader effort to make Crystal City a walkable community.

On three of those 10 weekends, the construction zone will be extended to Braddock Rd to support additional track maintenance, requiring closures of Crystal City, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Potomac Yard stations; rail service will be suspended in both directions from those stations. Free shuttles will also be available on these three weekends to support customers who need to reach these locations.

Metro originally planned for the construction zone to end at Potomac Yard, however, to ensure a better customer experience, Metro is extending the construction zone to end at Braddock Rd to reduce walking distance to shuttles and improve service reliability.

Construction will be paused during the National Cherry Blossom Festival to avoid major disruptions during one of the region’s busiest travel periods.

Crystal City Closures

Local service shuttle buses will replace trains between Pentagon City and Reagan National Airport Feb. 14-16, Feb. 21-22, Feb. 28-March 1, May 30-31, June 6-7, June 13-14, and June 19-21, stopping at every station to mimic train service.

Shuttles will operate every 8 to 10 minutes.

During this time, customers will still be able to travel south into Virginia from the airport via Metro Rail. Customers traveling to the airport from north of Pentagon City should plan extra time to connect to the free shuttle buses. Shuttle trips are expected to take approximately 20 minutes depending on traffic. 

Blue and Yellow line trains will run every 12 minutes on each side of the construction zone. All Yellow Line trains will run to Greenbelt during this time.

Extended Closures (On Three Weekends)

Local and Limited service shuttle buses will replace trains between Pentagon City and Braddock Rd on March 7-8, May 9-10, and May 16-17. Limited shuttle service will only make stops at three stations, Pentagon City, Reagan National Airport, and Braddock Rd.

Both shuttle options will operate every 8 to 10 minutes.

Customers traveling from the north to the airport should allow extra time and board shuttle buses at Pentagon City.

• Limited-stop shuttle trips from Pentagon City to the airport are expected to take approximately 20 minutes, depending on traffic.

• Local-stop shuttle trips from Pentagon City to Braddock Rd are expected to take 30 minutes or more, depending on traffic.

Customers traveling from the south to the airport should also plan extra time.

• Limited-stop shuttle trips between Braddock Rd and the airport are expected to take approximately 15 minutes, depending on traffic.

• Local-stop shuttle trips from Braddock Rd to Pentagon City are expected to take 30 minutes or more, depending on traffic.

Blue and Yellow line trains will run every 12 minutes on each side of the construction zone. All Yellow Line trains will run to Greenbelt.

Project Background and Benefits

As part of the Crystal City Sector plan, Arlington County proposed and received approval to build a second entrance at 18th Street and Crystal Drive. At Arlington County’s request, Metro is providing access to Crystal City station to enable Arlington County to manage and execute construction of the second entrance project. Arlington County will transfer ownership to Metro once construction is complete.

The additional entrance will improve access from Crystal Drive, the VRE station, and the Metroway bus transit station. The project also includes elevator upgrades to enhance ADA accessibility. The entrance is expected to open in Summer 2027.

To learn more about the project, visit Arlington County’s website and the Metro website.

On the three weekends of extended construction, crews will do lifecycle renewal of Metro’s infrastructure including track and signaling components. Crews will replace switches, crossties that support the rails, and grout pads that stabilize tracks. This work is part of Metro’s ongoing investment in reliability and safer customer trips. 

Trip Planning 

Customers are encouraged to plan trips in advance on all 10 weekends.

• Use MetroPulse or Home | WMATA for real-time service information.

• Sign up for MetroAlerts to receive service updates.

• Follow @wmata, @metrorailinfo, and @metrobusinfo on X or @wmata.com, @metrorailinfo.bsky.social, and @metrobusinfo on Bluesky for the latest updates.

• Call 202-GO-METRO (202-466-3876, TTY 202-962-2033): Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Automated information is available 24/7.

• View planned track work at wmata.com/trackwork. 

About Metro

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), known as Metro, is the region’s leading public transportation provider, serving a population of approximately four million people across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia within a 2,054-square-mile jurisdiction. With a network of six rail lines, 98 stations, 126 bus routes, and a door-to-door paratransit service, Metro is the second busiest transit system in the United States serving more than 268.9 million trips in 2025 with a $5 billion operating and capital budget. Since 2022, Metro has completed multiple transit-oriented development projects that have brought $15 million in tax revenue to the region from housing, office, and retail space in our community. Safety and security are core values at Metro. Over 30,000 cameras monitor the system, and Metro currently has the lowest crime rate in history with fare evasion down on rail and bus. In 2025, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) named Metro the Transit Agency of the Year in recognition of industry-leading ridership growth, record high customer satisfaction, a newly redesigned Bus network, expanded rail service, and improved customer experience.