Travel Easier in Cherry Blossom Season

For those of you who plan to travel to Washington, DC to enjoy the Cherry Blossom season, the Metro has great news for you.

Metro is planning to welcome area residents and visitors traveling during the busy Cherry Blossom season with a four-week suspension of almost all weekend track work beginning Saturday, March 23. Many of Metro's highest ridership days occur during Cherry Blossom season when weekend ridership can nearly double.

During the four-week period, through Sunday, April 14, trains on all Metrorail lines will run at regularly scheduled intervals, departing end-of-line stations every 12 minutes on Saturdays and every 15 minutes on Sundays. At stations served by multiple lines (e.g. Downtown DC), trains will arrive every 4-7 minutes. On the Red Line, trains will run as frequently as every 6 minutes between Shady Grove and Silver Spring during daytime hours.

"During large events - whether Cherry Blossom season or the Capitals' Stanley Cup run - there is no better way than Metro to move large numbers of people quickly and efficiently," said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Wiedefeld. "Taking a break from daytime track work makes Metro the best way to see the blossoms without worrying about traffic or parking."

That's not all!

In honor of the 2019 National Cherry Blossom Festival, Metro will release a limited-edition SmarTrip card, available in specially marked fare vending machines at selected stations beginning today with all 91 stations by March 20. The cards feature an iconic image of the Jefferson Memorial surrounded by cherry blossom trees in peak bloom along the Tidal Basin.

So, if you buy the limited-edition SmarTrip card, you might sell it later for a sizable profit at online auction to a discriminating collector, and come out even - or even ahead - on your travel expenses!