Potomac commuters who have spent the summer rerouted onto charter buses will get their train back Sept. 7, when Metro reopens Grosvenor-Strathmore, Medical Center and Bethesda stations after a two-month construction shutdown.
The three stations closed July 6 to allow Metro to build a second mezzanine at Bethesda for the future Purple Line connection and to rehabilitate the Grosvenor-Strathmore platform with new slab edges, tiles, lighting and drainage, The Banner reported Aug. 17. Metro spokesperson Jordan Pascale confirmed the project is on schedule.
The closure hit Potomac riders hardest. Grosvenor-Strathmore is the closest Red Line station to the community, and the $16 million charter-bus operation that replaced train service added time and frustration to daily commutes. Riders with mobility issues reported difficulty boarding the shuttles, and transit advocates flagged the problem publicly.
"It's definitely inconvenient for people with accessibility issues, and that's something that in future shutdowns are going to need to be addressed," Mike Larkin, vice president of the Action Committee for Transit, told The Banner.
As we reported Aug. 11, the shutdown reached its midpoint with platform work progressing on schedule. Pascale said returning riders will notice improved lighting and new tiles at Grosvenor-Strathmore when service resumes.
Bus lanes could become permanent
Beyond the station work, the closure triggered a transportation experiment along the corridor Potomac commuters use daily. The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration installed 7.5 miles of bus-only lanes on Rockville Pike between Friendship Heights and North Bethesda, restricting car use from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Now county officials are evaluating whether to keep the northern segment of those lanes, from the Beltway to Marinelli Road, according to the county's travel-alternatives page for the closure. The county said data will be published and public input will be sought before any decision. The southern segment, from Woodmont Avenue to Western Avenue, will not be considered for permanent use because bus service levels there are too low to justify it.
The precedent is real. Bus lanes installed during a 2024 Red Line closure on the county's eastern side remain in place because they proved effective at moving buses.
Montgomery County Council member Kate Stewart, who represents the area affected by the 2024 closures, told The Banner in a July interview about lessons from that experience. "We found that signage and clear road demarcations were really important, so people understood where to go," Stewart said.
What's next
Potomac-area riders face another disruption ahead. Metro plans an extended shutdown between Twinbrook and Shady Grove in July 2027 for bridge rehabilitation and track work, WJLA reported. That closure will again affect Rockville Pike corridor commuters.
Residents who want to weigh in on whether the northern Rockville Pike bus lanes should become permanent can watch for the county's published data and public comment period. No deadline has been announced.
