For the past few weeks, track work on Metrorail's red line has caused severe delays and frustration for AU students.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority workers are currently replacing a rail switch near the Van Ness-UDC station, according to Steven Taubenkibel, a spokesman for the agency.
A rail switch is the mechanism that allows trains to move from one track to another in case of a service disruption or customer emergency, he said. The switch is more than 26 years old, and Taubenkibel called its replacement "preventative maintenance."
Work on the switch began the weekend of Feb. 23 and will end the weekend of March 15, according to Taubenkibel.
"It is causing so many delays because trains have to share one track from Dupont Circle to Friendship Heights," he said.
Customers must wait until one train has gone the entire length before a train going the opposite direction can arrive. This can cause wait times between trains to grow to as long as 30 minutes.
Alexander Feld, a sophomore in the Kogod School of Business and the School of International Service, said he experienced a long delay recently on the red line.
"I was in the Metro for an hour with my parents, and we were late for our dinner reservation," he said.
Taubenkibel said he recommends customers allow at least 30 additional minutes for travel time when taking Metro during single tracking.
Many trains are also discontinuing service at the Friendship Heights station instead of going all the way through.
Will Nainis, a freshman in Kogod, said the service disruption is frustrating.
"It's annoying when they drop you off at Friendship Heights, and you have to wait 20 minutes for a train to Bethesda even though it's only one stop," he said.
Metro is only single tracking during weekends in an attempt to inconvenience business travelers as little as possible, according to Taubenkibel.
"[Single tracking] is extremely inconvenient and aggravating, especially for it to be on the weekends when you use it most," said Alana Coleman, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs.
Feld said the delays on Metro have caused him to look for other means of transportation.
"I've learned the bus system since," he said.
Randi Fuchs, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she ended up taking a taxi because of a service disruption.
"We wasted money on a cab to Bethesda because the Metro is so slow," Fuchs said.
Nainis said she feels the Metro's quality has gotten worse in the past few months.
"It seems like there's always something not working on [the] Metro," he said, mentioning the frequent elevator and escalator outages as an example.
Feld said that even though he's annoyed by the track maintenance, it is important to fix any old equipment.
"I'd rather [the Metro system] be safe than get into an accident," Feld said.
