Major downtown D.C. Metro stations closed until Dec. 31

The big picture: Metro's construction project to improve tracks and signaling — which makes for smoother rides — is timed around the holidays because ridership is historically 40% lower, according to WMATA.

• A long closure prevents a month's worth of weekend shutdowns in the same area.

Closures are as follows:

• Dec. 20-26: Farragut West, McPherson Square, and the lower level (Blue, Orange, Silver service) at Metro Center will be closed.
• Dec. 27-30: Farragut West, McPherson Square; lower level (Blue, Orange, Silver service) at Metro Center, Federal Triangle, and Smithsonian; and the lower level of L'Enfant Plaza (Blue, Orange, Silver service) will also be closed.
• Dec. 31: All stations reopen.

Zoom in: Free express shuttles will replace train routes during construction, with wait times estimated between 8-12 minutes.