What's next for Metro as region moves into phase 2

Things are awfully quiet at Metro stops throughout D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. In fact, overall rail ridership was down 93 percent last week when compared to 2019. But the question becomes – what happens as the DMV continues to open back up?

“As soon as the jobs open back up, more people are gonna come,” Metro rider James Watson said Friday.

“It’s gonna be more people,” Roberta Gill added. “It will.”

Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather

But those people will notice some changes. Not only are many stations closed because of COVID-19, there’s another summer shutdown happening right now too, with four Orange Line stations – Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church, and East Falls Church – currently closed for platform construction.

Not to mention, we are still in the middle of a pandemic. In a response to written questions, a Metro spokesperson said in part, “It’s important that everyone understand that – like other forms of transportation – space on public transit is limited and, while we continue to encourage riders to practice social distancing, we cannot guarantee that will be possible at all times.”

“You just have to take your risk and just stay cautious,” Gill said in response.

So even though safety precautions are in place, like a requirement that all riders wear face coverings, several travelers still said they don’t expect ridership to get back to normal for quite some time.

“I think it might be kind of a slow return because some people are still concerned about what’s going on and everything and don’t feel 100 percent safe with what’s going on and still want to social distance,” Jen Jones explained.

Metro is still asking people to only use the system for essential trips. The spokesperson said that if ridership does in fact increase, they’ll be able to add additional shuttle bus service to quickly adapt.