Updated: 09/24/2015

Please find information regarding transportation plans for the September 22-24 DC Papal Visit below:

Calendar of Events

  • Pope Francis Visits Washington D.C.
    • Tuesday, September 22, 2015
      • 4pm: Pope Francis arrives in D.C. at Joint Base Andrews at 4 p.m.
    • Wednesday, September 23, 2015
      • 9:15 a.m: White House Welcoming Ceremony and personal meeting with President Barack Obama
      • 11:00 a.m.  Papal Parade along the Ellipse and the National Mall
      • 11:30 a.m: Midday Prayer with U.S. bishops at Saint Matthew’s Cathedral in D.C.
      • 4:15 p.m: Junipero Serra Canonization Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
    • Thursday, September 24, 2015
      • 9:20 a.m: Arrival at Capitol
      • 10 a.m. Speech to the Senate and House of Representatives (Joint Session of Congress)
      • 11 a.m. Brief appearance on West Front of Capitol
      • 11:15 a.m:  Visit to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in D.C. and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington
      • 4 p.m: Departure for New York from Joint Base Andrews (D.C.)
      • 5 p.m. Arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York)
      • 6:45 p.m. Evening prayer at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (New York)

Congestion Comparison: Thursday, September 24, 2015 vs two previous Thursdays

Congestion Comparison: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 vs two previous Wednesdays

Current Travel Conditions

 

Follow our regional stakeholders via Twitter

Agency Feed

NCR Trusted Government Sources

 

Websites

Maps

September 22-24, 2015

Nunciature Road Closures

Nunciature Road Closures and Alternate Routes

 

September 23, 2015

White House Road Closures

White House Closures and Alternate Routes

 

St. Matthew Road Closures

St. Matthew Road Closures and Alternate Routes

 

Basilica Road Closures

Basilica Road Closures and Alternate Routes

 

September 24, 2015

US Capitol Road Closures

US Capitol Closures and Alternate Routes

St. Patrick’s Road Closures

St. Patrick's Church Road Closures and Detours
US Capitol Road Closures, USCP (pdf)

US Office of Personnel Management Information

Day Recommendation
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 Open, however agencies are urged to permit employees to use their workplace flexibility options.  OPM strongly encourages agencies to allow employees to telework, adjust their work schedule and use their alternative work schedule day off or take annual leave, leave without pay, and /or previously earned compensatory time off or earned credit hours under a flexible work schedule. 
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 Open, however agencies are urged to permit employees to use their workplace flexibility options.  OPM strongly encourages agencies to allow employees to telework, adjust their work schedule and use their alternative work schedule day off or take annual leave, leave without pay, and /or previously earned compensatory time off or earned credit hours under a flexible work schedule. 
Thursday, September 24, 2015 Open, however agencies are urged to permit employees to use their workplace flexibility options.  OPM strongly encourages agencies to allow employees to telework, adjust their work schedule and use their alternative work schedule day off or take annual leave, leave without pay, and /or previously earned compensatory time off or earned credit hours under a flexible work schedule. 

Road Closures

Jurisdiction

Road Closures
District of Columbia DC road closures and parking restrictions
Maryland No closures planned at this time.
Virginia No closures planned at this time.I-395HOV/I-95 Express Lanes reversal operations will begin at 10:00am, one hour earlier than normal on September 23 & 24.  The facility will be reversed from northbound to southbound to support events occuring in the District of Columbia.
National Park Service Parkways No closures planned at this time.

 

Public Transportation

Provider

Service Levels
AmtrakUpdated: 8/21/15 Normal Service for Northeast Corridor with additional capacity.Amtrak Advisory for Papal Visit (pdf)
WMATAUpdated: 9/22/15
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015
  • Hours: Metrorail will open at 5 a.m. and close at midnight.
  • Fares: Normal weekday fare policies in effect (Peak fares are charged from opening until 9:30 a.m. and between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. All other times are off peak.)
  • Parking: Regular rates apply at all Metro-operated facilities. Parking facilities may reach capacity earlier than normal. Have a back-up plan in the event your parking facility is full.
  • Stations: All Metrorail stations will be open; however, selected station entrances may be closed due to security needs.
  • Regular rush-hour train service during the AM and PM commute.
  • Additional train service during midday and late evening hours. There will be no scheduled track work on any rail line, and trains will run at near rush-hour service levels during midday and late evening hours to provide additional capacity for riders. It is not possible to add trains during rush hours, as every available car is already being used for service. As a result, the system is expected to be extremely crowded during the traditional rush hour periods.
  • Metrobus will operate on a regular weekday schedule, including all DC public school trips. Riders should expect detours and delays on all routes serving Downtown DC.
  • MetroAccess will operate on a regular schedule with detours, delays and service adjustments as a result of Papal events and associated road closures. MetroAccess customers should allow extra time due to increased traffic if traveling during the Papal visit.  Door-to-door service may be limited near Papal events. To cancel a non-essential trip, call 301-562-5360 or visit wmata.com/metroaccess. For updated service information, sign up for MetroAlerts email and text messages at wmata.com/metroalerts.
Brookland Station
  • To support the expected 25,000 guests arriving for Mass at the Basilica on Wednesday afternoon, Brookland Station may be designated “exit only” prior to the event and “entry only” following the event (exact times TBD)
  • Due to capacity issues at Brookland Station, riders may wish to consider using two adjacent stations: Rhode Island Avenue and Fort Totten. Rhode Island Avenue is about a 1 mile (20 minute) walk to Brookland; Fort Totten is about 2 miles (35 minutes) away. DC Circulator will offer limited bus service between the stations and the event (fare $1 each way). You can also take Metrorail to Columbia Heights (Green/Yellow lines) and transfer to an H3 bus for service to the Brookland area.
Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015
  • Hours: Metrorail will open at 5 a.m. and close at midnight.
  • Fares: Normal weekday fares in effect. (Peak fares are charged from opening until 9:30 a.m. and between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. All other times are off peak.)
  • Parking: Regular rates apply at all Metro-operated facilities. Parking facilities may reach capacity earlier than normal. Have a back-up plan in the event your parking facility is full.
  • Stations: All Metrorail stations will be open; however, selected station entrances may be closed due to security needs.
  • Regular rush hour train service during the AM and PM commute.
  • Additional train service during midday hours. There will be no scheduled track work on any rail line, and trains will run at near rush-hour service levels during midday hours to provide additional capacity for riders. Riders should note that it is not possible to add trains or cars during rush hours, as every available car is already being used for service. As a result, the system is expected to be extremely crowded during the traditional rush hour periods.
  • Metrobus will operate on a regular weekday schedule, including all DC public school trips. Expect detours and delays on all routes that travel near the U.S. Capitol (morning event) and Gallery Place (afternoon event).
  • MetroAccess will operate on a regular schedule with detours, delays and service adjustments as a result of Papal events and associated road closures. MetroAccess customers should allow extra time due to increased traffic if traveling during the Papal visit.  Door-to-door service may be limited near Papal events. To cancel a non-essential trip, call 301-562-5360 or visit wmata.com/metroaccess. For updated service information, sign up for MetroAlerts email and text messages at wmata.com/metroalerts.
DC CirculatorUpdated: 9/19/15
Route Service Suspensions and Reductions
Due to large crowds and street closures, service on the National Mall route will be suspended Wednesday, 9/23 and Thursday, 9/24. Buses on the following routes will run every 15 minutes beginning at 12pm on Wednesday, 9/23. Normal frequencies on the routes shown below will resume Thursday, 9/24, as rolling closures and congestion allow.
  • Dupont Circle—Georgetown—Rosslyn
  • Georgetown—Union Station
  • Woodley Park—Adams Morgan—McPherson Square
  • Union Station—Navy Yard (See #3 below)
  • Potomac Ave—Skyland
Shuttle Service to the Basilica
DC Circulator buses and operators will provide a shuttle – at the standard $1 per trip rate – between the Rhode Island Avenue, Brookland—CUA, and Fort Totten stations from 12pm to 9pm on Wednesday, 9/23. Wait times may vary so please allow yourself extra travel time.
Detour: Union Station – Navy Yard
To avoid large crowds and major traffic changes, buses on the Union Station to Navy Yard route will operate on the following detour around the U.S. Capitol:
  • Southbound: Buses will travel from Union Station down Massachusetts Avenue NE and turn on 4th Street NE toward Pennsylvania Avenue SE. They will then travel their normal route to Navy Yard Metro.
  • Northbound: Buses will travel from Navy Yard Metro to Pennsylvania Avenue and turn on 6th Street SE heading back to Union Station via C Street NE.
Virginia Railway ExpressUpdated: 9/17/15 Normal ServicePress Release (pdf)
MTA MARC TrainUpdated: 9/21/15 Reguler Schedule for September 23 & 24 on Penn, Camden, Brunswick lines plus extra cars on select trains on Camden and Brunswick lines.MARC Train Service AdvisoryMTA Advisory
MTA Commuter BusUpdated: 9/4/15
Commuter Bus service will operate a modified schedule on Wednesday, September 23rd and Thursday, September 24th. Due to the expected traffic congestion by event visitors and significant road closures for security purposes, MTA has determined that we can best accommodate our Washington, DC commuters, by providing service to five (5) Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail Stations.
*Morning pick-up times and stops will remain the same as posted in the current timetable, except Route 850 which will run 5 extra trips 15 minutes later than posted trip times.
**Please note: Routes 230, 240, 345, 610, 715, 830, and 840 WILL NOT OPERATE on those days. Patrons are encouraged to use one of the routes that will work best with their commuting schedule. Regular fare will be collected.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 and Thursday, September 24, 2015- Commuter Bus will operate a modified AM and PM schedule to and from WMATA Metrorail Stations (see link below)

MTA Commuter Bus Advisory

MTA Advisory
Alexandria Dash Normal Service
Arlington Transit Normal Service
City of Fairfax CUE Bus Normal Service
Fairfax ConnectorUpdated: 9/9/15
To avoid increased tour bus and pedestrian activity in the Pentagon City area related to Pope Francis’ visit to the National Capital Region, Fairfax Connector Route 599 buses will bypass stops along:
Army Navy Drive and 15th Street west of South Eads Street.
South Hayes Street at Pentagon City Metro.
These detours will be in effect from Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015, through Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015. During this time:
Buses will operate via South Eads Street between Crystal City and the Pentagon.
Riders in the Pentagon City area should board buses at Metrobus stops along South Eads Street between Army Navy Drive and 15th Street, or at the Pentagon Metro station, Lower Level Bay L7.

Route 599 buses will resume regular routing on Friday, Sept. 25, 2015. All other Fairfax Connector routes will be operating normal routing during the Papal visit to the National Capital Region.

Service Advisory
Loudoun County Commuter BusUpdated: 9/9/15 All commuter bus services between Loudoun County and Rosslyn, the Pentagon, Crystal City and Washington DC have been cancelled on Wednesday, September 23rd and Thursday, September 24th due to the Papal visit. These bus services have been replaced with service to and from the West Falls Church Metro Station on these two days only.Service Timetable
PRTCUpdated: 9/11/15
The Emergency Service Plan will be activated for ALL OmniRide routes all day on Wednesday, September 23, and Thursday, September 24, due to street closures and anticipated congestion and crowds during Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Washington, D.C. OmniRide buses WILL NOT serve regular destinations in DC and northern Virginia.
OmniRide buses will operate their regular local pick-up routing, according to the published schedules, in the morning, and local drop-off routing in the afternoon. Instead of their regular DC, Arlington and Tysons Corner stops, OmniRide buses will serve nearby Metro stations:
  • Manassas OmniRide and Gainesville OmniRide routes will serve the Tysons Corner Metro Station.
  • Eastern Prince William OmniRide routes will serve the Franconia-Springfield Metro Station.
  • Metro Direct, OmniLink and Cross County Connector buses will operate their regular routes as scheduled.

Service Advisory
WHS Transportation(DoD/Pentagon Shuttles)Updated: 9/21/15 From 9/22 – 9/24, Routes 2 and 7 will be temporarily suspended due to Papal Visit.
Central Maryland Regional Transit Normal Service
Frederick County Transit Normal Service
Montgomery County Ride On Normal Service
Prince George’s County The Bus Normal Service

Social Media

Some of the Twitter sites being used to communicate information from transportation, public safety, and security partners include:

Note: To receive alerts from the US Park Police alerts involving the visit of Pope Francis, text “POPEFRANCIS” to 888777.