Isbella Diaz
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Pope Francis’ visit to D.C. has a lot of people excited…unless you’re a work commuter trying to get downtown this week, that is.

The pope’s visit to the Capital from Tuesday, Sept. 22 through Thursday, Sept. 24 has been compared to such D.C. events as a large scale marathon, Fourth of July celebrations and a presidential inauguration…combined.

The Washington-Metro area is expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors, which will lead to crowding and delays on not just the metro-rail, but also a number of bus routes.

Metro is expecting large-scale crowding at stations at/near the pope’s public events, which are:

Wednesday, September 23:

• 11:00 a.m. The Papal Parade along the Ellipse and the National Mall
• 4:15 p.m. The Junipero Serra Canonization Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and

Thursday, September 24:

• 10 a.m. A Speech to the Senate and House of Representatives (Joint Session of Congress).

WMATA will provide additional track service during non-peak work hours on both Wednesday and Thursday this week. Passengers attending the public events are encouraged to stop at alternative Metro stations. Metro and DDOT will provide supplemental shuttle bus service to the adjacent Red Line stations of Fort Totten and Rhode Island Avenue.

The station closest to the Basilica is the Brookland/CUA station….which also just so happens to be the smallest station on the Red Line. It can accommodate about 5,000 passengers per hour, but the expected amount of ticketed guests to arrive at the Basilica that afternoon is 25,000.

Let’s just say it’ll be no easy commute.

Riders have been warned: Be prepared for long delays at Metro stations following Papal events. And we’re not talking those obnoxious 20 minutes delays. We’re talking hours.

Regular riders are encouraged to take public transit and even telecommute if possible.

Here are the Metro details you need to know (courtesy of WMATA)…

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015

• Hours: Metrorail will open at 5 a.m. and close at midnight.
• Fares: Normal weekday fare policies in effect.
• 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. 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. Riders should expect detours and delays on all routes serving Downtown DC.

Important Information About Brookland Station 

• More than 25,000 ticketed guests are expected to attend the Mass at the Basilica, placing extraordinary pressure on Brookland Station which has limited capacity.
• To accommodate as many people as possible:
  • Brookland Station may be designated “exit only” prior to the event (exact times TBD)
  • Brookland Station may be designated “entry only” following the event (exact times TBD)
  • Shuttle bus service will run between Brookland and two adjacent stations: Rhode Island Avenue and Fort Totten. Details will be released at a later date.
  • Additional bus service will be provided on the H Line to and from Columbia Heights.
• Despite these efforts, attendees may experience extremely lengthy waits before being able to reenter the Metrorail system.

Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015

• Hours: Metrorail will open at 5 a.m. and close at midnight.
• Fares: Normal weekday fares in effect.
• Parking: Regular rates apply at all Metro-operated facilities.
• 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).

Copyright 2015 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: Library of Congress, Flickr)