Game-Day Transit Sunday: P61 Buses Detour All Day for the Commanders Game, and Metro Center's Escalator Replacement Begins
WMATA has the P61 on detour in both directions until 11:59 p.m. Sunday around Northwest Stadium in Landover, and downtown, a months-long escalator replacement at Metro Center takes effect today, running through April 15, 2027.
Sunday night's Commanders game is reshaping bus service in Landover all day. Northbound P61 buses are on detour until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 1, on the Morgan Boulevard Station exit at Morgan Boulevard, due to the Washington Commanders vs Philadelphia Eagles game, WMATA says in its alerts. Southbound P61 buses are on detour until 11:59 p.m. Sunday on Brightseat Road at Landover Road for the same game, and a temporary detour covering the P41 and P61 runs the full day - from 12:01 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. - due to the Commanders game at Northwest Stadium.
Downtown, a longer project starts today. Metro Center's escalator replacement is listed by WMATA as effective November 1, 2026 through April 15, 2027 - a five-and-a-half-month window at the system's central transfer station. The alert listing gives the project's dates; riders passing through Metro Center in the coming months should expect escalator work to be a standing feature of the station and build a few extra minutes into transfers there.
Both items sit on WMATA's alerts and advisories page, which is the live source for the day: the game detours expire at midnight tonight when the P61 returns to its regular routing, while the Metro Center work runs into next spring. Riders heading to Landover for the 8:20 p.m. kickoff, in particular, should check the alerts page before relying on the P61's usual stops near the stadium.
