Major construction on Metro's Blue and Yellow lines underway

Major construction on Metro's Blue and Yellow lines began Saturday, Sept. 10 and is expected to continue through May 2023.

Starting Sept. 10, Metro began to fix the Yellow Line tunnel and bridge, and advance the improvements necessary to open the future Potomac Yard Station later in the fall. 

During the first phase, between Sept. 10 and Oct. 22, six Blue and Yellow line stations south of Reagan National Airport Station will be closed to connect the new Potomac Yard Station to the existing tracks. The closed stations include Braddock Road, King Street, Van Dorn Street, Franconia-Springfield, Eisenhower Avenue and Huntington.

Following the six-week shutdown, the six closed stations will reopen; however, the Yellow Line tunnel and bridge will remain closed for additional repairs through May 2023. 

Yellow Line service will not operate for the duration of the project, and trains will be rerouted through Rosslyn instead. Metro and regional transit providers will provide free bus shuttles, free parking and other travel alternatives, including additional Blue and Green line service.

READ MORE: Metro holds emergency exercise to prepare for opening of Silver Line extension

Free Metroway bus service and parking at Franconia-Springfield, Huntington and Van Dorn Street stations will be available from Sept. 10 through Oct. 22. The non-rider parking fee at Franconia-Springfield will be waived from Sept. 10 until summer 2023. 

Here is a breakdown of how service will be impacted and travel alternatives:

PHASE ONE: Sept. 10 – Oct. 22, 2022 

Rail Service

- No rail service south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Station

- No Yellow Line service

- Yellow Line stations north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Station will be served by the Blue or Green lines

- Additional Blue Line trains will operate every seven to nine minutes between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and New Carrollton stations (every 15 minutes after 9:30 p.m.)

- Blue Line customers traveling between Pentagon and L’Enfant Plaza stations should plan on approximately 15 minutes of extra travel time

- Green Line trains will operate every eight minutes (every 10 minutes after 9:30 p.m.) 

Metro notes that if 7000-series trains remain out of service, trains will operate less frequently.

Free Shuttle Service

Seven free bus shuttles will be offered during phase one, including local and express shuttles in Virginia and three limited-stop shuttles crossing the Potomac River. 

Local shuttles will be available during all Metrorail operating hours.

Blue Line Local: Local service stops at all Blue Line stations between Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn St, King St-Old Town, Braddock Rd, and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport stations every 10-20 minutes

Yellow Line Local: Local service between Huntington, Eisenhower Ave, King St-Old Town, Braddock Rd, and Crystal City stations every 10-15 minutes; No stop at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Station, use Blue Line from Crystal City for travel to/from airport

Express shuttles will be available most of the day (from 4:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily, 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekends).

Blue Line Express: Franconia-Pentagon Express service between Franconia-Springfield and Pentagon stations every 6 minutes

Yellow Line Express: Huntington-Pentagon Express service between Huntington and Pentagon stations every 6 minutes

Limited shuttles will be available during weekday rush hour only.

VA-DC Shuttle 1: Crystal City-L'Enfant (6:20 a.m. - 9:25 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. - 8:10 p.m.) Service between Crystal City, Pentagon City, Smithsonian, and L’Enfant Plaza stations every 12 minutes. Shuttle does not stop at Pentagon Station

VA-DC Shuttle 2: Pentagon-Archives (6:20 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.) Service between Pentagon, Smithsonian, and Archives stations every 12 minutes

VA-DC Shuttle 3: Mt. Vernon-Potomac Park (former 11Y Route) (5 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.) Service between Mt. Vernon, Alexandria, and Potomac Park every 20 minutes. Peak direction service only

PHASE TWO: Oct. 23, 2022 – May 2023 

Rail Service

- All stations will reopen, and service will resume south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Station

- All Yellow Line stations will be served by the Blue or Green lines Blue Line trains will operate every 12 minutes between Largo Town Center and Franconia-Springfield stations and every 12 minutes between Huntington and New Carrollton stations (every 15 minutes after 9:30 p.m.)

- Green Line trains will operate every eight minutes (every 10 minutes after 9:30 p.m.)

Metro notes that if 7000-series trains remain out of service, trains will operate less frequently.

Free Shuttle Service

Metro will continue to provide three limited-stop bus shuttles crossing the Potomac River during weekday rush hour only. 

VA-DC Shuttle 1: Crystal City-L'Enfant (6:20 a.m. - 9:25 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. - 8:10 p.m.) Service between Crystal City, Pentagon City, Smithsonian, and L’Enfant Plaza stations every 12 minutes; Shuttle does not stop at Pentagon Station

VA-DC Shuttle 2: Pentagon-Archives (6:20 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.) Service between Pentagon, Smithsonian, and Archives stations every 12 minutes

VA-DC Shuttle 3: Mt. Vernon-Potomac Park (former 11Y Route) (5 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.) Service between Mt. Vernon, Alexandria, and Potomac Park every 20 minutes; peak direction service only

Station Name Changes

Listed below are the five stations that will have new names as of Sunday, September 11thL

• White Flint in North Bethesda, Maryland will become North Bethesda
• Largo Town Center in Largo, Maryland will become Downtown Largo
• Tysons Corner in Tysons, Virginia will become Tysons
• Prince George’s Plaza in Hyattsville, Maryland will become Hyattsville Crossing
• West Falls Church in Falls Church, Virginia will change its secondary name from VT/UVA to VT only

Additional Resources 

Here are our latest Metro-related stories.

Metro will keep customers and stakeholders informed at wmata.com/majorconstruction. Customers, stakeholders, and the media are encouraged to sign up on the website to receive the latest project updates. 

Click here for service maps and a full list of travel alternatives.