Metro today announced that Greenbelt, College Park-U of Md, Hyattsville Crossing, and West Hyattsville stations – closed since July 22, – will reopen for rail service on Saturday, Sept. 2. The reopening will be three days ahead of schedule, and the project will be completed under budget.
While the four Green Line stations were closed, Metro installed over 21,000 linear feet of fiber-optic cable to improve radio and signal capabilities and provide the infrastructure necessary for future upgrades such as Communications-Based Train Control. Because the cables are housed in the middle of the two tracks, construction crews could only complete the work while both tracks were out of service.
During the fiber-optic cable installation, crews replaced 8,000 feet of rail, 900 rail fasteners, 1,250 wood crossties, and resurfaced 20,000 feet of track, which will improve the ride quality for customers through this section of the system. Crews also removed 60,000 feet of vegetation along the tracks, improving safety by providing a clear line of sight for train operators and maintenance workers.
“We are proud of the important infrastructure improvements we made this summer which will benefit our customers with more reliable and timely service for years to come,” Metro’s Chief of Infrastructure Andy Off. “We thank our customers for their patience as we completed this necessary work ahead of schedule and under budget to modernize our rail system. We can’t wait to see you on board!” The Green Line work caps off an intensive summer construction effort that started in May to upgrade infrastructure necessary to maintain safe and reliable service for customers.