“free shuttle bus service and other travel alternatives to help customers begin planning for this summer’s closure of four Green and Yellow line stations”

Photo by Geoff Livingston

From WMATA:

“Metro today announced free shuttle bus service and other travel alternatives to help customers begin planning for this summer’s closure of four Green and Yellow line stations scheduled for reconstruction. Starting Saturday, May 29 through Monday, Sept. 6, 2021, Greenbelt, College Park-U of Md, Prince George’s Plaza, and West Hyattsville stations on the Green and Yellow lines will be closed.

The station closures are part of Metro’s Platform Improvement Project that will completely reconstruct the outdoor platforms at 20 Metrorail stations, making platforms safer and more accessible for customers with disabilities, while also addressing safety concerns and longstanding structural issues. Eleven stations in Virginia have been completed over the past two years, and two additional stations on the Blue and Silver lines are currently undergoing platform reconstruction through May 23, 2021.

“I encourage everyone who uses Metrorail north of Fort Totten to begin planning now to ensure your travel needs are met this summer while crews work around the clock to rebuild these aging stations,” said Metro General Manager/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld. “By the end of the summer, 17 of the 20 stations in need of these critical repairs will be complete, and we look forward to welcoming our customers back with a safer and more convenient station experience.”

In preparation for the summer closure, additional work will be necessary on the Fort Totten interlocking. The work will occur during a previously scheduled weekend shutdown May 1-2 at West Hyattsville, Prince George’s Plaza, College Park-U of Md, and Greenbelt, and during the week of May 3-9 when there will be no Green or Yellow Line service between Ft. Totten and Prince George’s Plaza.

Full details about the Platform Improvement Project, including shuttle bus information, are listed below and available at wmata.com/platforms.

Rail Service Information

No Green or Yellow Line rail service north of Fort Totten.
Yellow Line trains will operate between Huntington & Mt Vernon Sq.
Green Line trains will operate between Branch Ave & Fort Totten.
Trains elsewhere in the system will operate every 12 minutes on weekdays & every 15 minutes on weekends.

Travel Alternatives

Free shuttle bus service will be available at the closed stations:
Limited-stop service between Greenbelt, College Park-U of Md & Fort Totten every 6-10 minutes.
Limited-stop service between Prince George’s Plaza, West Hyattsville & Fort Totten every 6-10 minutes.
Local service between Greenbelt, College Park-U of Md, Prince George’s Plaza, & West Hyattsville Greenbelt every 15 minutes.

Customers may also consider the regular-route bus service detailed below to get around the construction areas. Metrobus timetables are available here.

Greenbelt

Metrobus G12 & G14: service to New Carrollton Station
Metrobus R12: service to College Park-U of Md & Deanwood stations
TheBus 16: service to New Carrollton Station

College Park-U of Md

Metrobus 83: service to Rhode Island Ave Station
Metrobus 86: service to Prince George’s Plaza & Rhode Island Ave stations
Metrobus F6: service to New Carrollton, Prince George’s Plaza, West Hyattsville & Fort Totten stations
Metrobus R12: service to College Park-U of Md & Deanwood stations

Prince George’s Plaza

Metrobus 86: service to Prince George’s Plaza & Rhode Island Ave stations
Metrobus F4: service to Silver Spring & New Carrollton stations
Metrobus F6: service to New Carrollton, Prince George’s Plaza, West Hyattsville & Fort Totten stations
Metrobus F8: service to West Hyattsville & Cheverly stations
Metrobus R4: service to West Hyattsville & Brookland stations
TheBus 13: service to West Hyattsville Station
TheBus 18: service to Addison Rd Station

West Hyattsville

Metrobus F1 & F2: service to Takoma & Cheverly stations
Metrobus F6: service to New Carrollton, Prince George’s Plaza, West Hyattsville & Fort Totten stations
Metrobus F8: service to West Hyattsville & Cheverly stations
Metrobus R4: service to West Hyattsville & Brookland stations
TheBus 13: service to West Hyattsville Station

Parking Information

Beginning Saturday, May 29 parking at Greenbelt, College Park-U of Md, Prince George’s Plaza and West Hyattsville will be free for the duration of the station closures. Regular rates will be charged at other Metro parking facilities.

Parking at West Hyattsville & Greenbelt will be limited before, during, and after construction due to construction staging at these stations. Detailed information about these impacts can be found here.

About the Platform Improvement Project

The Platform Improvement Project is a major initiative under Metro’s 10-year, $15.5 billion Capital Improvement Program. Metro developed the Platform Improvement Project to advance the reconstruction of platforms at 20 stations while minimizing customer impact. The four-year project will primarily use extended shutdowns, rather than single tracking, to provide contractors with 24-hour access to selected work sites. This approach was developed to improve safety while significantly reducing project duration because workers do not have to repeatedly set-up and break down their equipment. The approach also minimizes customer impact outside the work zone by allowing Metro to continue to provide normal rail service elsewhere on the system.”