WMATA Reopens Two Orange Line Stations; Announces Green Line Maintenance

WMATA re-opens two Orange Line stations after rail replacement.

Photo: WMATA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a news release from Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), two Orange Line stations re-opened today after track maintenance.

Track maintenance for WMATA recently included rail replacement and the installation of fiber-optics between its Vienna and Dunn Loring stations. According to the release, close to “25 miles of new rail” and “415 new welds to connect the rails together” were installed during this particular phase of construction. Moreover, crews worked to remove over 97,000 feet of vegetation around the stations in order to keep the areas clear during inclement weather.

Andy Off, Metro’s Chief of Infrastructure maintained the importance of this maintenance work in that “replacing this section of rail was critical to ensuring the Orange Line is safe and reliable for years to come.”

Previously, Metro closed four stations on its Orange Line in Virginia as crews replaced the steel rail between Ballston-MU and Vienna. Looking ahead, Metro will focus its construction efforts on its Green Line starting this Saturday, July 22^nd. This maintenance work will look to “install fiber-optic cable, replace platform edge lighting, and replace power cables and switch machines.” This work on the machines and new cables should keep Metro’s service reliable for the forseeable future.

Starting this weekend, Metro’s Green Line stations between Fort Totten and Greenbelt will be closed until September 4^th. Service at Fort Totten’s Green Line will be unavailable this weekend, but the Red Line service will still be available for riders.