Today is the first rush hour since the Metro reopened four Red Line stations after repairs and more work towards the Purple Line over the summer. Commuters can now ride the Silver Spring, Wheaton, Glenmont and Forest Glen stations again. News4’s Joseph Olmo reports.
Metro riders can now ride all five Red Line Metro stations that were closed during the summer due to construction on Sunday.
Here are the four stops opening up this week:
- Glenmont
- Wheaton
- Forest Glen
- Silver Spring
The fifth station, Takoma Park, reopened in late June, two days earlier than its expected opening date.
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The closures started June 1 and were put in place for improvements and allowed the Maryland Transit Administration to make progress on its Purple Line project.
For some, the closures disrupted some summer plans. Amy Marie Sol and her son Gustavo even left the area because of it.
“We're pretty reliant on being able to get around easily,” Sol said. “We're home-schoolers and we go to the museums and all of that kind of stuff.”
Now that the stations are open, both of them can take trips to the museums again.
Since the stations' reopening, riders should expect a smoother ride. Escalator and tunnel improvements were made, the tracks were strengthened and the pavement was smoothed out.
Bus-only lanes that were set up because of the closures are set to remain until at least the end of the year. One commuter named Zoe was relieved that they were staying open.
“Oh great, so that'll make it way easier for us,” Zoe said. “Because traffic definitely affects everything as well so the bus lanes will definitely help.”
As the Purple Line construction continues, it will feed into the Silver Spring Metro station. The long-delayed project is still years away from completion. Some commuters say they’re tired of the delays.
The Purple Line has been pushed back several times, now being predicted to be complete in 2027.
