WASHINGTON — Four Red Line stations are reopening in Maryland next week after months of renovations.
Glenmont, Wheaton and Forest Glen stations will all fully reopen and the Silver Spring station will partially reopen on Sept. 1 after closing for track work and more at the beginning of June. Takoma station, which was also closed, reopened at the end of June.
While the Red Line makeover is complete, the Purple Line mezzanine at the Silver Spring station will stay under construction and the scaffolding will cover about a third of the platform until 2027. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) gave access to the Maryland Transit Authority (MTA) to start constructing the Purple Line mezzanine at the station back in April.
During the construction, Metro workers replaced 6,500 feet of rail, restored 1,350 square feet of concrete and installed 102,000 feet of fiber optic cable for communications, among other improvements.
Workers also replaced automatic train control systems, installed traction power cables, replaced drain pumping stations, replaced the tunnel standpipe and maintained the elevators and escalators. An interlocking switch area between Fort Totten and Takoma was also rebuilt before that part of the track reopened in late June.
Here is the full list of work they did:
Replaced 6,500 feet of rail
Replaced 6,000 feet of grout pads, which improve ride quality
Repaired 857 areas for leak mitigation
Restored 1,350 square feet of concrete
Installed 102,000 feet of fiber optic cable for communications
Replaced 183 track signs
Replaced 2,500 crossties that support the rails
Replaced 1,000 fasteners that hold the rail to the grout pads
Replaced six switch machines
Replaced 12 train control processers
Replaced 650 insulators that insulate electricity around the third rail
Repaired 72,000 square feet of tile joints
Cleaned 40,000 feet of track bed
Cleaned 8,500 feet of drains
Repaired sidewalks
Replaced 354 signs on mezzanines, platforms, and entrances
Painted 12,700 square-feet of interior and exterior surfaces
Restriped parking and bus loop traffic directional arrows and crosswalks
By closing for the summer, Metro was able to complete what would have been eight months of weekend closures.
Crews were able to complete the equivalent of eight months of weekend closures and disruptions into the summer construction period.
Metro also says it will install new digital passenger information displays on platforms and station entrance digital screens at all Red Line stations under construction this summer.