By Kayla Nazaire

Metro is suspending Green Line service to Greenbelt, College Park, Hyattsville Crossing and West Hyattsville until September 4 due to scheduled maintenance.

Metro will offer free shuttle service between all four stations and the Fort Totten station every 10 to 15 minutes. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has cautioned riders to anticipate longer commutes due to traffic and construction-related detours. 

Metro encouraged riders to use the trip planner on the WMATA website, which is updated weekly. The rest of the line will remain open, with service starting at the Fort Totten station. 

During the closure, maintenance crews will install fiber-optic cable, which will allow them to do updates outside of normal hours so customers will experience shorter and less frequent closures. The cables will also allow Metro to make additional improvements over time, including implementing computer-based train controls.

“We are working strategically to target maintenance locations and minimize the impacts on customers as we conduct this critical work to upgrade systems, improve reliability, and modernize station facilities. Continued maintenance work is essential to safe and reliable rail service,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Infrastructure Officer Andy Off in a January press release.

The Green Line closure is the last of four closures that have impacted the system since May. Ridership is down during the summer, making it an ideal time to schedule maintenance.

The Orange Line was closed three times from mid-May to early July while workers installed new roofing, replaced 30 miles of steel track and installed fiber-optic cables.

The Metro Center, Gallery Place and L’Enfant Plaza stations are all slated for renovations, as are all three escalators at the Dupont Circle station’s north entrance (Q Street and Connecticut Avenue). None of these renovations will require closures.

The University of Maryland Department of Transportation encouraged students and faculty affected by the closures to consider opting for sustainable forms of transportation like carpooling or riding university or Metro buses.