The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced Tuesday that the Rockville and Shady Grove Metro stations will reopen on Jan. 16, 2022.
Both stations have been closed for more than four months for repairs to the canopies above both platforms as part of the Rockville Canopy Replacement Project.
“Shady Grove and Rockville stations will be ready to welcome back Red Line customers for rail service on January 16,” said Metro General Manager/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld. “Our project team continues working to ensure the completed canopy meets Metro’s quality standard and provides customers with a safe and comfortable place to wait for the train.”
Along with a more structurally stable concrete canopy above the Rockville platform, the station now features new information screens, brighter lighting and modern faregates. CCTV cameras were also installed along with higher quality PSA speakers.
The temporary shutdown allowed workers to install 7.3 miles of fiber optic cables to improve radio communications and make track repairs, a task that WMATA says would have taken more than nine months if no stations were closed.
However, WMATA stresses that even when the station re-opens in January, canopy work will not be finished. Workers still need to install glass-fiber reinforced concrete panels on the canopy’s steel structure.
“Metro’s capital program is focused on maintaining and improving the system for decades to come, including our rail stations and facilities,” said Wiedefeld. “We appreciate the community’s patience as we ensure our long-term plans for Rockville Station meet quality and safety standards.”
Metro to reopen Shady Grove and Rockville stations on January 16 https://t.co/blrbVmBuRD #wmata pic.twitter.com/8nLfYwWFf0
— Metro Forward (@wmata) December 7, 2021
