Potomac Yard Metro station, decades in the making, opens in northern Virginia

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I'd like to get there before the first person urinates in the elevator.

TRANSPORTATION

Potomac Yard Metro station, decades in the making, opens in Alexandria

The new stop on the Blue and Yellow lines is Metro’s 98th station, located between the Reagan National Airport and Braddock Road stations

By Michael Laris
Updated May 19, 2023 at 8:50 a.m. EDT | Published May 19, 2023 at 5:00 a.m. EDT



The Potomac Yard Metrorail station. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

The Potomac Yard Metro station opened at 5 a.m. Friday in Alexandria, concluding a decades-long quest to add a rail link to an area local leaders hope will see environmentally sound, tech-oriented and transit-focused development.

The new stop on the Blue and Yellow lines is Metro’s 98th station, located between the Reagan National Airport and Braddock Road stations. New bus routes are set to open through the weekend to link the station to other parts of Alexandria and the region.

The station marks the latest step in Metro’s efforts to move beyond a train shortage and a pandemic that has shifted commuter patterns while reducing transit demand. It’s the seventh Metro station to open in recent months, following six new Silver Line stations that expanded Metro’s footprint deep into Northern Virginia.

Unlike those recent additions, Potomac Yard is the first station to open between two existing stations since NoMa-Gallaudet U in 2004.

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This is a developing story and will be updated.

By Michael Laris
Michael Laris writes about the transformation of the U.S. transportation system. He has covered government accountability and was a reporter in Beijing. Twitter https://twitter.com/mikelaris

Potomac Yard currently tied with Wheaton, at zero days without a shooting inside the station.

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4:38 AM

Metro’s Potomac Yard Station Is Open: Here’s What You Need To Know
Jordan Pascale



Signs welcome riders to the new Potomac Yard station.
Metro / Metro

Potomac Yard, Metro’s newest and 98th station overall, is open as of 5 a.m. Friday morning. Alexandria residents have waited decades for this moment.

The new station is on the Blue and Yellow lines between National Airport and Braddock Road stops. It’s Metro’s second station built to fill in service gaps between previously existing stations. NoMa-Galluadet is the system’s only other infill station.

Developments like a new Virginia Tech campus, mixed-use retail, and apartments are sprouting up around the station.

“This station will provide better, more accessible transportation, spur economic growth, and help reduce the region’s carbon footprint,” Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said in a statement.

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