The Metro Blue Line will undergo a comprehensive $350-million modernization beginning in January 2019 to improve reliability, enhance safety, and improve the customer experience, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced. Work to modernize the Blue Line, Metro’s oldest rail line, now 28 years old, has been ongoing since 2014 with a series of safety and operational improvements.

The upcoming improvement project — called the New Blue — will require portions of the line to be temporarily closed for two extended four-month closures beginning in January. In addition, Blue Line service to Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station will be closed for eight months and will be rebuilt with more capacity, a new customer service center and community plaza, easier connections to local buses and surrounding communities, and upgrades to safety and security systems.

Work on the Blue Line will include improvements to the signaling, tracks, and the overhead wires that deliver electricity to trains. Four new crossover tracks will be built to reduce service interruptions. There will also be numerous station improvements, including new digital map cases, signage, paint, and landscaping.