The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) announced it is welcoming customers back to the Yellow Line on Sunday, May 7, 2023, beginning with the start of rail service at 7 a.m.

The reopening will mark the completion of rehabilitation work on the Yellow Line tunnel and bridge between Pentagon and L'Enfant Plaza stations, according to Metro's news release.

Following eight months of construction for safety repairs, customers will once again have a connection across the Potomac River between Virginia and DC, instead of only using the Blue Line. This will reduce travel times by as much as 15 minutes.

Initially, trains will run every eight minutes on weekdays, every 12 minutes after 9:30 p.m., and on weekends between Huntington and Mt Vernon Square. Blue+ service that has been operating between Huntington and New Carrollton will be discontinued once the Yellow Line reopens.  

"I want to thank our customers for their patience while we completed this critical work to ensure safe, reliable service for decades to come," said Randy Clarke, Metro GM/CEO. "I'm also very proud and thankful to the dedicated women and men who worked to deliver this complex project on schedule and on budget."

Construction crews have worked since September to mitigate water intrusion in the steel-lined tunnel and replace aging bridge bearings and expansion joints. The work included replacing over 1,000 individual steel plates held together by more than 12,000 bolts in the tunnel and replacing 88 bearings on the bridge.

The project also upgraded the fire suppression system on the 3,000-foot bridge and removed and replaced miles of critical communications cables used by multiple regional partners.