The Washington Area Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Arlington County, and other local and Virginia state officials broke ground on the future east entrance to the Crystal City Metrorail Station.

The new station entrance at 18th Street South and Crystal Drive is set to open in late 2027.

It will include an above ground station entrance with faregates and fare vending machines, two new elevators, and a set of stairs that will take customers from a new mezzanine to the train platforms.

A New Entrance

With a new east entrance, the station will have greater capacity and less crowding during peak periods, more access for people with mobility needs, and provide another point of access for emergency responders when needed.

The new entrance is closer to a main arterial of Crystal Drive and to transfers to Metroway, VRE, ART, Fairfax Connector, OmniRide, and nearby bike and pedestrian trails.

“Crystal City is one of our busiest stations in Virginia with over 5,500 average daily entries,” said GM/CEO Randy Clarke. “This new station entrance will be an asset to our system and is a great example of the way Metro and the region are working together to grow our economy and connect people to transit.”

A new entrance will help meet growing demand in the coming years as Amazon and other developments continue to grow.

Construction of the New Station

Arlington County is overseeing construction of the new entrance, but WMATA will take over the new entrance and operate it once construction is complete.

The project will take about three years to complete. The sidewalk and travel lanes closest to the project site are currently closed, and customers can expect similar changes to traffic and pedestrian patterns throughout construction.

The entrance will cost an estimated $146 million and be paid for through federal, state, regional, and local funds.