Construction for the Metro and Purple Line will lead to the closure of five Red Line train stops this summer

Future Rails

Photo: The rails of future purple line.

The rails of future purple line. Photo courtesy of Beck Rowe.

The Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring, and Takoma Red Line Metro stations will be closed due to Purple Line construction from early June to early September 2024, WMATA announced in a Feb. 8 press release. 

Construction for the Purple Line project began in August 2017 and connects communities from Montgomery County to Prince George’s County. The goal of the project is to take thousands of cars off the road while providing a reliable east-west transit service.

The main construction will occur at the Silver Spring station, where Metro will make the connection between the Purple Line project and the Red Line more accessible. According to Metro, they are not able to keep the stations open further down the line due to safety concerns. “Building the new connection between the [Purple Line project and the Red Line] will require the use of both tracks for an extended period and can’t be completed safely and timely with single tracking only,” they state.

Metro will also be ensuring the general upkeep of the stations by upgrading rail technology and maintaining elevators and escalators. The Takoma Park station may reopen before the end date after the work is completed.

Metro expects there to be shuttle buses running from Glenmont to the next available Red Line station Fort Totten, but details have not yet been released. 

In the summer of 2026, the opposite side of the Red Line will close from Friendship Heights to Grosvenor-Strathmore due to a similar connection construction with the Purple Line. 

Red Line Graphic

Photo: Red Line graphic of planned summer construction

Red Line graphic of planned summer construction Photo courtesy of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.