WMATA Extends Yellow Line to Greenbelt (Again) -

By Anthony Curioso

As was originally announced in June, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has extended its Yellow Line subway service to the system’s Greenbelt station, the northernmost terminus of the Green Line, effective on December 31, 2025.

Northbound Yellow Line trains had been terminating at the Mount Vernon Square station, which also serves the Green Line, since the Yellow Line reopened following the completion of a major reconstruction project in May 2023.

Under the new service pattern, northbound Yellow Line trains will alternate between terminating at Mount Vernon Square and extending to Greenbelt. On weekdays, WMATA promises that trains to Mount Vernon Square will operate every 6-8 minutes, and those extending further north to Greenbelt will operate every 12-15 minutes. On weekends, Mount Vernon Square-terminating Yellow Line trains will operate every 8 minutes, while Greenbelt-terminating Yellow Line trains will operate every 16 minutes. Alternating termini of Yellow Line trains provide the line with a pattern similar to the service pattern that has been in place on the WMATA Silver Line since June, with trains on that line alternating between eastern termini at New Carrollton (shared with the Orange Line) and Downtown Largo (shared with the Blue Line).

WMATA cited budget concerns and plans to enhance downtown DC service when it decided to terminate northbound Yellow Line trains at Mount Vernon Square in 2023. Previously, the Yellow Line was extended to Greenbelt in 2019 to maintain service during a platform-reconstruction project at Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport and stations to the south. After that project, Yellow Line service to Greenbelt was retained until the latest reconstruction began in November 2022, focusing on the bridge between L’Enfant Plaza and the Pentagon; that project lasted for six months and concluded in May 2023.

The resumption of Yellow Line service to Greenbelt right at the end of 2025 follows a period of single-track operations on the Yellow and Green Lines for much of December, which enabled significant safety, cleanliness, and other facilities-related upgrades at the impacted stations. This service resumption now allows transfer-free Metro subway rides from places such as Columbia Heights, DC and College Park, Maryland, in the northern half of the corridor to Arlington and Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, the Pentagon, and Reagan Airport in the southern half of the corridor–trips which would have previously required switching lines at some point along the length of one’s commute between these areas of the system.

Randy Clarke, the general manager of WMATA, gave his thoughts on the Yellow Line extension in a press release:

“Extending Yellow Line service to Greenbelt is about making travel simpler and more convenient for our customers,” said Mr. Clarke. “This change creates more one-seat rides across the region, better connecting Maryland, D.C., and Virginia, and giving riders more flexibility in how they move throughout the system. We’re grateful for our customers’ patience as we completed this work and are excited to deliver these improvements.”

The most recent press release and other media outlets that have covered the newly resumed Yellow Line extension to Greenbelt seem to suggest this change is permanent; however, only time will tell whether budget issues or other constraints will require WMATA to consider cutting northbound Yellow Line service back to Mount Vernon Square again.

WMATA provides several ways to keep track of the latest updates to Metro subway and bus service, including the system’s website, MetroPulse app, MetroAlerts text and email subscriptions, and social media feeds on X and Bluesky.