Metro's New Potomac Yard Station Opening Date Set for May

Metro’s new Potomac Yard Metro station on Blue and Yellow Lines is set to officially open on Friday, May 19, Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson and Metro General Manager Randy Clarke announced Wednesday.

The new station is located in Alexandria, Virginia, between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Braddock Road.

NBC4 previously reported the station was set to open sometime in May. The announcement came as members of the media, including News4 Transportation Reporter Adam Tuss, toured the new station.

The price of the new station is about $350 million. Since the station backs up to National Park Service land, certain visual standards had to be met. Some of the nicer — and pricier — features include hand-cut and -laid stone.

There are some very nice - but pricey pieces to this station. Hand cut and laid stone for example. This station backs up to National Park Service land - and because of that, certain visual standards have to be met #wmata @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/DkXrP7rWAs

— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) April 19, 2023

There was some concern for the opening timeline after a construction vehicle slipped off the tracks near Potomac Yard earlier this month, forcing trains to single track.

However, the derailment was not connected to construction on the Potomac Yard station, Clarke said. The equipment was used to take materials to a yellow line bridge worksite.

Yellow Line service has been suspended since September due to the extensive construction work, but it's set to resume on May 7, less than two weeks before the new station debuts.

According to Metro, construction on the Potomac Yard station was 90% complete as of December.

"We are excited to have an opening in sight for Potomac Yard Station," Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said in a news release at the time. "Our team, the City of Alexandria, and contractors are working hard to complete the station and we look forward to providing new transit service to this rapidly developing area."

Once construction on the station is finished, it must be approved by the Fire Marshal, inspected by the City of Alexandria to make sure everything is up to code, and tested by Metro and the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission.

According to Metro, the new station "is expected to generate billions of dollars in new private sector investment over the long term," in addition to bringing 26,000 new jobs to the area.