West Hyattsville (WMATA Station)
With an average of 1,511 daily riders, West Hyattsville was the 67th-busiest Metro station in 2023.
History
The station was originally known as "Chillum" but was changed to "West Hyattsville" in 1979, well before services began on December 11, 1993.
The Yellow Line began serving West Hyattsville as of June 18, 2012 when the Metro Rush+ Initiative was introduced, which extended the Yellow Line from Fort Totten all the way up to Greenbelt, by way of the already existing Green Line Metrorail Train tracks, during weekday rush hour/peak period commuter times. The Yellow Line originally terminated at Mount Vernon Square but was later on extended to Fort Totten on December 31, 2006 as part of a 12-month experiment during off peak commuter times and weekends, at the suggestion of D.C. Councilmember, Jim Graham. Due to its success, this extension of the Yellow Line was made permanent around May, 2008. However; on June 25, 2017, Metro's Yellow Line trains stopped serving the West Hyattsville station due to the elimination of Rush+, which was part of major changes to the Metrorail system.
However; on May 20, 2019, Metro announced that Yellow Line trains will be re-extended from Mount Vernon Square and Fort Totten to Greenbelt at all service hours beginning May 25, 2019.
Since May 7, 2023, the northeastern terminus of the Yellow Line was truncated from Greenbelt to Mount Vernon Square, following its reopening after a nearly eight-month-long major rehabilitation project on its bridge over the Potomac River and its tunnel leading into L'Enfant Plaza. Thus, it no longer services this station.
From July 22 to September 4, 2023, this station was shut down to improve rail system technologies, including free shuttle bus services to closed stations north of Fort Totten.
Station layout
The station is located west of the intersection with Queens Chapel Road and Ager Road. A parking lot, park and ride (formerly the site of the Queens Chapel Drive-In Theater and Mighty Mo Drive-In Restaurant, which closed during the late 1970's), and bus bays are located east of the station's side platforms. The red-brick Kirkwood Apartment Complex and Kirkwood Neighborhood Park can be seen on Ager Road, west of the station site. There used to be an abandoned red brick Palmer Ford Warehouse Building housed on the field right behind the West Hyattsville station, right next to the Kirkwood Apartment Complex. However; that site has been demolished around 2018 to make room for the construction of brand new luxury apartment complexes as part of gentrification taking place in the area. The West Hyattsville station also sits on the former Queens Chapel Municipal Airport Site, which was closed and demolished in 1955.
References
- ^ "Metrorail Ridership Summary". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Eisen, Jack (August 7, 1979). "Zoological Park Subway Stop Name, 9 Others Changed by Metro Board". The Washington Post.
- ^ "June 25 Fare Service Changes Printable Brochure" (PDF). 2017.
- ^ "Metro to extend Yellow Line service to Greenbelt beginning May 25" (Press release). WMATA. May 20, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ "Metro's Yellow Line reopens Sunday with controversial turnback". WJLA-TV. Sinclair Broadcast Group. May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- ^ "Enhanced Maintenance Work during Summer 2023 to focus on custom and reliability upgrades to modernize | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ Freeman, Paul (2002). "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Maryland: Central Prince George's County area". Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
External links
Media related to West Hyattsville (WMATA station) at Wikimedia Commons
- The Schumin Web Transit Center: West Hyattsville Station
38°57′18″N 76°58′10″W / 38.955031°N 76.969522°W
