Six Metro stops are getting USB charging stations and other new features

Half a dozen Metro stations on the Blue and Yellow lines, all located in Virginia to the south of Reagan National Airport, are poised to receive new improvements as part of construction work that the transit agency is completing this summer. Among the additions: “slip-resistant tiles, stainless-steel platform shelters with USB charging ports, energy-efficient LED lighting throughout the station” and new speakers for “clearer public announcements and emergency notifications,” a Metro release said Tuesday. These stations are closed through September 8:

• Braddock Road (Yellow and Blue lines)
• King Street–Old Town (Yellow and Blue lines)
• Eisenhower Avenue (Yellow line)
• Huntington (Yellow line)
• Van Dorn Street (Blue line)
• Franconia–Springfield (Blue line)

The transit agency is also installing additional screens to display service information at the stations, the release said. “We hope our customers will find not only safer stations, but more accessible and modern features, when these improvements are completed,” Metro CEO Paul Wiedefeld noted in a statement. LED-lit stair handrails are being put in the stations as well.

The changes are being made partly thanks to dedicated Metro funding from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Twenty outdoor platforms are planned to be improved over a three-year period.