Metro News Release

For immediate release: March 28, 2008

Metro ready to take fans to ballpark

With construction complete, Metro is ready to serve Washington Nationals baseball fans who plan to attend games at Nationals Park with a newly expanded west entrance at the Navy Yard Metrorail station on the Green Line.

Navy Yard Metrorail entrance ribbon cutting

Officials from Metro, the Nationals, the Federal Government and District of Columbia cut the ribbon on the new entrance at Navy Yard Metrorail station.

Today, Metro and community officials celebrated the completion of construction at the Navy Yard Metrorail station’s west entrance with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in anticipation of ridership growth due to the opening of the new ballpark one block north of the station and ongoing and future development in the neighborhood.

The Navy Yard Metrorail station’s west entrance was closed last January to begin station enhancements. Prior to its closing, the station entrance had a capacity of approximately 5,000 people per hour. Now, the station can accommodate up to 15,000 people per hour. The following station upgrades were made to increase the number of patrons that can be accommodated:

  • relocated the kiosk, fare gates and fare vendors from the mezzanine to the surface,
  • added five additional fare gates,
  • added two additional vending machines,
  • constructed an additional elevator between the entrance and the mezzanine,
  • constructed an additional elevator between the mezzanine and the platform,
  • and constructed a staircase between the mezzanine and the platform.

The $20 million project budget was funded by the District of Columbia.

The Navy Yard Metrorail station enhancement includes a joint development project that is currently being constructed over the station's west entrance. The developer, Monument Realty, is building a nine-story, 275,000-square foot office building with 12,000-square feet of retail space. The building will feature green roof areas above the mechanical penthouses and a dramatic two-story truss at the corner of Half and M Streets, where the building will span over the Metro entrance and integrate the station into the building. A three-level garage will be constructed underneath the building.

“The opening of the newly expanded entrance signifies that Metro is ready to step up to home plate all season long and for every home game this season with trains, buses and support personnel,” said John Catoe, Metro’s General Manager.

Metro will be the best way to get to the ballpark because of the convenience of the Navy Yard Metrorail station, only one block from the new ballpark. Metrorail riders traveling to Nationals Park have a variety of options to access the ballpark. For customers riding the Red Line from Shady Grove, the transfer point to the Green Line is the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metrorail station. For customers riding from Glenmont, the transfer point is the Fort Totten Metrorail station. Blue, Orange Line and Yellow Line riders can transfer at the L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail station to catch the Green Line.

For bus riders, Metrobus routes 70, P1, P2, V7, V8, V9 and the N22 will operate to the Navy Yard Metrorail station. Fans can avoid the crowds at the Navy Yard Metrorail station and avoid having to transfer to another rail line by taking the N22 Metrobus route to the Eastern Market Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange Line and the Union Station Metrorail station on the Red Line. The N22 will operate every 10 minutes.

On game days, the Navy Yard station’s west entrance will be exit-only three hours before games, and entrance- only after games. During games, the Navy Yard’s east entrance should be used by people headed in the opposite direction of the crowds.

To determine the best way to get to the Nationals new ballpark, Metro’s Trip Planner can provide simple step-by-step instructions. Customers can enter their starting address and final destination and receive a detailed set of door-to-door directions on how to get to the Navy Yard Metrorail station.

Fans going to the Nationals ballpark may want a special commemorative Washington Nationals SmarTrip® card. Metro has 50,000 of the specially designed SmarTrip® cards and will sell them until the inventory is depleted. Customers can choose from two designs-one with the curly “W” Nationals logo and a second depicting the new ballpark. Metro has 30,000 of the W cards and 20,000 ballpark cards. The Nationals SmarTrip® cards cost $5 each and will function as any SmarTrip® card. Riders must add value to their cards to pay for travel on Metrorail and Metrobus, and for parking at Metro parking facilities. Metro staff will sell the cards at the Navy Yard Metrorail station before the Nationals games on March 29, March 30, April 7, April 9, April 12 and April 13. Nationals SmarTrip® cards also will be sold on Metro’s Web site, and also at Metro sales offices at Metro Center, the Pentagon, Metro headquarters, the Northern, Western, Landover, Royal Street and Four Mile Run Metrobus divisions, and regional transit stores.

News release issued at 5:29 pm, March 28, 2008.