Cell Service Now Available In All DC Metro Tunnels

WASHINGTON, DC — Wireless cell service is now available in tunnels systemwide on DC Metrorail. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority made the announcement with major wireless carriers AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said the push to provide wireless service on Metrorail has been more than a decade in the making. The first wireless service in tunnels had been added on the Blue, Orange and Silver Lines between Potomac Avenue and Stadium Armory in December 2016.

The latest completion brings wireless service online in three final segments: between Dupont Circle in Downtown DC and White Flint in Maryland, the Yellow Line from L'Enfant Plaza to the Pentagon, and the Silver Line in Tyson Corner.

As reported by DCist in 2016, work to complete the wireless service came after a person died when smoke filled a Metrorail tunnel in 2015 near the L’Enfant Plaza station. The incident left riders in the train without cell service to get help,leading to the one death and 84 hospitalizations, as reported by the Washington Post. Metro and wireless carriers worked with the region's congressional delegation on the project.

"This is something we’ve been working with Metro and the carriers on for years, because it will improve safety for Metro riders and workers," said Senator Mark Warner in a statement. "The federal government and the region have made substantial investments in making this system safer and more reliable, from rebuilding tracks to introducing new rail cars, and now passengers will be able to use their cellphones underground throughout the system."

Riders can connect to each AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon's network in the 100-mile tunnel network, allowing them to communicate or stream through their devices. Below-ground stations already offer wireless service, and free Wi-Fi is offered at all 91 stations.

The installation involved 400 miles of cabling and infrastructure in Metro’s tunnels and additional components in shafts, stations, and above-ground connections. Much of the work could only happen when train service was not operating during a three-to-four-hour window overnight or during scheduled track maintenance.

The project was jointly funded by an agreement between Metro and the wireless carriers. Day-to-day operation and maintenance of the wireless carriers' communications system will be performed by the wireless carriers. The three carriers will also regularly test and enhance the network.