WMATA marks halfway point in making tunnels wireless ready
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has opened three additional "wireless ready" tunnel segments. The addition of the three segments means more than half of Metrorail's tunnels are now wired for cellular and data service.
WMATA is working with wireless carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless to install special cable along 100 miles of tunnel walls to support wireless service as the transit agency also installs the infrastructure needed for a new radio system for trains and emergency responders.
The work to make its tunnels "wireless ready" is part of the authority's larger Back2Good initiative that was announced in November 2016. Among the series of service and infrastructure improvements, providing WiFi to riders was in response to customers requesting the ability to stay connected while on the Metrorail system.
The three new “wireless ready” tunnel segments include 5.6 track miles between Ballston and Rosslyn on the Orange and Silver Lines; 4.8 track miles between Rosslyn and Metro Center on the Blue, Orange and Silver Lines and 7.4 track miles between College Park and Fort Totten on the Green Line.
The new tunnel segments will undergo ongoing testing and optimization by the wireless carriers to address any performance issues and ensure reliable service for customers.
Cellular service is currently available in all Metro stations and on portions of all six Metrorail lines, including most of Downtown D.C. Just over 50 of Metro’s 100 miles of tunnel track have been wired for the new system, with new underground segments coming online as the work is completed. Cellular service in all tunnel segments is expected by mid-2020.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
