Metro is about to get redder. The agency will replace the white lights that line the edge of train platforms with red ones at 14 more stations over the next two months, officials said.
The red, light-emitting diode lights first appeared as part of a pilot program at the Gallery Place-Chinatown Red Line station in February of last year.
They popped up at seven other stations, including Metro Center, last summer, and were recently installed in the Navy Yard station.
Officials say replacing the traditional white incandescent bulbs with the longer lasting red LED bulbs could save cash-strapped Metro $100,000 a year.
The white lights cost Metro $400,000 a year to replace and power, officials said.
Each of the red lights costs $54 and is estimated to last 10 to 12 years.
The red lights are also a safety improvement because they are more noticeable than white ones, General Manager John Catoe said.
“When they see the red lights, I’ve observed that customers stop and keep a safer distance from the edge of the platform,” he said.
The white version of the LED lights cost twice as much as the red one, officials said.
The new lights are one in a litany of features Metro has changed or is planning to change on its train system.
The agency began replacing orange and brown railcar seats with blue and burgundy ones several years ago. Officials are also considering replacing the carpet in trains with vinyl flooring, and replacing the reddish-brown paver tiles at its outdoor stations with concrete.
New stations getting the red lights:
Waterfront-SEU
Archives Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter
Mt. Vernon/7th St-Convention Center
Foggy Bottom-GWU
Capitol South
Farragut West
McPherson Square
Farragut North
Judiciary Square
