Photo by Chris Tank.

A month and a half after a transformer fire destroyed a power substation at Stadium Armory, Metro said it will resume Silver and Orange Line rush hour service at the station, starting on Monday.

After the fire, WMATA implemented speed and capacity restrictions around Stadium Armory to avoid overburdening the electrical system—which has been pulling power from other smaller substations. To ease the ensuing congestion, they reduced the headway between trains from every six minutes to every eight minutes, and Silver and Orange line trains stopped servicing the station during rush hour.

Originally, the transit agency said it would be at least six months before service was restored. But crews came up with a workaround to add to the capacity of the Potomac Avenue substation, allowing all three lines to stop at Stadium Armory without overburdening the system.

But while Orange and Silver line service will be restored to Stadium Armory, Metro will continue with the longer, eight-minute headways until the substation is rebuilt.

“As an Orange Line rider myself, I know firsthand how much our customers on these three lines have had to endure since the fire,” said interim General Manager Jack Requa in a release. “I am encouraged by the creative solution that was identified and implemented to allow normal service at Stadium-Armory Station, and look forward to the day in the near future when Orange and Silver trains are running every six minutes in the rush hour.”

According to Metro, engineers are also on track to bring the Stadium Armory substation online well before their original estimate.

“Testing of power equipment remains on schedule, and engineers continue to express confidence that the substation can be brought online before the end of the year,” the transit agency said.