Metro is extending Yellow Line service to Greenbelt more than a month earlier than expected to help ease the challenges of a more than three-month shutdown of parts of the Blue and Yellow lines.

The Yellow Line currently stops at Mt. Vernon Square during rush hour or Fort Totten during non-peak hours. With the additional service, which starts Saturday, Metro riders will be able to take the Yellow Line all the way to the northeast end of the Green Line.

WMATA’s board approved the change in its latest budget earlier this year, and it was originally slated to begin on July 1. But General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said moving the date up could help riders affected by the summer shutdown of the six Blue and Yellow line stations south of National Airport, which begins this weekend and runs through September 8.

“During a recent weekend simulation of rail service for the summer project, Metro determined that extending all Yellow Line trains to Greenbelt would improve train spacing, reduce congestion and maintain Metro’s commitment to operating normal service outside of the shutdown area,” Metro representatives said in a news release.

Metro says it plans to provide more reliable service between the airport station, the District, and points north during the shutdown, and it is also waiving parking fees at the shuttered stations. Water taxis, buses, and free shuttles are among Blue and Yellow line riders’ travel alternatives.

This won’t be the first time that Yellow Line trains have run all the way up to Greenbelt. They also did so during peak travel times when Metro’s Rush Plus service was in effect; it began in 2012 and was discontinued in 2017.

WMATA also plans to run all Red Line trains to Glenmont, doubling rush-hour service at an additional three stations. That won’t take effect until July 1.

This story originally appeared on WAMU.