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On Saturday, officials from Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the state of Maryland and Prince George’s County, Md., opened the Blue Line extension to from the Addison Road-Seat Pleasant Metrorail station to Morgan Boulevard and Largo Town Center.

The 3.1-mile, two station extension is the first line to extend beyond WMATA’s original 103-mile system. The $456 million line includes two miles of underground track, a half-mile of aerial structure track, and more than half a mile of at-grade track. The extension will serve as a catalyst to revive and renew the community, officials believe.

"The new Metrorail segment opens up the center of Prince George’s County to the entire Washington region," said Prince George County Executive Jack Johnson in a prepared statement. "The areas around the Morgan Boulevard and Largo stations are fast becoming premier places where people want to live, work and play."

Located less than a mile away from FedEx Field, the Morgan Boulevard station features 500 parking spaces. WMATA plans to add a child day-care center.

The Largo Town Center station will serve the new shopping complex at the Boulevard at Capital Center, Prince George’s county offices and adjacent communities. It features two parking structures with 2,200 spaces and an underground storage yard designed to accommodate up to 36 passenger cars.

The extension includes four crossovers, enabling trains to cross between inbound to outbound tracks to reduce delays.

The project was funded by state of Maryland and federal dollars. Maryland Transit Administration was responsible for project planning and environmental studies; WMATA, design and construction.