The Metro Blue Line — soon to be the A Line — officially has a full reopening date.

Officials announced Thursday, Oct. 17, that the line, which runs from downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach, will be up and running Saturday, Nov. 2.

The reopening is a bit delayed, with Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority representatives initially aiming to get the line operating in September. But Metro will use the occasion to offer three days of free rides, from opening day through Monday, Nov. 4.

Portions of the line have been shut down since January as part of a $350-million renovation project.

The Blue Line, which first opened in 1990, was in sore need of a revamp, Metro officials said before the work began.

“What we are trying to do with the Blue Line,” Ted Lindholm, executive officer of capital projects for Metro, said last year, “is take a 28-year-old workhorse and improve it, turn it into a good state of repair.”

The project required a shutdown of the southern half from January through May, followed by a five-month shuttering of the northern half.

The revamp included installing four additional crossover tracks to reduce interruptions, upgrading the control-signal system and replacing certain segments of the tracks.

Every station will also have new touchscreens, which riders can use to learn more about the Metro network, and access schedules and maps.

The Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station in South Los Angeles — the only stop that has remained closed since January — has received a full face lift, including a dedicated drop-off location, more bus bays, a new plaza, a Metro bike hub, and a customer service and security center.