WASHINGTON — Metro riders could be in for some of the biggest changes since the opening of the Silver Line. New proposals being presented Thursday to a Metro Board committee would lengthen rush-hour wait times for many riders across the system.
Blue Line trains would run more frequently under the plan, which is expected to go to a public hearing in September. But Orange, Silver, Yellow and Green Line trains would run every eight minutes rather than every six.
Blue Line trains would run every eight minutes, rather than every 12 minutes as they have, since the Silver Line was introduced last year. The Blue Line cuts began earlier when Metro introduced Rush Plus service ahead of the Silver Line’s opening.
The Red Line is not impacted by the new plan, which could leave some riders on other lines with scheduled waits two to six minutes longer than they see today.
The plan would also raise what Metro considers an acceptable level of crowding on trains on the Orange, Silver and Yellow Lines.
It sets the expectation that, at the peak hour of service in the peak direction, there would be 111 riders in each Orange and Silver line car, up from 91 and 83 today respectively.
Crowding expectations would also be raised on the Blue, Green and Yellow lines.
In documents prepared for Thursday’s meeting, Metro staff say the change to fewer trains would match declining ridership in recent years (down eight percent since fiscal 2009), while also boosting reliability and improving the trips of Blue Line riders.
Right now, although 26 trains per hour are scheduled to pass through the Rosslyn tunnel, delays and other issues mean the actual average is only 24.6 trains per hour, with a resulting ripple-effect of delays. Metro staff note on-time performance has fallen ever since the Silver Line opened last July.
Having fewer cars in service at rush hour would also give Metro more time for maintenance, and reduce pressure on the fleet caused in part by the lengthy delays in the arrival of new 7000 Series cars.
Metro decided last month to pull 4000 Series cars from service for maintenance after doors opened while trains were moving. Metro also announced it would run fewer eight car trains on Mondays and Fridays all summer in order to give maintenance workers more time to work on cars.
The Customer Service and Operations Committee will also hear an update Thursday on Metro’s test of a new payment system that could allow riders to pay directly with some smartphones, credit cards or government identification cards.
The Metro Board’s Executive Committee will later meet with the leaders of the Riders’ Advisory Council.
