Looking to recover from a less-than-stellar start to the summerlong Blue and Yellow Line Metro shutdown, Metro announced changes starting Monday to the shuttle buses that run during peak service periods between the Huntington and Pentagon stations.
Beginning June 3, the Huntington-Pentagon Express shuttle will run directly to Pentagon Station from both the south and north sides of Huntington Station.
“With separate routes established from each side of Huntington Station, customers on the north (lower) side will benefit from reduced crowding on buses and customers on the south (upper) side will experience shorter travel times,” a Metro news release said.
During the first week of the shutdown, the shuttle drove from one side of the station to the other to pick up passengers.
Metro hopes the changes will smooth out people’s commutes, with fewer instances of people seeing packed shuttle buses drive by them and reduce commute times.
“For customers traveling at Pentagon Station traveling to Huntington Station during peak periods, Metro staff will be on site to ensure customers board separate Express shuttles destined for the north and south sides of Huntington Station,” Metro said in a Sunday news release.
The free local Yellow Line shuttle will continue to connect the two sides of the station, in case commuters need to get from one side of Huntington Station to the other.
Metro will also adjust the bus stops along several routes on the north side of Huntington Station in hopes that it will improve on-time performance and traffic flow.
Metro released the following chart of the coming changes:
