Metro has avoided a steep drop in ridership at the Blue and Yellow Line stations that reopened earlier this month after a summerlong shutdown.
“We saw approximately 90% of our rail riders return in the first week,” General Manager Paul Wiedefeld told the Metro Board Thursday.
The number is based on a comparison of total ridership at the six stations from Franconia-Springfield and Huntington through Braddock Road for the period of Sept. 8—19 of this year compared with the same period last year, Metro spokesperson Dan Stessel said.
Other riders might have stuck with driving alone, Virginia Railway Express, bus options they tested out during the shutdown, biking or even Alexandria’s water taxi.
Work continues at the six closed stations for another two months or so, including finishing station areas besides the platforms, and rebuilding and reopening bus bays and kiss-and-ride lots.
Late Friday, Metro said single-tracking at Huntington would end Saturday morning. Single-tracking continues at the Franconia-Springfield platform.
In the comparison period last year, Blue, Orange and Silver Line riders were also returning from a major shutdown, even if that one only lasted a few weeks. There was no Blue Line service in or out of D.C. the last two weeks of August, and Orange and Silver Line trains were stuck in 24/7 single-tracking downtown. The Red Line was also resuming regular service after a six-week shutdown.
Still, overall Metro ridership does appear to be slowly increasing from recent lows.
At stations not covered by the shutdown, Silver and Orange Line ridership rose in April, May and June compared with the same period last year, including significant increases in the use of the Greensboro and McLean stations as residential and retail developments opened.
Each Virginia Orange and Silver Line station saw at least a slight ridership increase this spring compared with the last.
Metro has also seen ridership increases elsewhere recently as it has improved service on parts of the Red and Yellow Lines to offset 2017 cuts.
“While ridership is steadily improving, bus is holding us back a bit,” Wiedefeld said.
Other local transit agencies are also seeing bus ridership declines, with total transit ridership across the area covered by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission declining each of the last four years.
VRE is one of the few agencies with relatively stable ridership the last five years.
Like Metro, the commission is optimistic about recent data that suggest ridership declines for other systems might be leveling off or ready to begin recovering.
The latest ridership numbers do not include people who took Metro’s free shuttle buses during this summer’s shutdowns, because Metro did not collect ridership data in its usual manner.
Metrorail will continue to face challenges from regular weekend shutdowns and disruptions as well as round-the-clock closures such as the work scheduled next summer on parts of the Orange and Green Lines.
Wiedefeld promised details on next summer’s shutdowns “in short order.”
Additional shutdowns are already planned for the following summer, and are likely to continue into the future.
“I really do think it is the way to go,” Wiedefeld said.
