Metrorail will start running more trains on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines on Monday.
The transit agency said in a statement Friday that trains on the three lines will start coming at least every 20 minutes.
The move comes as Metro is returning more of its older 2000, 3000 and 6000 Series trains to service while the return of the new 7000 Series trains remains held up.
“We appreciate the patience of our customers,” said General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Wiedefeld. “Our focus on making the legacy fleet available is allowing us to gradually add trains for passenger service, and I thank our workforce for their dedication and around-the-clock efforts to improve rail service.”
Will Carey, a rider from Falls Church told WTOP he was frustrated with long wait times, but he’s thankful service is getting better incrementally.
“I know they have problems, and I know they’re trying to improve so I’ll be patient based on that factor,” Carey said.
“It’s been an adjustment with the 7000-series trains being broken, and trying to adjust [my] commute,” said Solomon Chen, an Arlington resident. “It’s kind of annoying working through timing, but I think I’d rather work through that than have my trains crash.”
But on the possibility for increased service, “[it] would definitely be appreciated, but I’ll believe it when I see it,” Chen said.
Sharnez Brown, a rider from Washington D.C., recalled painfully long wait times in late 2021, but she said they’ve majorly improved.
“It’s actually much better,” Brown said. “Prior you [were] waiting for an hour. With this, you’re waiting for 15 to 20 minutes, tops.”
The Red Line will run every 12 minutes; the Green and Yellow lines, every 20 minutes. The same schedule holds on weekends, Metro said, except that the Blue, Orange and Silver lines will arrive at 24-minute intervals.
WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.
