Metro may add a new color to its rail map, creating a shortcut for some riders while leaving some Blue Line commuters waiting longer for rush-hour trains, officials said Tuesday.
Transit planners are recommending creating a new rail line. Some northbound Blue Line trains would reroute at the Pentagon to L’Enfant Plaza, then follow the Yellow and Green lines’ route to Greenbelt in Maryland.
Metro’s planning maps depict the new route as a brown line, but officials said no color has yet been chosen.
The proposal, presented earlier this year, would boost the number of trains south of the Pentagon that directly serve eastern downtown D.C., but would reduce direct service from the southern parts of the system to Rosslyn and beyond.
During rush hour, 40 percent of Blue Line trains would divert to the Yellow Line path, leaving some Blue Line riders with 12-minute waits instead of the six-minute maximum.
The plan is intended to accommodate swelling ridership to Yellow Line areas such as Gallery Place and Navy Yard, which have seen booming development and are expected to continue growing. It is also intended to relieve a choke point at Rosslyn, where Orange and Blue line trains must share a tunnel to the District.
The proposed Silver Line to Dulles will also have to share the two-track tunnel.
About 13,000 Blue Line riders would experience longer wait times under the plan, said Jim Hughes, Metro’s senior planner. About 17,000 Yellow and Green line riders would see improved service.
Freeing up tunnel space at Rosslyn would also allow Metro to run more trains on the Orange Line, Metro’s second-busiest, Hughes said.
Of 310 riders surveyed who regularly board the system south of the Pentagon, 54 percent viewed the plan positively, Metro survey results show.
About 20 percent of the riders viewed it negatively, roughly the same proportion of people who would see extended wait times on the Blue Line, Hughes said.
Most of the riders surveyed said adding a new color to the map would make the new route easier to understand.
Hughes said planners have not yet determined the best way to visually alert riders that the new service would be rush-hour only.
“We haven’t completely figured it out yet,” he said, “but we know whatever we’re going to do, we’re going to reflect it on the map.”
Metro’s Board of Directors is scheduled to review the plan later this year.
