Metro riders accustomed to their routines will have to start paying more attention starting June 18 when the transit agency begins train service dubbed “Rush Plus” — or they could end up at the wrong station.
Those traveling outside the inner core of Washington on all lines but the Red Line will need to check the destination listed on the train and platform information signs, not just the color of the line, during rush periods as the agency shifts some service.
The change means that riders will be able to take a single train from Franconia-Springfield, currently a Blue Line station, to the Green Line’s Greenbelt. Orange Line riders will be able to ride to the usual New Carrollton end station — or to the Blue Line’s Largo Town Center.
The plan is being touted as enhanced rush hour service. But the agency must make the change to make room for the Silver Line, slated to open by 2014.
Already, the maximum number of trains, 26 per hour, run through the tunnel under the Potomac River between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom during peak periods on the Orange and Blue lines. There’s no room for the Silver Line to pass through that bottleneck.
“The only way to prepare for Silver Line service is to take advantage of where we do have additional capacity,” Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said.
That means running some Blue Line trains along the Yellow Line bridge that crosses the Potomac River. The change, though, causes a domino effect on the Yellow, Green and Orange lines.
For some riders, it will means more trains during rush periods. But for another 6 percent of riders — about 16,000 — it will mean up to 12-minute waits during peak periods on the Blue Line, twice the current six minutes. Making matters more confusing, two Blue trains will run six minutes apart, then one train will run after a 12-minute wait between Pentagon and Rosslyn.
To give Blue Line riders another option, Arlington and Alexandria are jointly paying an estimated $227,000 to extend the existing 10E and 9E bus routes for 18 months.
The changes are substantial enough that Metro made its first major change to its map, unveiled last week.
In coming weeks, Metro is going to start an education campaign to warn riders of the change, with videos, station ambassadors and outreach to neighborhood groups.
Once the switch begins, station announcements will give generic information, but train operators will need to explain where the service diverges. Station managers will be trained to answer questions.
Rush Plus is expected to cost $3.2 million this fiscal year for the new stations signs, maps, fare charts and educational campaign. Then it will cost an estimated $2.9 million in the next budget for the additional rail service.
