Metro is considering splitting the Silver Line and running yellow trains to the Greenbelt again

WASHINGTON (7News) — Documents released Monday show Metro is considering splitting the Silver Line in two east of the Stadium Armory, as well as once again sending some Yellow Line trains to the Greenbelt.

One proposal Metro is exploring is to send half of all Silver Line trains to New Carrollton instead of terminating them all in downtown Largo.

Metro said that by adding a Silver Line service in addition to the Orange Line service that already serves New Carrollton, riders on the section of the Orange Line east of Stadium-Armory would see trains arrive every 6-8. minute instead of every 10-12 minute. . The possible change would also allow riders in that area to go directly to places like Dulles Airport and Tysons without transferring trains.

On the portion of the Blue/Silver lines east of Stadium-Armory, however, service would decrease. The trains would only arrive every 6-8. minute instead of every five to six minutes as is the case now.

Another proposal Metro is exploring is to re-run some Yellow Line trains to the Greenbelt. Currently, the Yellow Line trains have a “turnback” at Mt. Vernon Square and runs no further north. Metro is considering running half of all yellow trains to Greenbelt and continuing to end service for the other half at Mt. Vernon Square. All Yellow Line trains used to go to Greenbelt, but Metro moved the end of the line to Mt. Vernon Square in 2023.

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Metro will also explore increasing service on the Red Line by adding what it calls “super peak” service during the busiest part of peak hours. “Super peak” service would involve waiting times of four minutes between trains on the Red Line instead of five minutes, and would involve a greater percentage of eight-car trains instead of six.

Metro said it will also consider adding a “super peak” service on a section of the Silver Line between Wiehle-Reston East and Stadium-Armory. The service would only go one way; in the morning, extra trains added to “super peak” service would run eastbound and their last stop would be at Stadium-Armory, while in the afternoon “super peak” would run westbound and terminate at Wiehle-Reston.

The Metro documents released Monday show that Metro is exploring these ideas as part of an effort to make the best use of the resources it has. Metro hopes to help alleviate overcrowding and reduce travel times by making changes at peak times and in the busiest areas of the rail system.

“These are concepts we are analyzing in preparation for the (WMATA) General Manager’s budget proposal next month,” Metro spokeswoman Tierra Hill wrote in an email to 7News Monday.

Metro’s board is scheduled to meet on Thursday and discuss the possible changes.

Although Metro said its long-term budget still looks dire, new documents released Monday show the short-term budget is doing better than expected.

One reason — rail riders more often pay rather than evade the fare.

Although the number of train riders is up only 7% from a year ago, the amount of money Metro collects from train riders is up 33%.

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Apart from minor price evasion, however, a price increase is also partly the reason for this increase in income.

Despite this price hike, it’s the opposite story on Metrobuses: ridership is up 12%, but revenue is up just 6% as many drivers continue to shirk.