Metro Announces New Train Alignment for Blue, Orange and Yellow Lines

Metro Displays a Proposed Map of Service Changes

In an effort to speed train travel throughout the system, Metro is shuffling its deck of trains, adding more service to the Yellow and Orange lines during peak hours.

In a board meeting today, Metro announced the new train realignment.

Six new trains will run on the Orange line during rush hour, three heading in each direction. There will also be Orange Line service at five stations that currently serve only the Blue Line. The extra trains will operate between the West Falls Church and Largo Town Center stations.

During the morning and evening rush hours, six trains will also be added to the Yellow Line, operating between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt, three in each direction.

Those additional Yellow line trains will be borrowed from the Blue Line. In the meeting on Thursday, Metro officials explained that there is a limit to how many trains can run on the system at the same time. The board decided to subtract Blue Line trains to help out riders on the Orange and Yellow lines.

Metro said the realignment will give Orange Line riders 2,600 seats per hour during peak periods.

On the flip side, the approximately 16,000 Blue Line commuters entering and leaving Virginia will have to wait about six extra minutes during rush hour.

In addition, the northern ends of the Green and Yellow lines will get additional trains during weekday peak periods. Stations from Shaw-Howard to Greenbelt will get six additional Yellow Line trains each peak hour between Greenbelt and Franconia-Springfield (which would get Yellow Line service for the first time under this plan).

During Thursday's meeting, Metro officials also apologized for the chaotic conditions at Orange Line stations for the past two evenings. Officials said efforts have been made to prevent the switch malfunction that happened at the Rosslyn station Wednesday.

The transit agency also offered a glimpse of what the new map might look like, with revised station names.  You can see it above, or  click for the full view.

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