For immediate release: June 9, 2023

Red Line service improvements begin Monday; More service and fare improvements coming this month

Red Line customers will enjoy more frequent weekday service beginning Monday, June 12, and that’s just the start of improvements rolling out for rail and bus customers throughout the month of June. 

Beginning Monday, Red Line trains will operate every 6 minutes until 9:30 p.m. on weekdays, an improvement from every 8 minutes during off-peak daytime hours. On weekends, Red Line trains will continue operating every 8 minutes all day, and every 10 minutes after 9:30 p.m. seven days a week. 

“Ridership is bouncing back, and Your Metro continues to deliver service improvements to meet the travel demands of the region,” said Metro General Manger and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke. “Ridership continues to set records on rail and bus, and we’re excited to deliver service improvements that will save our customers time and money at all times, every day of the week.” 

Beginning June 26, Blue, Orange, and Silver Line customers will see service increases as well. Blue and Silver line trains will operate every 12 minutes from opening until 9:30 p.m., and every 15 minutes after 9:30 p.m., seven days a week. That’s an improvement on current 15-minute weekday frequencies during off-peak hours. 

On the Orange Line, trains will operate every 10 minutes from opening until 9:30 p.m., and every 15 minutes after 9:30 p.m., seven days a week, an improvement on the current 12-minute weekday frequency during weekday peak hours and 15 minutes weekday frequencies during off-peak hours. 

Simpler Metrorail fares are also coming soon. Beginning June 26, Metrorail rides will have one distance-based fare on weekdays before 9:30 p.m., eliminating peak fares during morning and evening rush periods. After 9:30 p.m. and on weekends, customers will still enjoy a $2 flat fare per trip. Regular Metrobus fares will remain $2 per trip, and on MetroAccess, the maximum fare will be reduced to $4 per trip. 

To see how your fare may be impacted, use our Trip Planner at wmata.com/tripplanner and choose a travel date of June 26 or later. 

Customers will also benefit from reduced fares beginning June 20 when Metro launches Metro Lift, an income-qualified reduced fare program that will provide DC, Maryland, and Virginia residents enrolled the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) a 50 percent discount for any trip on Metrorail and Metrobus. More information is available here. 

By the end of the month, Metro will have implemented ten service improvements since last summer to meet rising demand for transit and deliver frequent transit service for our region. With the June 26 service improvements, we'll have 58 percent more trains in service on weekdays compared to last July, and a 73 percent increase in train trips. 

Beginning Sunday, June 25, Metrobus customers will see improvements on 68 routes, including expanding the reach of Metro’s Frequent Service Network to more customers and routes. These service improvements will give Metrobus customers six percent more service than last summer, and more service overall compared to before the pandemic. Highlights include: 

District of Columbia 

  • Improving Route B2 midday, evening, and weekend frequency to every 12 minutes or better for most of the day to provide better connections between Northeast and Southeast DC. 
Maryland 

  • Adding service to new destinations along the Landover Road and Martin Luther King, Jr. Highway corridors by extending Route A12 and beginning service on new Route L12, including new service to Downtown Largo and New Carrollton stations and Woodmore Towne Centre, every 20 minutes for most of the day. 
Virginia 

  • Extending service along Columbia Pike from Skyline City to National Landing on new Route 16M, which combines routes 16G and 16H, every 12 minutes for most of the day. 
Metro will make schedule and other changes to improve service for customers on the following routes: 

  • DC: 31, 32, 33, 36, 42, 43, 52, 54, 59, 80, 90, A2, A4, B2, D6, D8, G2, H2, H4, H8, M6, P6, V2, V4, V7, W4, W5, X2, X3 
  • MD: 83, 86, A12, C2, C4, C8, C21, C22, C27, F4, F6, F8, G14, K6, L8, Q1, Q2, Q4, Q5, Q6, R4, T2, Y2, Y7, Y8, Z2, Z6, Z7, Z8 
  • VA: 3F, 3Y, 10A, 10B, 11Y, 16G, 16H, 16Y, 38B, REX 
Ridership on Metrorail and Metrobus is on the rise: 

  • On Tuesday, June 6, Metrorail saw its highest ridership day since the pandemic began with 433,000 total trips 
  • Metrobus continues to set ridership records in June, with June 1 being the highest ridership day since the pandemic began with 377,000 trips 
  • Peak period travel is increasing: On Tuesday, June 6, the 8 a.m. hour was the busiest morning commute on Metrorail since the pandemic began, and the5 p.m. hour was the busiest single hour on Metrorail since the pandemic began.
June 12 rail frequency