Metro News Release
For immediate release: December 14, 2009
Improvements coming to Metrobus service in Maryland, Virginia
Changes to Q2/Veirs Mill Road Line, 28/Leesburg Pike Line take effect December 27
A number of improvements are coming to the Metrobus Q2/Veirs Mill Road Line in Maryland and the 28/Leesburg Pike Line in Virginia starting Sunday, December 27, as part of a multi-phase effort to improve service on some of Metro’s busiest bus lines.
The Q2/Veirs Mill Road Line, which currently operates between the Shady Grove and Silver Spring Metrorail stations, averages about 10,000 passengers every weekday and has one of the highest ridership levels in the Metrobus system. To improve reliability, reduce crowding and provide more travel options for customers along the line, the Q2 route will be split into two routes and two new routes will be added.
The split pattern will operate the Q4 route between the Rockville and Silver Spring Metrorail stations and the Q6 route between the Shady Grove and Wheaton Metrorail stations. During periods of light passenger traffic, such as early mornings and late evenings, the Q2 route will continue to operate the full length of the corridor.
In addition, two new route variations will be implemented to allow riders to bypass Montgomery College. The Q1 route will operate between the Shady Grove and Silver Spring Metrorail stations, replacing the Q2 route and bypassing the college on early and late trips daily. The Q5 route will operate between the Shady Grove and Wheaton Metrorail stations, replacing the Q6 route and bypassing the college on midday trips.
Additional operational enhancements expected to make service run more smoothly along the Veirs Mill Road Line include the following:
• Scheduled travel times will be increased to reflect current traffic conditions.
• Increased supervision along the line will help service run more smoothly and keep buses from getting bunched up along the routes.
• Greater enforcement of parking regulations around bus stops will improve the overall flow of bus service along Georgia Avenue and in Silver Spring.
• Enhanced training will help bus operators deal with problems specific to the Veirs Mill Road Line.
These improvements are part of the first phase of a multi-step process that will lead to many improvements along Veirs Mill Road, including the introduction of limited-stop bus service in the future. For more information, please visit the project Web site at http://www.metrobus-q2.com/ or call 703-682-5060.
In addition to the Q Line, customers traveling between the Rockville and Shady Grove Metrorail stations also can take Ride On Route 46 and Route 55 along Rockville Pike. Customers traveling between the Wheaton and Silver Spring Metrorail stations also can take the Metrobus Y5, Y7, Y8, Y9 Georgia Avenue-Maryland Line.
In Virginia, the 28/Leesburg Pike Line, which serves around 5,000 riders every weekday and connects the King Street Metrorail station with Tysons Corner, will see the following service improvements starting Sunday, December 27:
• A new, limited-stop 28X route will serve 13 stops on Leesburg Pike/Broad Street between Tysons Corner and Baileys Crossroads during peak periods weekdays.
• The turn-around loop at Tysons Corner will be shortened, which will cut several minutes from the line’s travel time.
• The 28B route will be combined into the 28A route in Alexandria, which will allow the line to serve a greater number of potential riders.
In addition, the following operational enhancements are expected to produce a better, more reliable trip for customers who travel on the Leesburg Pike Line:
• A Metrobus supervisor has been assigned to focus only on the operation of the 28 Line. The supervisor will be in constant communication with bus operators, advising them about problems on the road, suggesting detours, putting extra buses into service as needed and ensuring that buses don’t get bunched up along the line.
• Enhanced bus operator training is being given to bus operators to help them deal with problems specific to the 28 Line.
• Extended hours will meet Metrobus riders’ demands for more early morning and late evening trips with one early morning and two late evening buses added to the weekday schedule, along with six additional Saturday evening trips.
• Five minutes of “recovery time” have been built into the schedule at Seven Corners, so buses can more easily stay on-schedule.
For more information about current and future improvements being made to the Leesburg Pike Line, please visit http://www.metrobus28line.com/ or call 703-682-5060.
Improvements to the Veirs Mill Road and Leesburg Pike Metrobus lines are the result of a pair of studies Metro completed with its transit partners in Montgomery County, the Maryland Department of Transportation and Northern Virginia. The studies began in late 2008 and continued into 2009 with a series of public meetings, a comprehensive technical analysis, and Metro Board approval of the recommendations.
New timetables with the service improvements that take effect on Sunday, December 27, can be found at the following links:
Q1, Q2, Q4, Q5, Q6 Veirs Mill Road Line:
http://www.wmata.com/bus/timetables/upcoming/md/q1-6.pdf
28A, 28X Alexandria-Tysons Corner Line:
http://www.wmata.com/bus/timetables/upcoming/va/28ab.pdf
###
Media contact for this news release: Angela Gates or Lisa Farbstein at 202-962-1051.
For all other inquiries, please call customer service at 202-637-7000.
News release issued at 10:58 am, December 14, 2009.