Metro News Release

For immediate release: July 17, 2014

Metro prepares for a week of Silver Line "simulated service"

On Sunday, July 20, Metro will begin six days of "simulated service" on the Silver Line to familiarize employees and finalize train schedules under real-world conditions.  Here is an overview of how simulation trains will operate:

  • Simulation trains will run between Wiehle-Reston East and Largo Town Center stations at all hours that the Metrorail system is open.  
  • Simulation trains will run every 6 minutes during rush hour and every 12 to 20 minutes during off-peak times, consistent with the schedule for Silver Line trains once the line opens.
  • Simulation trains trains will not carry passengers to or from the five new Silver Line stations.  However, passengers will be able to board these trains for travel between East Falls Church and Largo Town Center, in either direction, including all stops along the Orange and Blue lines in Downtown DC.
  • Between July 20 and noon July 26, simulation trains will be labeled as Orange Line trains showing a destination of either East Falls Church or Largo Town Center.
  • Westbound trains will offload any remaining passengers at East Falls Church and then continue to Wiehle-Reston East without passengers aboard.

Silver Line stations will open at noon on Saturday, July 26.

FACTS ABOUT SILVER LINE SERVICE CHANGES

  • The introduction of the Silver Line represents a significant service increase for Metro.  Once the line opens, Metro will run more trains and rail cars than at any point in its history.
  • About 37 percent of existing Metrorail riders, accounting for 260,000 Metrorail trips, will benefit from shorter wait times.  These include rush-hour riders traveling to or from stations north of L'Enfant Plaza on the Green/Yellow lines, those traveling to or from stations east of Stadium-Armory on the Blue Line, and those along the Orange Line in Arlington County.
  • Silver Line will result in more frequent midday and evening service at 23 stations, from East Falls Church to Largo Town Center, and will result in more frequent weekend service for 40 percent of riders.
  • In addition to the 37 percent of Metrorail riders who will have a shorter wait time for a train, 53 percent will see no change in wait time, and only 10 percent will see longer wait times.
  • Of those riders who see a longer wait time, half are Blue Line riders -- representing five percent of trips -- who may encounter an average wait time increase of about two minutes longer.  Today, Blue Line trains run an average of every 8.5 minutes during rush hour, resulting in an average wait time of about four minutes.  Starting July 21, Blue Line trains will run every 12 minutes, resulting in a six-minute average wait time.
  • The only station along the traditional Blue Line that will see a net decrease in rush-hour trains is Arlington Cemetery.  At all other stations, the number of trains will either increase or remain the same.  At stations in Virginia from Pentagon to Franconia-Springfield, the share of Yellow Line trains will increase slightly (2 trains/direction/hour) to replace existing Blue Line trains.
  • Riders at outlying stations on the Orange Line account for the remaining five percent.  The average trip time for these riders will increase less than a minute -- from 1.8 minutes today to 2.7 minutes starting July 21.

Shorter vs Longer

Here is how Silver Line service (including simulation week) will affect other lines:

ORANGE LINE

  • The following stations will see a slight increase in rush hour service with two more trains per hour in the peak direction: East Falls Church, Ballston, Virginia Square, Clarendon and Court House. In the reverse-peak direction (i.e. westbound in the morning, eastbound in the evening), these stations will see five more trains per hour.
  • The following stations will see a slight decrease in rush hour service: West Falls Church, Dunn Loring and Vienna.  At these stations, trains will arrive and depart every 6 minutes, which is consistent with service levels at most end-of-line stations.
  • During simulation week, riders will see trains labeled as "Orange Line" in passenger service between Largo Town Center and East Falls Church.  These will be converted to Silver Line trains on July 26.
  • TRAVEL TIP: If you are traveling from DC to West Falls Church, Dunn Loring or Vienna during simulation week, consider riding a simulation train as far as East Falls Church and then dropping back (transferring) to a Vienna-bound train on the same platform at East Falls Church.  Simulation trains are expected to have more room for passengers than Vienna-bound trains.

BLUE LINE

  • Blue Line trains will operate every 12 minutes during rush hour, as well as during most off-peak times.  Today during rush hour, Blue Line trains run on a "lopsided" frequency with trains every 12 minutes, then every 6 minutes, then every 12, and so on.  
  • To provide additional capacity, Metro will increase the number of 8-car trains on the Blue Line during rush hour.  Beginning Monday, July 21, half of all Blue Line trainsets are scheduled to be eight cars long during rush hour.
  • Stations along the Blue/Yellow lines in Virginia (except Arlington Cemetery) will continue to see trains arrive/depart at the same frequency as they do today; however, during rush hours, two Blue Line trains will be converted to Yellow Line trains.  These trains will run between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt.
  • Riders traveling between Virginia and Downtown DC may wish to consider taking the Yellow Line for a faster trip.
  • New bus options may also be a good alternative for some riders.  For details, please see the Blue Line options brochure and this diagram of bus service.

GREEN/YELLOW LINES

  • Stations from L'Enfant Plaza to Greenbelt will see an increase in rush hour service with two more Yellow Line trains per hour in each direction.  These Yellow Line trains will run between Greenbelt and Franconia-Springfield.

STATION-SPECIFIC INFORMATION

  • Stations from Largo Town Center to Benning Road will see a 50 percent increase in service during rush hours.  Trains will arrive/depart every 4 minutes, rather than every 6 minutes (combination of Blue and Silver line trains).
  • At Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street, trains will arrive/depart every 6 minutes during rush hours, just as they do today.  Trains will alternate Yellow and Blue.
  • At Blue/Yellow stations from Pentagon to King St-Old Town, trains will arrive/depart every 3 minutes during rush hours (same as today).  Three Yellow Line trains will arrive between each Blue Line train.
  • At Arlington Cemetery, Blue Line trains will run every 12 minutes throughout the day.
  • Rosslyn will have the same number of trains in both directions.  During each hour of rush hour, there will be 11 Orange Line trains, 10 Silver Line trains and 5 Blue Line trains in both directions.
  • During off-peak times, stations from Rosslyn to Stadium-Armory will see a 33% increase in service as a result of the new line.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Silver Line and its effect on other lines

SilverLineMetro.com

News release issued at 10:03 am, July 17, 2014.