Metro to hold public meeting tonight on proposals to improve service and reliability on the Blue, Orange, Silver lines; Online survey open until Sept. 30

There’s still time to provide input on proposed options to address future capacity, reliability, and customer needs on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines. Metro’s final of three public meetings during this round of engagement will be held this evening at Metro’s Headquarters Building at L’Enfant Plaza, and the online survey will be open until September 30.

Metro’s current round of public engagement for the BOS Study, which started in mid-July and included hybrid public meetings in Virginia and Maryland, has resulted in over 3,000 public comments.

Hybrid Public Meeting

The next public meeting is today, September 12, at Metro’s L’Enfant Plaza Headquarters. The public is encouraged to register for and attend the public meeting, either in-person or virtually (online). The meeting will include a live presentation by project staff and a question-and-answer session.

Meeting Details:

Tuesday, September 12, 6:30-8 PM

Metro L'Enfant Plaza HQ Board Room

300 7thStreet SW

Washington DC 20024

Click here to attend the meeting virtually.

Members of the public are encouraged to review materials on the BOS study website wmata.com/BOSstudy.

Online Survey

The public is encouraged to provide feedback on the proposed alternatives through an online survey. The survey, available in English and Spanish, will be open until September 30, 2023, at wmata.com/BOSstudy.

VISA Gift Card Giveaway: By responding to the survey, respondents may enter for a chance to win a $50 VISA gift card in a drawing to be held once the survey closes.

Next Steps

Public feedback on proposed alternatives will help Metro’s Board of Directors select a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). The Board’s selection of an LPA is only the first step in a long process. The type of large project needed to address the needs and opportunities on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines will require federal funding as well as support and investment from Metro’s regional partners. Recognizing this, the BOS Study is structured according to federal guidelines and requirements to qualify for federal grants. Projects of this scale can take ten to twenty years or more to plan, design, fund, and build. Metro and the region need to be planning now for our growing region.

About the Study

Metro launched the Blue/Orange/Silver Capacity & Reliability Study (BOS Study) in early 2019 to identify the best and most cost-effective solutions to address ridership, service, and reliability needs on these Metrorail lines. After conducting an analysis of the key issues and trends, Metro developed a broad range of potential options for addressing the study goals. Following two rounds of public engagement and extensive feedback, Metro worked with community stakeholders and local jurisdictions to evaluate and narrow these options to six potential alternatives addressing capacity, reliability, and customer needs on the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines.

Click here to view the proposed alternatives.

The BOS Study is a type of study known as an Alternatives Analysis (AA). The AA complies with best-practices guidelines from the Federal Transit Administration and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This will allow Metro to move forward with the study recommendation(s) and compete for federal funding, while reducing the length and cost of any future environmental review process. The study recommendations will be based on data analysis, with input from regional stakeholders and the public to define the problems and determine the preferred solution.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, gender, religion, disability, or family status. If you require accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or translation services (free of charge), contact the project team at 703-683-7447, ext. 115 (TTY: 711) at least 48 hours prior to the meeting date.