WASHINGTON — Starting Monday, more frequent service is coming to Metro. The transit agency will roll out its eleventh service increase since last summer.
"I just moved on the Red Line. I've been a Green Line child since I was little. It's really nice now that I go to college. I go to UDC, so it's easier to move around a lot," said Metrorail commuter Iman Bangura. "I've had many times when I'm going to Gallery Place or something on the Red Line and then I miss it and I have to wait 12 minutes. I'm like, no! If only five more minutes maybe that would be better, so I'm really happy that now they're more accessible with trains."
With even more riders taking trains during the morning and evening commuting hours, Metro will boost peak service on the Red, Blue, Silver, Green, and Yellow lines to meet demand and ridership growth as more customers return to the office and other activities. Trains on those lines will run more frequently from approximately 7 a.m. – 9 a.m., and from approximately 4 p.m.. – 6 p.m. Exact times of peak service will vary by station.
"I take the Red Line often, especially in the morning to-and-from work, so I'm glad that the frequency would be upgraded.," said Metrorail commuter Maya Coleman at Union Station.
According to WMATA, currently an average of more than 277,000 people use Metrorail daily. That's an upward trend from the lowest numbers recorded during the pandemic. While ridership is still half of what it used to be before 2020, riders like Coleman say adding more cars will be a welcome relief: "I've definitely noticed that, it's a lot more packed in the morning. Definitely more people coming back downtown for work."