Final Metro Surge: Fare Increases, Hour Changes To Follow

WASHINGTON, DC — In roughly a month, Montgomery County commuters will have survived the disruption of WMATA's year-long emergency maintenance program. SafeTrack will end on Sunday, June 25, after a week of commute upheaval for Red Line users, followed by slightly shorter hours and price increases for some bus and rail routes.

Beginning Saturday, June 17, and continuing through Sunday, June 25, a five-mile segment of the Red Line between Shady Grove and Twinbrook will be shut down for nine days during the final surge, which includes crosstie replacement, rail renewal and welding, WMATA officials said in a news release. Two stations – Shady Grove and Rockville – will be closed, with rail service replaced by free shuttle buses running at all times of the day.

Commuters who use Shady Grove or Rockville should consider starting their trip at Twinbrook, White Flint, or Grosvenor during the surge, officials said.

Elsewhere on the Red Line, trains will run at near-normal intervals:

• Red Line trains will operate near normal service between Twinbrook and Glenmont every 8 minutes (normally 6 minutes).
• Additional Red Line trains will operate between Grosvenor and Silver Spring every 4 minutes (normally 3 minutes).

Service on Metro's Orange, Silver, Blue, Yellow, and Green lines will not be affected.

At the conclusion of Surge 16, Metro will have completed three years of track work in a single year, including the replacement of more than 50,000 crossties compared to about 15,000 in a typical year.

Price Increases, Hour Changes

Fare increases and changes to Metro hours will take effect Sunday, June 25, as part of a plan to shore up the agency's budget. Most fares on Metrobus and Metrorail will increase between 10 and 25 cents; some low-ridership bus routes will end; trains will arrive less frequently during rush hour; and Metrorail system hours will shrink to give workers more time each week for maintenance, WMATA says.

New Metrorail Hours of Operation

• Monday - Thursday: 5:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
• Friday: 5:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
• Saturday: 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
• Sunday: 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Some Metrobus routes will add trips to provide service in key corridors that no longer have late night or early weekend rail service.

Fare Changes

For Metrorail customers, most fares will increase by 10 to 25 cents. A new one-day unlimited rail/bus pass will be available for $14.75, while the monthly SelectPass will continue to be the best value option for regular rail customers.

Regular Metrobus fares will increase 25 cents to $2. The unlimited, seven-day bus pass will remain at $17.50.

Express bus fares will increase from $4 to $4.25, and Airport buses (Routes 5A and B30) will increase from $7 to $7.50.

MetroAccess fares will continue to be calculated at two times the fastest comparable fixed-route rate, with the maximum charge of $6.50 remaining the same. Daily parking rates will change at all Metro-operated facilities.

Rail Service Changes

During weekday rush periods, rail service will operate as follows:

• Trains will depart endpoints every 8 minutes on each line.
• At stations served by more than one line, trains will arrive every 3-4 minutes.
• Additional Red Line service will run between Grosvenor and Silver Spring, resulting in trains arriving every 4 minutes between those stations.
• Service will become more frequent for Blue Line riders, where trains are now scheduled every 12 minutes.

In addition, Yellow Rush+ will be eliminated. All Yellow Line trains will run between Huntington and Mt Vernon Sq during weekday rush periods, and between Huntington and Fort Totten at other times.

No changes are being made to off-peak service.

Bus Service Changes

The following routes will have new timetables that reflect schedule changes, added or discontinued trips, or trip time adjustments.

District of Columbia: 30N, 30S, 42, 43, 52, 54, 64, 70, 80, 90, 92, 96, A2, A6, A8, D8, E4, E6, G2, G8, H4, H8, L2, N2, N4, N6, S1, S2, S4, S9, W4, X2
Maryland: 89, B30, C4, C11, C13, C21, C22, C26, F4, F13, H11, H12, H13, J2, J5, K6, P12, P17, P18, P19, Q1, Q4, T2, W13, W14, W19, Y2, Y7, Y8, Z7
Virginia: 1A, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2T, 5A, 7W, 7X, 10A, 10N, 13Y, 15K, 15L, 16B, 16E, 16J, 16P, 16Y, 17A, 17B, 17F, 17M, 18P, 18R, 18S, 23B, 28A, 28X, 38B, REX

For more information about the changes to fares, service and hours of operation that take effect on June 25, visit wmata.com/changes.

»Patch file photo