Metro May Reroute Blue Line

WASHINGTON -- Metro riders could be in for a big change. The transit agency is considering realigning one of its most heavily used lines.

If the Metro Board gives the approval, the Blue Line could run from the Franconia-Springfield station across the Potomac River to the L'Enfant Plaza stop and then all the way up to the Greenbelt station on the Green Line.

Metro says the realignment may be needed to give Blue Line riders better access to the eastern portion of downtown D.C., which has been developing at a rapid pace in recent years.

"We've seen from our station counts, that more and more people are going to the Gallery Places, the L'Enfants, the Navy Yards, the Columbia Heights," says Jim Hughes, Metro's managing director of planning.

Right now, if a Blue Line rider south of the Pentagon wants to go into the District, he has to go all the way to the Rosslyn station then cut across the city. That has led to a lot of transfers taking the Yellow Line into D.C. after the Pentagon stop, making those trains especially crowded.

It also has created a bottleneck at the Rosslyn Station, where Orange Line trains are fighting to continue their routes with Blue Line trains that may not be as crowded.

In the last five years, Metro has seen a 13 percent ridership increase between the Pentagon and L'Enfant Plaza stations on the Yellow Line. Conversely, on the Blue Line, there's been a 4 percent ridership decline between the Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom stops.

The proposed realignment would send more Blue Line trains across the Yellow Line Bridge and serve as a direct shot into the city.

"We definitely need to look at maximizing the use of the Yellow Line bridge over the Potomac River and provide better service for northern Virginians traveling to and from downtown," says Metro Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman.

"The realignment would give (Blue Line riders) a more direct service to this growth that we have seen," says Hughes.

Right now, 10 Blue Line trains run every six minutes from the Franconia-Springfield station to the Largo Town Center station during peak periods. If the proposal goes forward, four Blue Line trains an hour would be sent over the Yellow Line Bridge.

The remaining six trains would keep their current route, running to Rosslyn.

The potential switch will be talked about this Thursday during a Metro Board meeting.

A public comment period is expected, and the earliest the change will happen is the end of the calendar year.

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