Metrorail making service expansion changes beginning Sunday
Significant changes are coming to Metrorail beginning Sunday, June 22. The rail system is adding longer weekend hours and more frequent service on the Red and Silver Lines during peak hours and also adding a new Silver Line service.
Beginning Monday morning, Red Line trains will be more frequent, running every four minutes, compared with five minutes now during weekday rush periods, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced in a statement.
Metrorail riders will have additional service on the Silver Line, which will now operate with two lines.
Half of the trains will travel between Ashburn and Downtown Largo, and the other half will run between Ashburn and New Carrollton. The Stadium-Armory station, which serves the Orange, Blue and Silver Lines, will be the transfer station for Silver Line trains if you need to go to New Carrollton or Downtown Largo.
Also, during peak rush hours on weekdays, additional Silver Line trains will run from Wiehle-Reston East to New Carrollton in the morning and from Stadium-Armory to Wiehle-Reston East in the afternoon.
Weekend extensions and new Metrorail map
Metro is also extending weekend hours for the entire system.
On Saturdays and Sundays, Metrorail will now open one hour earlier at 6 a.m., and will close an hour later on Fridays and Saturdays at 2 a.m.
“Ridership on America’s Metro continues to grow. As more people use the system to get to where they live, work, and play, we continue to look for ways that we can accommodate more customers and provide the service the region deserves,” Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke said in a news release.
Metro said it will extend the Yellow Line in December, with half of the trains operating between Huntington and Greenbelt and half operating between Huntington and Mt. Vernon Square.
It’s also unveiling a new 2025 Metrorail map which includes brand new changes.
The transit agency said the map will be displayed on digital screens in rail stations, with new paper maps appearing in stations and on trains in the near future.
The paper maps will show the upcoming extended Yellow Line service pattern, but with a note that the service does not begin until December.
Commuters will also see other changes on the maps.
Metro said a hashed line on the map will indicate the split on the Silver Line. Customers are encouraged to pay attention to the end-line station listed on digital signage before boarding eastbound trains.
The transit agency also launched “rail disc” logos. The line-specific logos seen throughout the rail system and at the end of the lines on the map will go from a two-letter code to one, making them larger and easier to read. For example, the Red Line is going from “RD” to “R”.
For Avenue-based stations, Metro is changing the style on the map from “Ave.” to “Av.” which aligns with the bus destination signs that also use “Av.”
Ridership increases
While it was still below its peak ridership of 702,000 per weekday in 2012, Metrorail is seeing its ridership increase from the COVID-19 depths, when only 134,000 people rode the rails in 2021 during the pandemic.
The transit agency said it is now averaging more than 460,000 riders per weekday and ridership has shown a steady year-over-year increase. Ridership numbers in 2025 have climbed by 16%, from an average of 395,000 on weekdays in 2024.
In a statement, the public transit system’s leadership made note of the increases in service that will take place without a fare increase.
“Extending rail service hours to better align with our customers’ needs — without increasing fares — is a win for riders and a testament to our staff’s budget discipline and commitment to continuous improvement in operational efficiency,” said Metro Board Chair Valerie Santos.
Beginning June 29, Metro will also launch its newly redesigned bus network. More information and resources can be found at www.wmata.com/betterbus.