Phase 2: From Monday, Nov. 7 to Mid-January 2023, Bus Bays C and D will be closed
Fare collection resumed on all Montgomery County buses on August 1. The one-way pre-pandemic fare, which was $2 per ride, is now $1. Monthly passes, which were $45 per rider, are now $22.50 Riders can plan trips online with Ride On Real Time.
The warning campaign will begin with notices displayed on digital signs throughout the system. After the digital signs run for two weeks, Metro Transit Police (MTPD) officers and other Metro personnel will start distributing physical fliers to fare evaders with the same warning information.
“As I mentioned previously, the region needs to decide what we want Metro to be, and fare policy should be part of the conversation,” said General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke. “Many people have mentioned going to a fare-free model, but fare-free does not mean free. There are costs associated with running the community’s transit system and therefore the necessary revenues must exist to deliver the services the community needs.”
Five Station Name Changes:
Physical station signage at White Flint and Largo Town Center has already undergone some changes to complete the process which requires fabrication and installation. Additionally, Metro is working with each jurisdictional partner to coordinate name change rollouts to minimize confusion for customers.
The Purple Line will be a 16-mile light rail line that will extend from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. It will provide a direct connection to the Metrorail Red, Green and Orange Lines at Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park, and New Carrollton. The Purple Line also will connect to MARC, Amtrak and local bus services. The revised planned completion date is 2026.
MDOT MTA is planning community meetings, open houses and Community Advisory Meetings (CATs) to give residents updates on the Purple Line. Additional information is available on the project’s website at purplelinemd.com/upcoming-meetings.
The Purple Line Transit Partners announced on Thursday that they have secured funding to complete the remainder of construction on the Purple Line, as well as for future operations and management. The purple line is a 16-mile light-rail line with 21 stations that will go from Bethesda New Carrollton in Prince George’s County.
Press Release:
As Metro prepares for the opening of both the Silver Line Extension and Potomac Yard Station in 2022, the transit authority will also advance its intensive state of good repair program. This includes completion of the multi-year platform reconstruction effort at 20 outdoor rail stations and several large-scale construction projects, including a major rehabilitation of the Yellow Line’s Potomac River tunnel and bridge crossing.
Metro will soon introduce new service on the Silver Line – including six new rail stations, 12 miles of track, and a new rail yard. And this summer, platform reconstruction and station improvements will be underway on the eastern end of the Orange Line.
On Friday, Montgomery County officials dedicated the “MD 355 Crossing Project” in Bethesda. The new underpass provides safe crossing between the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Medical Center Metrorail station.
The underpass is named after the late Phil Alperson, a former MCDOT employee who worked for years to coordinate the project.
Metro is installing new faregates at rail stations and will begin upgrading fareboxes on Metrobuses in the fall. This investment in new technology means a faster, more efficient and reliable experience for you. As a result, beginning March 1, 2022, SmarTrip cards purchased before 2012 will no longer work and must be replaced.
If you’re using SmarTrip in your mobile wallet, you’re all set – just tap and go.
Two of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Twitter accounts were hacked early this morning, leading to obscene tweets by someone who claimed they were fired as the social media manager for the accounts.
The hacker sent obscene and profanity laced tweets on Metro’s official Twitter page and its Metrorail page in the early morning hours Monday morning. Metro’s main account, @WMATA, was changed from “Metro” to “Blueface Da Bus.” The @metrorailinfo account was also hacked.
Metro will increase rail service on the Red Line beginning Tuesday, February 22, building on recent weekday service improvements on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines to provide customers with more frequent and reliable service.
On weekdays, Red Line trains will operate every 10 minutes instead of every 12 minutes. Trains are operating every 20 minutes on all other lines, with trains as frequently as every seven to 10 minutes at stations that are served by multiple lines throughout the system.
On Presidents Day, Monday, February 21, 2022, Metrorail will operate on a Saturday schedule and Metrobus will run Saturday supplemental service. MetroAccess customers who wish to travel on the holiday may make a reservation; however, subscription trips will be canceled.
Customers are advised to be aware of scheduled track work on the Blue and Yellow lines, closing the six stations south of Reagan National Airport. Free shuttle buses will be provided to/from the closed stations. View the weekend service advisory for additional information.