Metro News Release

For immediate release: February 14, 2008

Metro to expand express bus service in D.C. and Maryland

More express bus service is coming to the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County, Md., beginning next month.

A Metro Board committee approved beginning limited-stop service between Southern Avenue Metrorail station and National Harbor, expanding express service that runs from Silver Spring, Md., to Archives-Navy Memorial Metrorail stations, and providing more frequent regular bus service between Union Station and the Navy Yard Metrorail station.

“National Harbor is a new major employment and activity center that needs public transportation. The expanded service to Navy Yard would serve growing development along the route, including the new ballpark and the Capitol Visitor Center and additional MetroExtra service from Silver Spring would ease crowding on one of our busiest lines,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe.

The National Harbor line, or NH-1 will operate to the National Harbor development via Southern Avenue Metrorail station, Indian Head Highway and Oxon Hill Road daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Buses would run every 20 minutes during rush hours and every 30 minutes during non rush hours and the weekends. Maryland would pay an estimated $1.2 million annually for Metro to operate the new service, which is set to begin March 23.

The District of Columbia would pay nearly $1 million a year to expand the Navy Yard shuttle, Route N22, and MetroExtra Route 79 services. The hours of operations for the N22, which runs between Union and Navy Yard Metrorail stations via Eastern Market would be expanded to weekends and weekday evenings until 10:30 p.m. The buses would run every 10 minutes at all times, instead of just the rush hours. The additional service would begin March 30.

The Route 79 MetroExtra limited stop service, which runs between Silver Spring and Archives-Navy Memorial Metrorail stations along Georgia Avenue would be expanded to non rush hours. Express buses would run from 9:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. weekdays – every 10 minutes during rush hours and every 12 minutes during non rush hours, beginning March 31. The full Board will vote on the improvements February 28.

News release issued at 1:35 pm, February 14, 2008.