Metro News Release

For immediate release: March 26, 2004

Metro to conduct public hearing on restructuringbus routes along U.S. rt. 29 corridor

Metro officials will host a public hearing on Thursday, April 8 to allow Metrobus customers to provide input into plans to restructure bus routes along the U.S. Route 29 Corridor in Silver Spring, MD. The hearing will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Eastern Resource Service Center, 3300 Briggs Chaney Road at Robey Road in Silver Spring. Metro managers are proposing to alter routes C7, Z2 and Z8, establishing a new route Z6, discontinuing all service on the Z1, Z3, Z4, Z5, Z7, and Z17, and making schedule changes on routes Z9 and Z29. The proposed changes would increase productivity and cost-effectiveness, reduce redundancies and eliminate segments of routes generating low ridership. In some instances where routes are proposed to be discontinued, service would be retained by rerouting other, existing routes over the same roadways at no increase in operating cost or replaced by the new route Z6. The plan also allows for a modest expansion of service into new areas. Individuals and representatives of organizations who wish to be heard at the public hearing are requested to furnish in writing their name, address, telephone number, docket number (B04-3) and organization affiliation, if any, to Harold Bartlett, Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. Alternatively, individuals may fax this information to Mr. Bartlett at 202-962-1133. Please submit only one speaker’s name per letter. Lists of individual speakers will not be accepted. Others present at the hearing may be heard after those persons who have registered have spoken. Written statements and exhibits may be submitted until close of business on April 19, to Harold Bartlett, Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. The proposed routing and service changes follow.Glenmont-Silver Spring Line, Routes Z1, Z4This service operates during rush periods only" Z1 to Glenmont Metrorail station and Z4 to Silver Spring Metrorail station in the morning rush with operation in the reverse direction in the afternoon rush. Z1 operates via U.S. 29 direct, then via Westfarm, Verizon, Tanglewood, Fairland Road, Tamarack, and Randolph Road. The Z4 operates via Randolph Road, East Randolph Road, Westfarm, and Lockwood Drive. All service is proposed to be discontinued. Alternatives for Z1 would be new Z6 between Silver Spring Metrorail station and both Westfarm and Tanglewood; Z8 between Silver Spring Metrorail station and Verizon; and rerouted C7 on Fairland Road west of Old Columbia Pike and in Tamarack. Alternatives for Z4 are Ride On Route 10 between Randolph Road/East Randolph Road and Westfarm, and Z8 and new Z6 between Lockwood Drive and Silver Spring Metrorail station. Cherry Hill Road between Calverton Boulevard/Broadbirch Drive and Old Columbia Pike, now served by Z4, would continue to be served by Route C9, for which the Metrorail connection is at Greenbelt Metrorail station, not at Silver Spring Metrorail station, unless a transfer is made. There would be no replacement service on Musgrove Road between Verizon and Fairland Road.Colesville Road Line, Route Z2The existing 30-minute frequency would be retained, including the afternoon diversions to Blake High School. However, service would be rerouted via Briggs Chaney Road, Good Hope Road, and Cape May Road to replace the most productive segment of discontinued Z3, with no Z2 service on New Hampshire Avenue between Briggs Chaney Road and Cape May Road. Midday Z2 service would be discontinued between Olney and New Hampshire Avenue and Good Hope Road so weekday midday service would only operate between Colesville and Silver Spring Metrorail station, as it does on Saturday. Saturday Z2 service, operated by Ride On, would not change. Colesville-Fairland Express Line, Routes Z3, Z5Rush-only Routes Z3 and Z5 would be discontinued. There would be no replacement for Z3 service on Spencerville Road between Old Columbia Pike and Good Hope Road or on Good Hope Road between Spencerville Road and Briggs Chaney Road. Z2 would be rerouted to replace the Z3 on Good Hope Road and Cape May Road between Briggs Chaney Road and New Hampshire Avenue. Alternatives for the Z5 would be the new Z6 to Westfarm, Z8 to Verizon, the new Z6 and Z8 to Briggs Chaney Road in the vicinity of Columbia Pike, and the Z9 to Burtonsville. Cherry Hill Road between Calverton Boulevard/Broadbirch Drive and Old Columbia Pike now served by the Z5 would continue to be served by the C9, for which the Metrorail connection is at the Greenbelt Metrorail station.Calverton Express Line, Routes Z7, Z17Service would be discontinued and replaced between Silver Spring Metrorail station, Westfarm, and stops on Calverton Boulevard as far as Galway Drive by new Z6. The Z7 passengers now riding between that part of Calverton east of Galway Drive and Silver Spring Metrorail station would be able to transfer between the C7 and Z8 local or Z9 express service on Old Columbia Pike. There would be no replacement service between Silver Spring Metrorail station and Centerpark Office Park. Cherry Hill Road between Calverton Boulevard/Broadbirch Drive and Old Columbia Pike would continue to be served by Route C9, for which the Metrorail connection is at Greenbelt Metrorail station, not at Silver Spring Metrorail station, unless a transfer is made.Fairland Line, Route Z8 and new Z6During rush hours, Z8 would operate only between Castle Boulevard and Silver Spring Metrorail station, and all of the counterflow service (outbound in the morning, inbound in the evening) would operate via Verizon. The area served by the Z8 beyond Castle Boulevard in the off-peak is served by Routes Z9, Z11, and Z13 during peak periods. Midday and evening Z8 trips now operating to and from Burtonsville would be replaced by new Z6 trips at the same frequency, and at those times Z8 would terminate at the Greencastle Park & Ride lot. The new Z6, operating two-way from early morning to mid-evening, would relieve crowding on the Z8 and would be a partial replacement for rush-hour Z4. The Z6 would operate from the Silver Spring Metrorail station via the Z8 routing on Lockwood Drive. East of White Oak, it would serve Industrial Parkway, Tech Road, Broadbirch Drive (Westfarm), Calverton Boulevard, Galway Drive (new service) and the Briggs Chaney Park & Ride. The Z6 would terminate at Castle Boulevard during the rush, continuing midday and evenings to Burtonsville via Old Columbia Pike and Spencerville Road. There would be new two-way service on Old Columbia Pike beyond Briggs Chaney Road at those times. Saturday and Sunday service woud continue to be provided by the Z8 alone on the current schedule as far as Castle Boulevard and the Briggs Chaney Park & Ride.Laurel-Burtonsville Express Line, Routes Z9, Z29There would be no change in the routing or the frequency of service between Burtonsville and the Silver Spring Metrorail station with one exception, and the Burtonsville-Laurel extension would become permanent. Adjustments would be made to reflect passenger demand. The first outbound trip from Silver Spring Metrorail station to Laurel would be discontinued, and the Z9 trips leaving Laurel at 5:35 a.m. and 3:42 p.m. and arriving at Laurel at 7:31 p.m. would be changed to operate between Burtonsville and Silver Spring only.Greencastle-Briggs Chaney Express Line, Routes Z11, Z13These routes would see minor adjustments in frequency to reflect passenger demand.Greenbelt-Glenmont Line, Routes C7, C9The C7 would be rerouted between the intersections of Musgrove Road and Old Columbia Pike and East Randolph Road and Tamarack Road to operate via Old Columbia Pike, Fairland Road, and Tamarack Road as partial replacement for the Z1, which is proposed to be discontinued. The C7 service to Verizon would not be affected. The C7 operates to Glenmont Metrorail station in the morning rush and from Glenmont Metrorail station in the afternoon rush. Route C9 would not change. The public hearing is being conducted in a location accessible to persons with disabilities. Any individual who requires special assistance, such as a sign language interpreter, to participate in the public hearing should contact Leen" da Chambliss at 202-962-2595 or TDD 202-638-3780 by April 2 for Metro to make necessary arrangements.

News release issued on March 26, 2004.