Metro News Release
For immediate release: April 26, 2004
Metro unveils peak service enhancements and new series 5000 rail cars for the Red Line
Additional Red Line service begins today
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) today unveiled improvements in service along Metrorail’s Red Line which includes more frequent train service (between 5:30 and 9:30 a.m., and 3 and 7 p.m.) and new rail cars and trains to handle the system’s busiest line.
"Starting today, customers who normally use the Red Line will see a 20 percent increase in peak period service," said Robert J. Smith, Metro’s Board Chairman and a Maryland Board representative for Montgomery County. "With seven additional trains operating on the Red Line, customers will have shorter waits between trains, a greater frequency of service in the downtown portion of the Red Line, and a much more comfortable ride because there will be less crowded conditions as a result of adding rail cars.
"The deployment of these new rail cars will provide Red Line customers some breathing room," said Mr. Smith. "But ridership is still growing and more overcrowding is on the horizon. Severe overcrowding is projected for all Metrorail lines in just a few years if the region is unable to fund the system’s capital needs outlined in Metro Matters."
As chairman, Mr. Smith has made protecting and maximizing the existing system a top priority for the agency this year, addressing maintenance and overcrowding problems. Metro Matters includes a request for funds to purchase 120 additional rail cars and the necessary infrastructure support for Metro to run eight-car trains. The new 5000 series rail cars represent the completion of a $378 million contract to provide 192 new cars from the manufacturing company of AAI/CAF, a teaming arrangement between AAI Corporation located in Hunt Valley, MD, and Construcciones Y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), of Madrid, Spain.
The first of the new "5000 Series cars" were launched on the Green Line in August 2001. Today, all 192 rail cars have been delivered and these cars are operating on all rail lines throughout the Metrorail system.
"Along with Metro’s success comes some real challenges, including overcrowding on the system," said Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. "Our focus must always be on our customers, and adding cars is the quickest, most cost-effective way to provide some relief. These 42 passenger cars, and others that must follow, will increase capacity, reduce wait times on the platform and maintain Metro as a world-class system that benefits everyone in the Greater Washington region."
Metro’s peak service enhancements on the Red Line feature:
Red Line trains which normally operate every 6 minutes between Shady Grove and White Flint will operate every 5 minutes.
Red Line trains which normally operate every 6 minutes between Glenmont and Forest Glen will operate every 5 minutes.
Red Line trains which normally operate every 3 minutes between Grosvenor and Silver Spring will operate every 2 ½ minutes.
Seven additional six-car trains (42 rail cars) will operate on the Red Line during peak hours.
"I applaud today’s action by Metro to increase rush hour service along Metrorail’s Red Line " cutting wait times for trains by 20 percent," said Doug M. Duncan, Montgomery County Executive. "Montgomery County commuters will benefit greatly from more trains and faster service.
"By placing additional rail cars on the Red Line, Metro is making significant progress in meeting Montgomery County’s transit needs. This is a good first step toward expanding service as outlined under my ’Go Montgomery! Transportation Plan’ to reduce traffic congestion," Mr. Duncan said. "To accomplish this, I fully support Metro Matters, Metro’s comprehensive plan to guarantee that one of the premier transit systems in the country gets the capital resources it needs." The new cars were purchased to accommodate increased Metrorail ridership throughout the system. They were first deployed to alleviate crowded conditions on the Green Line where five new stations opened in January 2001, and where ridership was more than double the projections. The cars were then deployed to the Orange Line, which was identified as the next most crowded line.
The new series 5000 rail cars contain several amenities for providing safe, attractive, convenient, and reliable service for all customers, including those with mobility requirements. They include: · New interior color scheme " Chesapeake Sand, Colonial Burgundy, and Potomac Blue seat covers with a warm, red-gold carpet, against white walls.
· At either end of the car, an interior electronic next-station sign which also indicates the rail line color and the door-opening side.
· Barriers between cars to prevent accidental entry by persons with visual disabilities, and prevent falls in the unlikely event of an operator-assisted evacuation. (All of Metro’s older fleet of cars have been outfitted with these inter-car barriers.)
· The emergency intercoms located at each end of the cars have been lowered and Braille instructions were added.
News release issued on April 26, 2004.