WMATA adds more trains to its Red Line service

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has added more trains to its Red Line service. Trains will operate every eight minutes all day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, which have become WMATA’s highest ridership days as the region recovers from the pandemic.

On Mondays and Fridays, Red Line trains will continue to operate every eight minutes during the morning and evening rush and every 10 minutes at all other times until 9 p.m.

The service increase builds on improvements made earlier this month that gave customers on the Blue, Orange and Blue Plus lines more midweek service. The combined improvements provide customers with better, more frequent service throughout the system, with 70 percent of all mid-week rush hour trips served by a train every eight minutes or less.

As WMATA gradually returns more 7000-series trains to service, efforts are also underway to hire and train more rail operators to fill a shortage caused by the pandemic. This will allow WMATA to continue to add more trains and improve service for customers across all lines.