metro

Photo via WMATA

Metro crushing the coffee scene.

From WMATA:

“Need coffee? A SmarTrip® and a visit to participating @DCDunkin locations can get any sized hot/iced coffee for only $1.49.”

Side note: Sunday HipCityVeg closed an hour early so that “our staff gets home safely with the new Metro schedule.”

Full Disclosure: I still love Dunkin and will be taking advantage of this offer.

Photo by Tim Craig

Speaking of our new metro commutes, thanks to Tim for sending this from HipCityVeg.

“We are closed an hour early this evening dute to our staff getting home safely with the new Metro schedule.”

712 7th Street, NW

Photo by PoPville flickr user Julian Ortiz

From WMATA:

“Maintenance work over the weekend of July 7-9 to keep trains operating safely and reliably.

Highlights

Yellow and Green line trains operate regular weekend service
Red Line trains will operate every 20 minutes
Buses replace trains between Foggy Bottom and Federal Triangle, see below for details
Silver Line trains operate regular weekend intervals between Wiehle-Reston East and Ballston (more…)

“Dear PoPville,

How has Metro’s decreased rush hour service been impacting peoples’ commutes? How do we get the ridership data that informed WMATA’s decision about service levels? I travel from Georgia Ave to Archives, and since they reduced service (eliminated yellow line service and reduced frequency of cars), a lot of people at U Street and Shaw typically haven’t been able to board the trains, and today they closed the doors on people as they were trying to exist at Chinatown because there were so many people.”

From metro:

Metrorail service levels

On Metrorail, changes are being made to service levels during rush-hours only, where trains will run every 8 minutes on each colored line, rather than every 6 minutes on most lines today. On the Red Line, trains will run every 4 minutes between Grosvenor and Silver Spring; trains between Shady Grove and Glenmont will run every 8 minutes.

The Blue Line, which today runs every 12 minutes during rush hours, will see an increase in service with trains running every 8 minutes — the same as all other lines.

Rush+ Yellow Line service between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt will be discontinued. During rush hours, all Yellow Line trains will operate between Huntington and Mt Vernon Square. (Yellow Line service will be extended to Fort Totten during off-peak hours.) Riders north of Mt Vernon Square should use Green Line trains for continuing service.

Dupont Circle June 29th 5:20pm. Photo courtesy Margaret

There. Now we can be friends again.

Thanks to all who passed on the thank you note from WMATA’s CEO:

“We appreciate your support during SafeTrack. It’s not been an easy journey as we performed three years of track work in just one year.

Your support helped us improve safety and reliability so that Metro can get back to good. Thank You!”

Photo by Kimberley

Another reader writes:

“Ways metro is trying to make riders happier:

1) air freshness
2) music in stations
3) McDonald coupons”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Paul Sirajuddin

From WMATA:

“Metrorail will remain open until midnight on July 4, providing an additional half hour of service for customers returning from festivities on the National Mall and around the region. (Under Metro’s new operating hours, which took effect Sunday, the system would normally close at 11:30 p.m.)

During daytime hours, trains will operate at Saturday service levels (every 12 minutes on each line) until about 6 p.m., at which time service will ramp up to rush-hour service levels before and after the fireworks.

All stations will be open; however, after 9 p.m. the National Mall entrance at Smithsonian Station will become “entry only” to accommodate returning crowds.

Off-peak fares will be in effect all day, and parking will be free at all Metro-operated facilities. Bicycles and large coolers will not be permitted aboard trains due to space constraints.”

SoberRide to the rescue!!

You can read more details on the coming changes here.