With the Silver Line set to begin operations in under a month, Metro officials are defending what may be the least popular side effect of the new service: Cuts to Blue Line service.

In order to accommodate the trains that will travel to the five new stations, rush hour service to the Blue Line will be cut. Wait time during peak will increase from approximately six to 8.5 minutes for every other train to 12 minutes across the board.

During a Dr. Gridlock chat today with Metro Assistant General Manager Lynn Bowersox, many riders wanted to know why that Line will suffer. From one rider:

Metro claims Blue Line trains rush hour trains are running at 6 minute intervals, which is not true. Further, Metro states the rush hour Blue Line trains will run at 12 minute intervals after the Silver Line opens. If what Metro is saying about today’s Blue Line service is not true, how can we believe their statements about the level of service after the Silver Line opens?

“I understand that this means a change for Blue Line riders and not all will find the change convenient,” Bowsersox responded. “It is worth noting that we are executing on a plan that was developed more than a decade ago when the Silver Line was planned/approved. The original plan called for Blue Line trains every 14 minutes. We were able to do a little better than that by extending Silver Line to Largo Town Center, rather than Stadium-Armory.”

That’s the same point Metro makes in a post on its planning blog. Here’s how one rider responded:

All I hear in response to comments about Blue Line is that WMATA is implementing a strategic plan created a decade ago. Well, guess, what? Things have changed immensely in a decade. Strategic plans are flexible.
…
I realize that in many ways your hands are tied given monetary and other circumstances. My recommendation would be for you to not to continue to insult your customers by referring to an outdated document.

And to a rider who wanted to know why Metro would charge Blue Line riders peak fare, even though they won’t receive that service, Bowsersox explained that fares are distance based.

While not as widely discussed, Orange Line riders will be impacted, too. As the below map shows, Orange Line Rush Plus service is going away, meaning these riders will lose six additional trains per hour during peak.

See you on July 26.

Via PlanItMetro.