WMATA to increase train size on Blue Line to accommodate Silver Line's opening

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) plans to increase the number of eight-car trains on the Blue Line in preparation for the July 26 opening of the Silver Line.

The additional cars will provide capacity for riders on the Blue Line, where two trains per hour will be converted from Blue to Yellow trains to accommodate the Silver Line, WMATA officials said in a press release.

Starting July 21, Blue Line trains will run every 12 minutes. Currently during rush hour, one Blue Line trainset is scheduled to be eight cars long.  With the opening of the Silver Line, WMATA's plan calls for up to six of 12 Blue Line trainsets to feature eight cars.

The Silver Line's five-station first phase will run from the Wiehle-Reston East station to Largo Town Center. Work already has begun on the project's second phase, which will connect Metrorail with Herndon, Washington Dulles International Airport and points in Loudoun County, Va.