Customer Service and Operations Committee

Board Action Item III-A

October 13, 2011

Blue/Yellow Line Service Realignment

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TITLE:

Blue/Yellow Realignment

PURPOSE:

To obtain approval of the Blue/Yellow Lines service realignment

DESCRIPTION:

Service Plan In March 2011, the Board was briefed on the Blue/Yellow Lines service realignment proposal that will serve the following purposes:

Address peak period crowding and service reliability at the Rosslyn portal; Realign service to better match changing ridership market; and Transition service to address requirements of the future Dulles rail extension.

The Blue/Yellow Lines service realignment will be a major change to the service pattern of the Metro system during the peak A.M. and P.M. service periods. Riders of the Orange, Blue, Yellow and Green Lines will be affected. One-third of the Blue Line trains from Franconia/Springfield station, or three trains per hour, will be shifted to operate via the Yellow Line bridge to the L`Enfant Plaza station and on to Greenbelt station. To off-set the shift three Orange Line trains per hour will be added from West Falls Church to Largo. The Blue/Yellow lines service realignment will provide increased service levels on multiple lines including the Yellow /Green Lines (L’Enfant Plaza station to Greenbelt station) and Orange Line (West Falls Church station to Courthouse station). It is estimated that 108,000 riders (43% of peak period trips) to various destinations within the system will benefit from increased service and reduced travel time. The travel time savings resulting from reduced wait times are expected to total 953 hours during each peak period. The increased travel time for some Blue Line travelers due to increased wait times will total 337 hours, so the net time savings for the service change will be 615 hours during each peak period. Communications Plan The service and map changes are the most significant changes to the rail system in a decade. Therefore, the communications approach must ensure that regular customers understand the change now and in the long-run, as well as being comprehensible for infrequent riders and first-time users of the system. That said, it is imperative that customers, employees and key stakeholders are involved in the process early. The communications plan is a staged, multi-sensory approach that focuses on

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Board Action/Information Summary

Action InformationMEAD Number:

101631

Resolution: Yes No

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rider benefits, communicates in ways the public listens, and reaches customers at all touch points of their journey. Since 2010, Metro has been conducting customer research that includes reviews of industry best practices, several online surveys and numerous focus groups. In the process, nearly 20,000 people have provided comments or opinions. From this research, Metro obtained information about customer needs and preferences concerning communicating service change information, naming the stations, navigating the system, and designing signage. The results were instrumental in developing the first phase of the communications plan. Phase one began earlier this year with public input on the map and signage and will continue into the first quarter of calendar year 2012 with the preparation of materials for distribution to the public. Phase two will begin in spring 2012 with elaboration of the changes; advertisement; and business, community, and public outreach. Phase three will be completed during the summer of 2012 and will seek customer and employee feedback, as outreach continues through traditional and social media channels, electronic notifications and advertising. Map Research An important part of the Phase 1 work was developing the next generation of Metrorail’s map that will depict the blue/yellow realignment service change and will also preview the upcoming service to Dulles. Metro’s map designer Lance Wyman was retained to evolve his original design. Map design concepts were tested with customers in focus groups and in an online survey that attracted more than 17,000 participants. Among the research findings were that the map is used for way-finding and navigation versus a source that customers would consult for service changes. Metro customers value the simplicity of the Metro map and want to stay as close as possible to the iconic design. When showing the blue/yellow rush hour service, customers prefer dash lines at the end of the lines, similar to how some other transit properties display rush hour services. Future Dulles service should be shown as an extension rather than running the “under construction” line through the core before service is in operation. They also see the Dulles extension as the Silver Line rather than the Orange Line or another color. If customers have a complaint about the existing map it is that the long station names clutter it. To help navigation and simplify the map, they favor a primary/secondary approach to station names. In response to the initial reaction to station names, a review of Metro’s station name policy was completed. Implementation In addition to the customer communication strategies required, the most significant implementation tasks will be related to the design and installation of maps and signage. In total, over 2,600 station signs including way-finding, station lists, platform signs, interior directional signage, and pylons will need to be replaced. More than 5,000 system maps will need to be printed and installed in stations and rail cars. Over 1,200 fare charts for fare vending and station kiosks will need to be updated. The rail service schedules will be developed three months prior to the start of service. Rail operators and station managers will receive training information on the service change in advance of the change. The service is planned to be initiated in June 2012.

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FUNDING IMPACT:

RECOMMENDATION:

Approval of the Blue/Yellow Lines service realignment

This action does not have any new impact on funding. Background information on project funding is provided for information purposes only. Initial funding for this service initiative has been approved as part of the FY2012 budget approval. The operating costs for FY2012 will be $500,000 for rail start-up costs and marketing and communication expenses. The capital costs for this project to be expended in FY2012 include modified signage, system map, and fare charts totaling $2.7 million.

Funding for the first full-year of operations will be included in the draft FY2013 budget for approval. The operating costs for FY2013 will be $2,900,000 for additional rail service.

Project Manager: Tom Harrington

Project Department/Office: PLJD/Office of Long Range Planning

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Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Blue/Yellow Line Service Realignment

Customer Service and Operations Committee

October 13 2011October 13, 2011

Purpose

• To obtain Board approval of Blue/Yellow Lines Service pp /Realignment

• To provide an overview of required implementation tasks, p q p ,schedule and budget, communication strategies, and system map and signage changes.

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Background

h d b f d l / llMarch 2011 – Board was briefed on Blue/Yellow Line realignment proposal that would serve the following purposes:following purposes:

1. Address peak period crowding and service reliability at RosslynRosslyn

2. Realign service to better match changing ridership marketmarket

3. Transition to future Dulles rail extension

3

Address Peak Period Crowding

Current(April-Dec. 2010)

Max. Load Segment Passengers Per Car

Red Dupont Circle – 94Red Farragut N. 94

Yellow Pentagon – L’Enfant Plaza 96

Green Shaw – Mt. Vernon Sq. 89

Blue Pentagon- Rosslyn 89

Orange Courthouse - Rosslyn 106

• Deployment of scheduled rail cars and maintaining service reliability is critical to providing adequate capacity to address passenger crowding

• Peak Passenger Load Standard: Not to exceed 120 pass. per car (PPC) average for peak-hour/direction at maximum load point – desired load is below 100 ppc

Realign Service to Match Markets

Transition to Dulles Extension Service

• June 2012 - Blue/Yellow Realignment

• December 2013 - Dulles ece be 0 3 u esPhase 1 to Wiehle Avenue

• 2017 - Dulles Phase 2 to2017 Dulles Phase 2 to Loudoun/Route 772

• When the Dulles extension opens, Orange, Blue, and Dulles line trains will all pass through Rosslyn portal

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• Rosslyn portal currently operates at maximum throughput of 26 trains per hour; L’Enfant Plaza portal operates at up to 23 trains per hour

June 2012:  Blue/Yellow RealignmentRealignment

Shifts 1/3 of peak Blue Line trains from Franconia–Springfield to operate via Yellow Line to Greenbeltvia Yellow Line to Greenbelt

Add 3 trains per peak hour to Orange Line from West Falls Church to Largo Town Center

Blue/Yellow Line RealignmentPeak Period Service ChangesPeak Period Service Changes

Line From To Trains/Hr HeadwayCurrent Peak Service

Line From To Trains/Hr HeadwayBlue Franconia Largo 10 6 min

Yellow Huntington Mont Vernon 10 6 min

Orange Vienna New Carrollton 10 6 min

Orange Trippers Vienna/WFC New Carrollton 7 n/a

Peak Service After Realignment

Line From To Trains/Hr HeadwayBlue Franconia Largo 7 6 ‐ 6 – 12 min

ll b l

Peak Service After Realignment

Yellow Franconia Greenbelt 3 18 min

Yellow Huntington Mount Vernon 10 6 min

Orange A Vienna New Carrollton 10 6 min

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Orange B W. Falls Church Largo 3 18 min

Orange Trippers

Vienna New Carrollton 6 n/a

Communications Approach

Involve customers and• Involve customers and stakeholders early

• Communicate in ways customers• Communicate in ways customers listen

• Multi-sensory at all touch points• Multi-sensory at all touch points of customer journey

• Focus on rider benefits stand outFocus on rider benefits, stand out• Involve employees• Take a staged approach to• Take a staged approach to

communicating

Progress to Date

• Conducted extensiveConducted extensive customer research

• Drafted three-stage gcommunications plan

• Updated station name lpolicy

• Developed map optionsD l d i ti• Developed signage options– Testing planned

Map Research Findings

• Used for way-finding/navigation

• Keep it simple and clean

• Blue/Yellow understood best with dashes at end of lines

• Dulles is Silver Line

• Concerns about showing future service through the core

M j l i t l t ti• Major complaint--long station names

• Primary/secondary approach embraced

• Reservations about adding icons

• Hours of operation

Draft 2012 Metrorail System Mapy p

Signage and Map Changes Needed

• 2600+ station signs including wayfinding, station ahead list, outboard signs, tactile signage, and pylonsg , g g , py

• 5000+ system maps for stations and rail cars• 1200+ fare charts for fare vending and station kiosks

Station Outboard Signs

Current sign indicates station name on top line, and destination stations for lines serving that platform

Proposed future sign indicates primary and secondary station names on two lines, and multiple destination stations for lines serving that

platformp

Station-Ahead List

• Station-ahead list can d k/ hindicate peak/rush service

using same dashed line as system map

• New feature is the addition of a third destination station

Station Entrance Pylons

• Color stripe on station entrance pylonColor stripe on station entrance pylon indicates lines that serve the station

• Peak period service could be shown lon pylon in two ways:

– Dashed line indicating peak/rush service– Solid line for any of the lines serving the y g

station, regardless of service times

Project Schedule June 2012 Service ImplementationJune 2012 Service Implementation

2011 2012 Implementation Tasks J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A

Plan DevelopmentFY12 Budget Approval

Maps & Signage Inventory & Design

Test Design ConceptsStation Name Changes

FabricationFabricationInstallation

Communication PlanPreparation

Detail IntroductionDetail IntroductionLaunch/Sustain

Rail ServiceScheduling

TrainingTrainingService Begins

Budget Requirementsg q

FY12 BUDGET FY12 Budget  Requirementg q

System Map & Fare Charts $300,000 (Capital)

Station Signage $2,400,000 (Capital)

Rail Start Up Costs and $500 000 (Operating)Rail Start‐Up Costs and Customer Information Campaign

$500,000 (Operating)

TOTAL $3 100 000

FY13 BUDGET FY13 Budget Requirement

Additional Rail Service Costs $2,900,000 (Operating)

TOTAL $3,100,000

Additional Rail Service Costs $2,900,000 (Operating)

TOTAL $2,900,000

• FY12 Budget (Approved) - Capital Budget: $2,700,000 ; Operating g ( pp ) p g $ , , ; p gBudget: $500,000

• FY13 Operating Budget: $2,900,000 for full year of additional service

Recommendation

• Board approval of the Blue/Yellow Line Service pp /Realignment

• Service expected to begin in June 2012p g

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Appendix A

Service Plan Details

Blue/Yellow Line Realignment Customer Benefits – Added CapacityCustomer Benefits Added Capacity

Current FY2013 (Blue/Yellow Realign)Current FY2013 (Blue/Yellow Realign)

Rail Line Max. Load Segment Passengers Per Car

Change in Railcar Capacity

Passengers per Car

Red Dupont Circle – Farragut N. 94 0% 94

Yellow Pentagon L’Enfant Plaza 96 30% 88Yellow Pentagon – L’Enfant Plaza 96 30% 88

Green Shaw – Mt. Vernon Sq. 89 30% 79

Blue Pentagon- Rosslyn 89 -30% 93

Orange Courthouse - Rosslyn 106 18% 90

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Orange Courthouse Rosslyn 106 18% 90

Blue/Yellow Line Realignment Customer Benefits – Time SavingsCustomer Benefits Time Savings

• 108,000 riders (43% of peak period trips) to various destinations within the system will benefit with service increase and time savings

• Increased service levels:Y ll /G Li (L’E f G b l )• Yellow /Green Lines (L’Enfant - Greenbelt)

• Orange Line (West Falls Church - Courthouse)

Passengers BenefitingPassengers Benefiting

Travel Areas No. of Passengers (AM Peak Period)

Pk Period Passenger Travel Time Savings

(hours)Betwen B/Y South and DC/MD 33 510 391Betwen B/Y South and DC/MD 33,510 391

From Orange West (VA) to others 34,021 170

From Orange Downtown West to others 12,497 62

F G N th t th 28 215 329From Green North to others 28,215 329

Total 108,243 953 hours saved22

Blue/Yellow Line Realignment Potential ImpactsPotential Impacts

• 16,000 passengers (6% of peak period trips), will experience16,000 passengers (6% of peak period trips), will experience increase in travel time up to a maximum of 6 minutes

• Expect 20-33% current Blue Line riders shift to Yellow Line, resulting in transfer increase at L’Enfantg

• L’Enfant Plaza station has sufficient capacity to accommodate increase in transfers

Passengers ImpactedPassengers Impacted

Travel Areas No. of Passengers (AM Peak Period)

Pk Period Passenger Travel Time Increase

(hours)

Max Wait Time Increase (min)

Between B/Y South and Rosslyn 2 630 57 6Between B/Y South and Rosslyn 2,630 57 6

Between B/Y South and Orange West 3,522 76 6

Between B/Y South and Downtown West

9,416 204 6

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Total 15,568 337 hours increased

Net Benefits of Realignment 92,675 615 Net Hours Saved

Potential Bus Alternatives

• Existing 16Y provides Blue Line g palternative

• Considering new alternative bus services:– Crystal City/Potomac Yard to Rosslyn /

Court HouseCourt House

– New market connection

• 7-Line to downtown (7Y)( )

• 16-Line to Mall (16F)

– New ART Route providing alternative connection

Appendix B

Detailed Communications Work Plan

Phase One: Preparation January 2011 February 2012January 2011 – February 2012

• Public input—map, signage• Develop and test messaging• Brand campaignp g• ID spokespeople, community and business groups• Begin employee trainingg p y g• Prepare collateral

– Mapp– Website– Fact sheet, brochures– Toolkits with timeline– Promotional signage

Phase Two: Introduce DetailsMarch May 2012March – May 2012

• E-alerts previewing changesE alerts previewing changes• Promotional material in stations and trains• Traditional and social media• Traditional and social media• Develop and launch advertising• Public outreach at stations MIPs take ones• Public outreach at stations- MIPs, take-ones• Conduct business and community outreach

Continue employee training; produce toolkits and• Continue employee training; produce toolkits and updates

• Prepare and mobilize call center with scripts• Prepare and mobilize call center with scripts• Draft station announcements

Phase Three: Service Launch/SustainJune August 2012June – August 2012

• Distribute service launch collateralDistribute service launch collateral• New service signage• Traditional and social media• Traditional and social media• E-alerts• Advertising• Advertising• Continue outreach

Updates to employees/recognize best practices• Updates to employees/recognize best practices• Monitor progress through employee feedback,

message resonance testing and website tractionmessage resonance testing and website traction

PROPO

SED

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