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@Tina:
The Yellow Line north of Mount Vernon Square is difficult to show during rush hour because it will only have a few Yellow Line trains.

Basically, think of it this way:

Off-Peak (not rush hour):

• Green Line trains operate from Branch Avenue to Greenbelt
• Yellow Line trains operate from Huntington to Fort Totten

Peak (rush hour):

• Green Line trains operate from Branch Avenue to Greenbelt
• Yellow Line trains operate from Huntington to Mount Vernon Square ONLY
• Blue Line trains masquerading as Yellow Line trains operate from Franconia/Springfield to Greenbelt

The section of track between Mount Vernon Square and Greenbelt will look like this during rush hours:
*TPH means "trains per hour".

10 TPH - GR Branch Ave - Greenbelt
3 or 4 TPH - YL (ex-BL) Franconia - Greenbelt

Between L'Enfant Plaza and Mount Vernon Square during rush hour:
10 TPH - GR Branch Ave - Greenbelt
10 TPH - YL Huntington - Mount Vernon Square
3 or 4 TPH - YL (ex-BL) Franconia - Greenbelt

So, as you can see, during rush hour, Yellow Line trains DO NOT go between Mount Vernon Square and Fort Totten, EXCEPT for those that go all the way to Greenbelt (and are coming from Franconia).

NOT during rush hour, Yellow Line trains DO go between Mount Vernon Square and Fort Totten, but DO NOT go to Greenbelt.

Confused yet? It's complicated, but it's necessitated because the tunnel between Rosslyn and Stadium/Armory can only handle 26 TPH* (10 TPH Orange, 10 TPH Silver, 6 TPH Blue). The remaining 4 Blue Line trains, have to be sent over the Yellow Line bridge. But they can't terminate at Fort Totten because there's no pocket track. So they have to go all the way to Greenbelt (including the section between Mount Vernon Square and Fort Totten). But the vast majority of Yellow Line trains won't be going north of Mount Vernon Square during rush hour.

So, off-peak, all Yellow Line trains go between MVS and Fort Totten. During peak, that service is "limited".

For more on this, read these 2 posts:
http://ggwash.org/6335
http://ggwash.org/6336

by Matt Johnson on Sep 6, 2011 2:33 pm • link • report