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Remember that the Purple Line will significantly change the ridership pattern on the Red Line. Lots of seats will open up on inbound trains at Bethesda as people get off to transfer.

Relatively few people will transfer to the inbound Red Line from the Purple Line, because if you're going from Silver Spring to downtown it's quicker to take the Red Line directly. Mostly people arriving from the Chevy Chase Lake station will make the transfer - the number of boardings is relatively small at Chevy Chase Lake, according to the EIS (I don't have it in front of me), and not all of them will be going inbound on the Red Line.

Much more numerous will be transfers from Red Line to outbound Purple Line, people going to jobs at Medical Center, Rockville, and if these plans succeed, White Flint and Twinbrook.

This is a significant point about the Purple Line that few people appreciate. It greatly improves the efficiency of utilization of the Red Line, since most new trips are using underused portions of that line. Also, it provides a safety valve when the Red Line is blocked downtown - you can go the other way and cut across to your destination.

Another point about White Flint. People taking the Red Line to jobs at White Flint will mostly be reverse commuters. At Bethesda currently, about two thirds of the riders arriving in the morning are reverse commuters. White Flint is further out, so the percentage of reverse commuters is likely to be even higher.

by Ben Ross on Oct 20, 2008 5:49 pm • link • report