WASHINGTON – Metro’s Rush Plus was supposed to relieve crowding on some of the busiest lines of the system, but now the transit agency is admitting the program has not gone exactly as planned.

The problem: Not enough rush hour Blue Line riders are making the switch to the Yellow Line — specifically in the morning. Metro reduced the number of Blue Line trains when Rush Plus started in June, and that has caused major crowding on the Blue Line.

“It hasn’t been the numbers that we thought it was going to be. We learned that the reluctance to try Yellow [Line] was around the reluctance to transfer,” says Metro spokesperson Lynn Bowersox.

Next week Metro will try to entice Blue Line riders to switch to the Yellow Line by giving out free farecards worth $5 to some passengers.

As part of the Rush Plus program, officials increased the number of trains at 21 stations during rush-hour commutes from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Blue Line was the only line that had the number of trains reduced.

Metro released the video below to explain how the service was supposed to work:

WTOP’s Adam Tuss contributed to this report. Follow Adam and WTOP on Twitter.

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