WASHINGTON — The Stadium-Armory Metro Station will be served only by Blue Line trains during rush hour under a plan that is meant to ease congestion on the rails.

Metro says a speed restriction around Stadium-Armory is causing train bottlenecks, and less service in the area will help prevent delays.

Starting Tuesday, Orange and Silver Line trains will bypass Stadium-Armory during rush hour; only Blue Line trains will make stops at that location.

The altered rush-hour schedule will be in effect weekdays from system opening until 10 a.m. and between 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. All trains, including those on the Orange and Silver Lines, will serve the station at all other times, including midday hours, evenings and weekends.

Metro will offer free shuttle buses for Orange Line riders between Stadium-Armory and Minnesota Avenue.

In addition to all of those changes, Metro is also running fewer Orange and Silver line trains.

With less train service, passengers may notice more crowding on platforms and in train cars.  Metro promises to ease those concerns by increasing the number of trains that have eight cars.

The Stadium-Armory speed restriction was prompted by a transformer fire last week.  The fire did significant damage to a substation, and repair work is expected to take more than six months.