Georgia Avenue–Maryland Line

In the 1990s, route Y6 was renamed route Q3 which would operate on its same routing. The route was later replaced by Ride On route 41 in 1998.[3]

Y5 was also eliminated and replaced by routes Y7, Y8, and Y9.

Since the 1990s, the Georgia Avenue–Maryland Line operates as the following:[4][5]

• Y7: Rockville station to Silver Spring station via the Norbeck Park and Ride. Trips to Rockville are only served during peak hours.
• Y8: Montgomery General Hospital to Silver Spring via Leisure World only.
• Y9: Montgomery General Hospital to Wheaton as a direct route.

On June 29, 2003, WMATA made changes to the line where all trips will operate between Montgomery General Hospital and Silver Spring station. Trips passing Leisure World Clubhouse were named route Y9 while trips serving the clubhouse were named route Y8. The Norbeck Park & Ride Lot will be served directly only by southbound trips in the morning rush and by northbound trips in the afternoon rush as route Y7 which was extended to the Montgomery General Hospital. Route Y7 trips to Rockville station were eliminated with all trips terminating at the Norbeck Park and Ride lot.[6]

At the time, routes Y7 and Y9 did not serve Silver Spring station making route Y8 the only route to serve Silver Spring. Route Y7 and Y8 operate daily while route Y9 operated during the weekday peak hours only.[7]

On September 7, 2003, Leisure World Clubhouse requested that on weekdays, the number of trips diverting off of Georgia Avenue to serve clubhouse directly be significantly reduced. Route Y8 trips not diverting into the clubhouse were named route Y9 and half of Y7 trips will no longer serve the clubhouse. Existing route Y7 trips serving the clubhouse were named route Y5. The changes goes as follows:[8]

• All Y5 and Y7 trips will serve the Norbeck Park & Ride Lot.
• All Y5 and Y8 trips will serve Leisure World
• All Y8 trips will serve Leisure World, but not the Norbeck Park & Ride Lot
• All Y9 trips will serve neither. The times that most weekday trips pass stops south of Leisure World will not change.

On December 18, 2011, new service was added to the new Intercounty Connector Park and Ride Lot off Georgia Avenue. Routes Y5 and Y7 would enter the Park and Ride in order for passengers to transfer to MTA Maryland 201 and 202. Service to the Norbeck Park & Ride Lot was discontinued.[9]

Route Y7 at Silver Spring station.

Between 2011 and 2012, WMATA released a study on the Y lines. At the time, the Y line was suffering from insufficient run time, inconvenient service frequencies, and operational issues the line has. Proposals were to simplify the line, add time to schedule buses, combine bus stops together, improve amenities at bus stops, and convert route Y9 as a MetroExtra route. These changes will go under short to long term plans.[4][10]

At the time of the study, frequencies goes as the following:

• Y5: Weekday Peak Hour service (AM to Silver Spring, PM to Olney) and Sunday service only.
• Y7: Weekday Peak Hour service (AM to Silver Spring, PM to Olney) and late night Saturday service only.
• Y8: Daily (except service in the Weekday Peak direction). Most Saturday service only operates between SIlver Spring and Leisure World.
• Y9: Daily direct between Silver Spring and Olney. Most Sunday trips only operates between Medstar Montgomery Medical Center and Wheaton station.

On August 24, 2014, routes Y5 and Y9 were discontinued by WMATA and replaced by routes Y7 and Y8 in order to simplify the Georgia Avenue–Maryland Line. Route Y7 would also be shortened and rerouted to Georgia Ave–ICC Park & Ride Lot instead of MedStar Hospital while route Y8 would discontinue service to the Leisure World clubhouse remaining straight along Georgia Avenue. During the weekends, route Y7 would only operate between Leisure World clubhouse and Wheaton station.[11][12][13]

Between October 14, 2014 and December 12, 2014, a temporary route Y4 was introduced as the Leisure World–Olney Line running on weekdays between 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM in order to provide residents access to the Leisure World clubhouse from Olney. This was because residents lost direct access to the clubhouse on August 24, 2014 when the Y8 became a direct route. Passengers would have to walk from the clubhouse onto Georgia Avenue to take the Y8 instead of waiting at the bus stops as the Y7 would take them to Silver Spring or up to the Georgia Ave–ICC Park & Ride Lot on weekdays only.

On December 14, 2014, a new route Y2 was introduced to operate a direct routing between MedStar Montgomery Medical Center and Silver Spring station which was the Y8 routing and former Y9 routing. Route Y8 was also rerouted back to the Leisure World clubhouse but discontinued all weekend service. Route Y4 was also discontinued as there was no need for the route to operate anymore as the Y8 covered the same routing. These changes were all towards customer feedback and frustration due to the August 24 changes.[14][15]

When the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center at Silver Spring station opened, routes Y2, Y7, and Y8 were rerouted from its terminus along Wayne Avenue to the new transit center. The Y2, Y7, and Y8 were assigned to Bus Bay 219 on level 2.[16][17]

On June 25, 2017, weekend route Y8 service was restored operating its full route. Route Y7 also discontinued weekend service on the same day being replaced by routes Y2 and Y8. This gives residents from Olney weekend service to the Leisure World clubhouse which has not happened since the 2014 changes.[18][19]

On December 17, 2017, northbound buses which departed from Wheaton station will operate via Veirs Mill Road, University Boulevard, Grandview Avenue, and Blueridge Avenue to access Georgia Avenue due to closure of Reedie Drive. Northbound service on Reedie Drive, and Georgia Avenue between Reedie Drive and Blueridge Avenue will be eliminated.[20]