Washington DC: Rail transit

[202_Cyclist]

Lack of money doesn’t stop Purple Line station development plans

By Katherine Shaver and Lori Aratani
July 18, 2011
Washington Post

"Developers and planners in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties are already factoring a light rail link between Bethesda and New Carrollton into their business and growth plans even though a 16-mile Purple Line has yet to win highly competitive construction money.


Sources: Department of Transportation, Maryland Transit Administration. (Image courtesy of the Washington Post)

A debate in Montgomery highlights the balancing act that officials face in both counties. Land-use planners are seeking to focus growth and rejuvenate older suburbs near 20 potential Purple Line stations, but some residents are concerned that too much redevelopment would swamp their roads and schools and drastically alter the character of their communities. Developers argue that a certain level of density is needed to make projects profitable..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...TMI_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

This is unfortunate. Congestion pricing works because it allows drivers to make choices about the marginal cost of their time and works because different drivers have differing elasticities of demand for driving in the uncongested tolled lanes. For congestion pricing to work, motorists need to have options to driving in their own vehicles.

Plans dropped for expanded commuter bus service on proposed I-95 HOT lanes

By Ashley Halsey III
Washington Post
7/19/2011

A plan to expand commuter bus service on new Interstate 95 high-occupancy toll lanes in Virginia has been abandoned as the state grapples with a pared-down HOT lane proposal and the anticipated loss of about $200 million in revenue.

The loss of bus service that was estimated to carry 5,000 daily passengers by 2020 comes as Northern Virginia prepares for massive traffic problems when 6,400 defense workers begin to transfer to Alexandria’s Mark Center office complex next month.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...aOI_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

Airports authority endorses aboveground Dulles rail station

By Ann E. Marimow
July 20, 2011
Washington Post

"The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Wednesday morning reversed its decision to locate a Metro station at Dulles International Airport underground, bowing to pressure from its partners on the project to extend rail service to Loudoun County.

The authority, which is managing construction of the 23-mile rail line, voted in April to approve the site near the main terminal, despite the fact that it cost more than an aboveground location farther away. However, the board was hammered by state and local officials and some members of Congress concerned about the rising price tag for the second phase of the rail extension, now estimated to cost $3.5 billion..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...y.html?hpid=z3

[202_Cyclist]

DDOT and Capital Bikeshare launch pilot program with Kimpton Hotels to promote safe bicycling to visitors

"The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has launched a pilot program with three area Kimpton Hotels to encourage more bicycle travel by visitors while in the District of Columbia. The program, launched this month, will place a strong emphasis on the importance of safe cycling including helmet use and education about local bicycling laws and infrastructure.


Image courtesy of DDOT.

Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Washington DC, Hotel Helix and Hotel Rouge, each located in close proximity to Capital Bikeshare stations, will provide hotel guests with complimentary 24-hour memberships. DDOT has provided each of the hotels with safe cycling guides, bike helmets and additional information on the Capital Bikeshare program for hotel guests’ use during their stay..."

http://fems.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/About+DDO...ng+to+Visitors

[202_Cyclist]

Metro riders will be able to add fare to online accounts

By Dana Hedgpeth
Washington Post
July 21, 2011

"Riders who use Metro’s electronic fare cards will be able to add money to their SmarTrip accounts online, one of several improvements the transit authority plans to introduce this year.

General Manager Richard Sarles touted the additional services at a Thursday meeting of Metro’s board of directors, the last before the panel recesses for the summer.

In his first six-month report since being hired as Metro’s permanent chief, Sarles also said the agency will create a “virtual tunnel” between Farragut North on the Red Line and Farragut West on the Orange and Blue lines, allowing riders to go from one station to the other without paying a new fare. Metro will also bring back a “mystery shopper’” program, where undercover inspectors evaluate service in the system..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...fSI_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

This is fantastic news. The Capital Bikeshare program has been a huge success in the DC area and introduces a lot of people to bike-commuting who wouldn't otherwise ride. Our neighborhood (Glover Park) is getting another station, which help help to reduce demand for parking and improve mobility in a part of DC without convenient access to a metro-rail station.


DDOT ANNOUNCES 32 NEW CAPITAL BIKESHARE STATIONS IN THE DISTRICT
18 Current Stations will also expand in Size in the Fall

(Washington, D.C.) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) today announced the locations for 32 new Capital Bikeshare stations to be installed in the fall of 2011. It will be the first major expansion of the system in the District since Capital Bikeshare launched last September. Following weeks of planning and extensive community input, DDOT will install the new stations and expand the size of selected existing stations to better meet demand, while also adding 265 additional bicycles to the system. Additionally, DDOT will install the already planned Capital Bikeshare stations at 6th and H Street, NE and Foggy Bottom Metro.

“We are grateful for the enormous support Capital Bikeshare has received throughout the past 10 months and are very pleased to release the final list of new station locations for the District of Columbia” said Terry Bellamy, DDOT Director. “With this expansion we will not only increase the overall reach of the system, but we will expand the program’s capacity by 22 percent in the downtown area, by 80 percent in our East of the River operations and by an average of 38 percent throughout each of the additional Wards.”

The list of new Capital Bikeshare stations was determined after a careful assessment of the existing needs and conditions in the different geographic areas and their potential for sustained Bikeshare usage and growth. Some of the criteria used to locate the new stations included proximity to activity centers, proximity to high-demand existing stations, solar accessibility, and minimum space and surface requirements. To cap it off, the overwhelmingly positive feedback received from the public helped guide the final decision for new locations.

A list of the new station locations, as well as those existing stations where capacity will be increased, can be found below. Additionally, a map displaying the new station locations and those existing stations that will increase in size will be available online shortly on DDOT’s web site (ddot.dc.gov).



List of NEW Stations:



· 3rd Street and G Street, SE

· 4th Street and E Street, SW

· 5th Street SE between Alabama and Martin Luther King Avenue, SE

· 6th Street and Florida, NE

· 7th Street and Maryland Avenue, NE

· 7th Street and R Street, NW

· 11th Street and H Street, NE

· 16th Street and Euclid Street, NW

· 17th Street and Rhode Island Ave, NW

· 18th Street and Pennsylvania Ave, NW

· 19th Street and New Hampshire Avenue, NW (Dupont South)

· 38th Street, SE at Pennsylvania Ave - Fairfax Village (INSTALLED TODAY)

· 3000 Connecticut. NW – National Zoo

· 4500 Benning Road, NE (Benning Road Metro Station)

· Calvert Street and 39th Street, NW (Stoddert Recreation Center)

· Columbia Road and Belmont Road, NW

· Alabama Avenue at 13th Street, SE - Congress Heights Metro

· Florida Avenue and California Street, NW

· Gallaudet University - 1st Street and Michigan, NW

· Georgia Avenue and Columbia Road, NW

· Good Hope Road and Minnesota Avenue, SE

· M Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

· Maryland Avenue and Independence Avenue, SW (at 6th Street)

· Massachusetts Avenue and 15th Street, SE

· New Jersey Avenue and D Street, SE

· Rhode Island Avenue and 1st Street, NW

· Anacostia Avenue at Benning Road, NE - River Terrace

· Thomas Circle at 14th Street, NW

· Tingey Street and 3rd Street, SE (Yards Park )

· Upshur Street and 14th Street, NW

· Upshur Street and Georgia Avenue, NW

· W Street and Martin Luther King Avenue, SE



List of current stations slated to expand:



· 4th Street and M Street, SW

· 7th Street and Water Street, SW - SW Waterfront

· 11th Street and Kenyon Street, NW

· 13th Street and D Street, NE

· 13th Street and H Street, NE

· 14th Street and Rhode Island Ave, NW

· 14th Street and V Street, NW

· 16th Street and Harvard Street, NW

· 16th Street and U Street, NW

· 21st Street and I Street, NW

· C and O Canal and Wisconsin Ave, NW

· Calvert Street and Woodley Place, NW

· Eastern Market Metro / Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street, SE

· Lamont Street and Mt. Pleasant Street, NW

· Lincoln Park / 13th and East Capitol Street, NE

· Massachusetts Avenue and Dupont Circle, NW

· Metro Center / 12th Street and G Street, NW

· Park Road and Holmead Place, NW



Arlington County is also planning an expansion with approximately 30 new Capital Bikeshare stations destined for the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor starting this fall and continuing through the spring.

About Capital Bikeshare:

Capital Bikeshare is a bikesharing program developed through a partnership between DDOT and Arlington County and operated by Alta Bicycle Share, Inc. Capital Bikeshare offers four different membership options: Annual ($75), Monthly ($25), 5-Day ($15) and 24-hour ($5) for access to a fleet of 1,100 bicycles located at over 110 stations across the District and Arlington. Additional information about Capital Bikeshare is available at www.capitalbikeshare.com.

[202_Cyclist]

Fairfax supervisors back Dulles rail compromise, with conditions

By Ann E. Marimow
Washington Post
7/26/2011


"Clearing the way for talks to continue this week on the Metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday endorsed the outlines of a compromise between the local, state and federal players paying for the multibillion-dollar project.

The deal, brokered by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, is designed to trim hundreds of millions of dollars from the $3.5 billion cost of the second phase of the rail line from Wiehle Avenue to Loudoun County, in part to slow future increases in rates on the Dulles Toll Road...."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...lHbI_blog.html

[202_Cyclist]

Bethesda Metro station to get new escalators


By Dana Hedgpeth
July 27, 2011
Washington Post

"The often-broken entrance escalators at Bethesda Metro station will be replaced with new ones, Metro said Wednesday, but it won’t happen for three years.

“We can’t keep doing band-aid repairs and hope they will last,” General Manager Richard Sarles said in a statement..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...jdI_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

This is a silly, ridiculous article from the Washington Times. The Washington Times, and its free daily, the Washington Examiner, are both reflexively anti-transit and anti-bicycling. This article suggests that Capital Bikeshare is too popular, leading to empty stations in places and full stations in others. While there is no doubt some truth to this, I don't remember any similar articles saying that I-95 or the Beltway is crippled by its own success because there is congestion at peak commuting times. DDOT is also addressing these capacity issues by adding 32 new stations and expanding 18 current stations, something this article doesn't mention until the second paragraph from the end.

D.C. bike-sharing program crippled by own success

By Luke Rosiak
Washington Times
7/27/2011


"As downtown is consumed by the evening rush, 13 bicycles stand shiny and red, awaiting riders that will careen from the downtown offices of L Street Northwest to houses, apartments and restaurants. They slingshot freed workers past crowded bus shelters and weave between stalled traffic as drivers curse with envy.

But by shortly after 6, the Capital Bikeshare station at 19th and L streets Northwest is empty, and it stays that way. The first 13 who had the breeziest exodus from this epicenter of downtown are also the only ones..."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...=all#pagebreak

[afiggatt]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

This is a silly, ridiculous article from the Washington Times. The Washington Times, and its free daily, the Washington Examiner, are both reflexively anti-transit and anti-bicycling. This article suggests that Capital Bikeshare is too popular, leading to empty stations in places and full stations in others.

Just ignore the Washington Time and the Examiner most of the time. For the Wash Times, given their normal political slant, this was actually a positive article for the Capital Bikeshare program in many ways. They are admitting that the Bikeshare program is successful! It has the word "share" in it's name. Why it's a socialist program! Imagine what they would write if ridership growth was comparatively tepid.

[202_Cyclist]

Union Station to become intercity bus center


By Robert Thomson
Washington Post
7/29/2011

"Union Station will become a hub for intercity bus service under an agreement scheduled to be announced Monday by John D. Porcari, deputy U.S. transportation secretary and chairman of the Union Station Redevelopment Corp.

The agreement with Greyhound, Bolt Bus, Megabus and Washington Deluxe will allow riders to get on and off the intercity buses in the shelter of a reconfigured bus deck in the station’s garage. To put the deal into effect, the bus deck space will need to be restriped and some utilities will have to be relocated, according to a U.S. Transportation Department source familiar with the agreement. Riders should see the bus operations envisioned in the plan this fall..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...wjI_story.html

[Joke Insurance]

Originally Posted by afiggatt

GreaterGreaterWashington had a summary yesterday of quite a range of recent studies and ideas for future expansion of the DC Metro system:
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/...nd-generation/

The concept studies and presentations are from the PlanItMetro website and staff. I've seen some of them before, but the Beltway Line is a new one. Slide at http://planitmetro.com/wp-content/up...ng.pdf#page=27. Will never happen - the price tag would be huge - and not very practical, but it is interesting to see the concept put up on a slide.

As the blog points out, these concepts are blue-sky long range planning ideas to crank through the ridership and system models to see what the numbers look like. The Silver and Orange line extensions in Northern VA are more than a little extreme in distance from DC, but still interesting to think about.

Of all the concepts, the Blue re-route with a new station at Rosslyn, tunnel under the Potomac to Georgetown, and the eastward along M-street (or maybe a couple of blocks further north) to Union station may be the best option for expanding capacity in the city core and across the Potomac. The Yellow Line extension southward along Rt. 1 in VA also has merit.

Wouldn't that circumferential metrorail line make the LRT Purple Line redundant?

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by Joke Insurance

Wouldn't that circumferential metrorail line make the LRT Purple Line redundant?

Not really, because from the maps the Purple Line is a couple miles away from the Beltway Line. It would just be a line that has a similar geographical alignment with another line. Makes sense.

I must say though, there are some interesting (and expensive!) proposals in that PDF. I would never think that a city would invest in grade-separated transit so heavily in America nowadays. I hope more cities follow in these footsteps!

[202_Cyclist]

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has put out a solicitation for an operator to run its planned streetcars, starting with the H Street-Benning Road streetcar. DDOT eventually plans to build a 37-mile system.

SOLICITATION: Operation and Maintenance of the DC Streetcar System
Seeking a contractor to operate the DC Streetcar System

"The Government of the District of Columbia, Office of Contracting and Procurement, on behalf of the District Department of Transportation, (the District) is seeking a Contractor to operate the DC Streetcar System (“Streetcar”).

The services required under the proposed contract for Streetcar operations and maintenance will include responsibility for all day-to-day functions associated with the operation of the line: streetcar operation, service dispatch and management, hiring and training of staff, safety programs, maintenance of vehicles, maintenance of way, maintenance of facilities and systems, support for emergency response, customer service, provision of special services as required, assistance and participation in system testing and start-up activities, and administrative and recordkeeping functions. Specific facilities, vehicles and equipment to be provided by DDOT in connection with these services are identified within the detailed Scope of Work incorporated into the solicitation..."

http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/About+DDO...reetcar+System

[ardecila]

I'm pretty sure Veolia will get it.

[202_Cyclist]

I realize building heavy rail isn't cheap but I don't understand why this will cost $3.5B. This will be at-grade, right in the middle of the Dulles Toll Road. There are no land acquisition costs and very few, if any, tunnels or ariel structures to build. I would recommend terminating this at Dulles and not continuing on to Loudoun County, but this would jeopardize funding from the county.

If there isn't significant amount of transit-oriented development planned around the stations, than MWAA should really think twice about building a station at the proposed location. I remember there was some hesitation to commit to dense, TOD at the Herndon-Monroe station.

Airports board wants state, feds to contribute more money for Dulles rail


By Dana Hedgpeth
August 17, 2011
Washington Post

"Washington’s airports authority wants more money from federal and state governments to build the second phase of the Metro rail line to Dulles International Airport.

The board of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is overseeing construction of the extension to Dulles and Loudoun County, said Wednesday it wants Virginia to contribute $500 million and the federal government to provide loans of $700 million to $1.2 billion..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...CMJ_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

Mall transportation to undergo change


By Patricia Sullivan
Washington Post
8/19/2011

"The National Park Service is unlikely to renew its contract with Tourmobile, the sight-seeing bus company that has held exclusive rights to guided tours on the Mall since 1969, and is considering whether to allow bikes, pedicabs and the low-cost Circulator buses on streets it controls in the heart of Washington.

The Tourmobile contract, which has not been altered since 1989, will expire Dec. 31 and is unlikely to be renewed, according to park officials. Whether that means the contract will be put out for competitive bidding or abandoned in favor of other vendors and modes of transportation is still to be determined, Park Service spokesman Bill Line said

After a summer of controversy about the sparse transportation options around museums and monuments, the Park Service also is in discussions about whether and how to allow rent-a-bicycle operator Capital Bikeshare to install stations for its bright red bikes on the Mall, and whether to allow the $1 DC Circulator bus to traverse Madison and Jefferson drives, rather than the busier Constitution and Independence avenues...."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...2PJ_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

D.C. wants streetcars to roll by mid-2013

By Ashley Halsey III
August 22, 2011

"Streetcars should be bustling along H Street by the summer of 2013 as the corridor between Benning Road NE and Union Station rebounds from decades of decline and neglect, the District Department of Transportation said Monday.


(Sarah L. Voisin/THE WASHINGTON POST) - By 2013, streetcars should be bustling along H Street, city officials have said. In June, construction was ongoing on the electrical phase of the project.

With the last phases of paving, curb and sidewalk reconstruction nearing completion, the District is moving forward with contracts that will put newly installed streetcar rails to use..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...FXJ_story.html

[afiggatt]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

"Streetcars should be bustling along H Street by the summer of 2013 as the corridor between Benning Road NE and Union Station rebounds from decades of decline and neglect, the District Department of Transportation said Monday.

2013 will be an interesting year for new transit options in DC with:
-H Street streetcar starting service (maybe because the streetcar project has been stretched out before)

-phase 1 of the DC Metro Silver Line scheduled to start service to Tyson's Corner and Reston sometime in later 2013. AFAIK, the construction and track work is on schedule, but there may a delay with the delivery of the new Metro cars.

-The Crystal City / Potomac Yard Bus Transitway service in Arlington VA is scheduled to start service in 2013, or at least the first operating segments which will connect to the Crystal City Metro stop.

[202_Cyclist]

David Alpert, creator of the Greater Greater Washington blog, has an excellent op-ed about Capital Bikeshare in the Washington Post. Capital Bikeshare has been a tremendous success, not only in improving mobility but also introducing more people to cycling who might not have biked in years. I know at least a few people who started riding the Capital Bikeshare bikes and are now regular bike commuters on their own bikes.

How those red public bicycles are changing D.C.


By David Alpert
August 26, 2011
Washington Post

"After Tuesday’s earthquake, roads were jammed and Metro slowed, but one mode of transportation sparkled: bicycling. People who had biked to work had little trouble getting home, and the Capital Bikeshare system recorded 1,236 rides between 2 and 4 p.m., more than three times the number for same period the previous day.

That’s a particularly impressive statistic, given that there are only 1,100 bikes in the system and that the vans that redistribute bikes got stuck in the traffic.

Disasters, though, aren’t really what Capital Bikeshare is about. It’s about giving people another option to get around every day. In that, it’s been a rousing success..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...zgJ_story.html