Washington DC: Rail transit

[waltlantz]

Agree on VRE statement above.

The suburban area of Alexandria is a real pickle though, we are in the middle of optimum Metro and VRE urban form in my opinion. I just don't think that the extention of the Yellow line is feasable, it'd have to drastically affect traffic on Route 1 (to which there is no alternative) or go over existing housing stock......yea we know which way that'll go.

[202_Cyclist]

UM pledges support of Purple Line

Loh said light rail could be most important issue to the university

By Liz Skalski
2/2/2011

"Wallace D. Loh, president of the University of Maryland, College Park, said UM is "absolutely committed" to having the Purple Line come to the university's campus, which encouraged city officials hopeful to end a prolonged conflict over the light rail's placement.

"There is perhaps no issue that is more important to this university and this region of the state than this," said Loh, who replaced C.D. "Dan" Mote Jr. on Nov. 1. "Not having a Purple Line is not an option."

Nearly 150 people attended a town hall meeting Tuesday on campus to discuss the Maryland Transit Administration's Purple Line, a proposed 16-mile, $1.6 billion light rail from New Carrollton to Bethesda..."

http://www.gazette.net/stories/02022...0725_32578.php

[202_Cyclist]

The Transport Politic has an interesting post about population growth in the Virginia suburbs between 2000-2010. Seventy percent of Arlington County's growth in the past decade occurred in the 1.47 miles of land immediately next to the metro stations in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. Yonah Freemark contrasts this with the amount of land required to accommodate fewer residents in a sprawling suburban development in Loudoun County.

http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2...ransportation/

It will be interesting to see this trend continue west with the extension of the Silver Line to Tysons and the Dulles corridor.

[novawolverine]

That was a great article. I'm not always anti-suburb/exurb, but hopefully even larger developments farther out will be planned to be more sustainable and more orderly.

[202_Cyclist]

Metro to study streetcar integration

By Luke Rosiak
Washington Post
2/10/2011

"A $250,000 regional study will examine ways in which the handful of streetcar projects being considered by various jurisdictions can integrate with Metro in a way that is cost-efficient and makes for a fast, integrated metropolitan transportation system, Metro said Thursday.

"Metro is leading the regional coordination effort to ensure that riders can readily use the light rail and streetcar projects when they open, easily move from one system to another, or connect with existing Metrorail and regional bus service. The transit agency is working with project sponsors, including the District of Columbia, Arlington County, Fairfax County, Maryland and other jurisdictional partners," it said.

One difficulty planners have already encountered is how the H Street trolley will connect with Union Station under the Hopscotch Bridge.

But in addition to the already-under-construction District lines, several other light rail systems are under consideration, including one near Columbia Pike and Maryland's Purple Line. Rapidly-urbanizing Tysons Corner, too, has considered a system..."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dr-...ss=dr-gridlock

[202_Cyclist]

Va. officials push for aboveground Metro station at Dulles

By: Kytja Weir and Leah Fabel
03/15/11
Washington Examiner

"The state of Virginia and Loudoun and Fairfax counties are pushing for the new Metrorail station at Washington Dulles International Airport to be an aboveground station near a parking garage instead of a much pricier underground station at the main terminal.


A rendering depicts the aboveground concept for the Metro station at Dulles Airport. Estimates indicate that building the station above ground could save $640 million. - Courtesy dullescorridorrail.com

Their urgings come as a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board committee is expected to decide on Wednesday where to place the station as part of the 23-mile Dulles Rail project, the largest expansion of the Metro system since its original design. The authority makes the final decision where to put the station, and the full board is expected to vote in April.

The difference hinges on a 600-foot longer walk from the north garage to the main terminal at Dulles or potentially hundreds of millions of dollars more in construction costs to build a closer, underground station..."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/...station-dulles

[Godwindaniel]

This is great news. More variety the better I really hope it does well and will be fun to look at.

[Beta_Magellan]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

Va. officials push for aboveground Metro station at Dulles

By: Kytja Weir and Leah Fabel
03/15/11
Washington Examiner

"The state of Virginia and Loudoun and Fairfax counties are pushing for the new Metrorail station at Washington Dulles International Airport to be an aboveground station near a parking garage instead of a much pricier underground station at the main terminal.

[…]

The difference hinges on a 600-foot longer walk from the north garage to the main terminal at Dulles or potentially hundreds of millions of dollars more in construction costs to build a closer, underground station..."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/...station-dulles

There really shouldn’t be any question here—although a closer station would be extra-special-super-convenient, if you’re working or arriving at the airport a 600-foot longer walk shouldn’t be a big issue, especially if the difference is in the nine figures. It’s not like this is an urban area where pedestrian accessibility is one of the main concerns for station design.

[ardecila]

Have you tried to walk from the station at Midway to the terminal? That sh*t is frustrating as hell.

Why not build the station at Dulles above-ground, but right in front of the terminal above the departures area? (sort like the arrangement at ATL) The departures/commercial vehicles roadway could be moved further out into the parking lot.

It would have to be carefully-designed to avoid blocking the view of Saarinen's terminal, but that's not a huge problem.

[Beta_Magellan]

True enough, but this is threatening the entire project:

Virginia County May Withdraw Funding From Dulles Metrorail

(Washington, DC – David Schultz, WAMU) Cost estimates continue to rise for the second phase of the Dulles Metrorail project — from Herndon to Dulles Airport and beyond. And now Loudoun County may withdraw its share of the funding for the project.

Loudoun County Supervisor Stevens Miller says a majority of his colleagues on the board think the cost of the so-called Silver Line is no longer worth it.

“Loudoun County’s contribution to that project would be on the order of $300 million,” Miller says. “But as of yet we haven’t committed to fund that part. If we don’t, then Phase II would be in complete jeopardy.”

Board chairman Scott York says Miller is incorrect and that Loudoun will pay its share of the project — just as long as its designers choose an above-ground aerial station at the airport.

“We have been communicating to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board that they had better well choose the aerial alignment,” York says, “because of the fact that it is several hundred million dollars cheaper.”

York says if the Authority chooses an underground station, Loudoun County will have a very serious discussion about opting out of the project.

[novawolverine]

It's not surprising, this project has ballooned in price. I don't think the underground or above-ground decision should dictate whether Loudoun pulls out, but the project needs to get these escalating costs under control.

[Nexis4Jersey]

Why does this line need to go past Dulles ? And why couldn't they build a branch of the MARC Brunswick line , which would have been cheaper & faster. The DC region seems think Metrorail is the answer to everything , when Regional Rail is the better option.

[202_Cyclist]

Nexis4Jersey:

Why does this line need to go past Dulles ?

Very good question. I recently attended a discussion by Chris Leinberger of Brookings and the U. of Michigan. He noted that the towns in western Fairfax and Loudoun Co. are failing to sufficiently plan for increased density around the stations. This is a several billion dollar project and if the towns getting stations aren't going to encourage land-use plans that encourage dense, walkable, transit-oriented development, perhaps the western terminus of the Silver Line should be re-evaluated.

A lot of people live in Sterling, Ashburn, Leesburg, and other places in Loudoun Co. and commute to jobs in the Reston corridor and Tysons. This will help with these workers.

Personally, I'd rather see light rail or a streetcar connecting jobs along Route 28 than the Silver Line extended beyond Dulles.

A local blog, Greater Greater Washington, has a article today examining the planned land-use around these stations.


Will the Silver Line produce sprawl like highways do?

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/...s-do/#comments

[Beta_Magellan]

Looking on Google Maps the two trans-Dulles stations would be borderline greenfield. The question then becomes whether a Dulles-only line would be politically acceptable to Loudoun, or whether it can reach Dulles without Loudoun’s money.

[afiggatt]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

Why does this line need to go past Dulles ? And why couldn't they build a branch of the MARC Brunswick line , which would have been cheaper & faster. The DC region seems think Metrorail is the answer to everything , when Regional Rail is the better option.

How would a branch of the MARC Brunswick line get to Dulles Airport?? Besides crossing the Potomac river, figuring out a viable ROW south to Dulles would be a doozy. And a very round-about way to get to Dulles from downtown DC.

By building a Metro line out to Dulles airport, it becomes an integrated part of the Metro system with a one seat ride from the current Orange-Blue line downtown stations, Rosslyn-East Falls Church, Tysons Corner, Reston, and Herndon. But, just as important, downtown DC, Arlington, and Tysons Corner are now a Metro ride from Reston, Herndon and Ashburn, along an axis which has seen considerable development and growth over the past 20 years.

As for extending the line past Dulles Airport, I think part of the reason is that the maintenance and storage yard had to be located on the NW edge of the Dulles airport complex because that was the available space to put it. Since the trains have to go north and then a little west of the Dulles terminal complex to reach the storage yard, why not put several stations along Dulles Greenway to provide access to Ashburn? Ashburn saw a lot of development and growth in the past decade up to 2008, so there is a large population out there, although it is spread out in classic American suburban sprawl. Building proper TOD development around the 2 stations beyond Dulles will be a long term item, not near term. The far flung extension of the Silver Line makes the outer stations more of a 3rd rail electrified commuter line (ala LIRR), not a close in metro system. On weekends and middle of the day, might see service frequencies cut back to 1/2 hour headways.

However, I can see if the cost increases for the Phase II extension become a major problem, that one of the stations, probably the Rt. 606 station, could get dropped and becomes a future in-fill station project to be built later at a future TBD date.

[202_Cyclist]

Metro to lure bike-to-rail commuters

By Ann Scott Tyson
3/20/2011

"With packs on their backs, reflective neon straps around their ankles and sometimes even headlamps, they are the proud few who brave traffic, rainstorms and thieves to bicycle to Metrorail stations.

Bike-to-rail commuters represent 0.7 percent of Metrorail riders — compared with about 40 percent who drive, 33 percent who walk and 22 percent who take the bus to stations.

But Metro’s long-range planners, desperate to avoid having to build 30,000 to 40,000 expensive parking spaces at stations to meet the projected surge in ridership over the next 20 years, have launched an initiative to quintuple the number of cyclists.

“It’s very much strategic for us to put a really big focus on bicycle parking,” said Kristin Haldeman, Metro’s manager of access planning. Parking spaces cost on average $25,000 each, compared with $1,000 per space for a secured bike cage. “It’s an extremely expensive proposition for us” to expand car parking, she said..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...mZ3_story.html

[novawolverine]

I never understood why the line should go past Dulles, personally. I understand the politics, but at this point, terminating at Dulles makes the most sense.

[Beta_Magellan]

Originally Posted by afiggatt

As for extending the line past Dulles Airport, I think part of the reason is that the maintenance and storage yard had to be located on the NW edge of the Dulles airport complex because that was the available space to put it. Since the trains have to go north and then a little west of the Dulles terminal complex to reach the storage yard, why not put several stations along Dulles Greenway to provide access to Ashburn?

You can always just have the trains go a little further to the yard and not build the extension—Chicago looked at this as an alternative to its Red Line extension to S. 130th Street: instead of having two tracks all the way south to 130th with a yard at 120th, 115th could be made the terminal and connected to the new yards and shops at 120th by a single track. They ultimately decided not to do this, but it’s not out of the question for a transit line’s yard to be some distance beyond its last station.

[VivaLFuego]

40 percent of metrorail riders access by driving to the stations? That's an incredibly high figure, I had no idea it was that high.

[novawolverine]

It's b/c the Metro acts like a commuter/subway hybrid. Many of the stations are outside of the city proper in the suburbs and have large kiss-and-ride stations where people from farther out drive in before getting on the train, like commuter rail, which we have, but isn't broad enough. I don't know what BART's figure is, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's close. This high percentage helps to explain why people are so dependent on Metro and see it as a the answer to everything rather than expanded commuter rail, which is a better value and gets the job done more comfortably and reliably.

With the Dulles options, it's a cost-benefit analysis. I think phase II will get funded, but the cheaper option for Dulles will be selected. It's projected to save $300 million or so. If you want the underground option, it's a question of the whether the extra 1/3 billion is worth it. This is definitely a smaller deal than whether the Metro would go through Tysons below or above ground.