Washington DC: Rail transit

[202_Cyclist]

Officials seek state study on MARC Brunswick Line


By Ryan Marshall
Frederick News-Post

"The administrator of the Maryland Transit Administration will meet with several elected officials from Frederick and Montgomery counties as they seek a study about improvements on MARC’s Brunswick Line.

MTA Administrator Kevin Quinn sent a letter to the five legislators Monday looking to arrange a meeting to discuss the scope and timing of the proposed study.

It comes in response to the letter sent May 6 from Dels. Carol Krimm (D-Frederick), Marc Korman (D-Montgomery) and Jared Solomon (D-Montgomery), and Montgomery County councilmen Hans Riemer (D) and Evan Glass (D)..."

https://www.fredericknewspost.com/ne...980e7c453.html

[Eightball]

Really wish the pandemic opportunities hadn't been wasted and WMATA had been put in bankruptcy and restructured.

The current frequencies are shameful given their 4 billion dollar yearly budget. Pathetic

[202_Cyclist]

How a federal push for infrastructure could propel DC’s Union Station forward


By George Kevin Jordan
June 3, 2021
Greater Greater Washington


"Over the past few years the challenges of revamping Union Station into a multi-modal transit hub had been all over the regional news. But with a devout train rider as president, and federal push for more efficient transportation and infrastructure, could Union Station finally be getting the national attention it needs to move the project to the finish line?

The heavy lift of progress

The obstacles Union Station faces are many, and the stakes are high. Pre-pandemic, the station saw about 37 million riders each year, and linked Amtrak with MARC, VRE commuter rail, intercity bus, and metrorail all under the same roof. And the region was only expected to grow (Ridership patterns changed during the pandemic, but it’s too soon to tell which changes will be permanent). The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is overseeing the project, had projected a huge uptick in ridership growth for rail, and intercity bus travel by 2040. Right now, however, the station is not equipped to handle more passengers. The station has had long lines at departing stations, and needs critical design updates to meet the expected demand..."

https://ggwash.org/view/81487/how-a-...-in-dc-forward

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by Eightball

The current frequencies are shameful given their 4 billion dollar yearly budget.

Better?
https://www.wmata.com/about/news/Met...eptember-5.cfm

"more trains will run during off-peak hours with average wait times ranging between 2-7 minutes any time of day. Trains will also run longer, closing later overnight on weekends, and opening earlier on Sundays."

[N830MH]

https://wtop.com/dc-transit/2021/08/...arting-sept-5/

Good news!

Metro will expand service and reduce fares starting Sept. 5

[OhioGuy]

It Looks Like Metro Is Seriously Considering A Georgetown Metro Station
dcist | Ally Schweitzer | SEP 7, 12:32 PM

Could a Metro station in Georgetown be part of the solution to chronic overcrowding on the Orange, Blue, and Silver lines?

That option is central to four scenarios Metro is considering as it weighs possible fixes to backups and delays in the Rosslyn Tunnel, which carries passengers on all three lines from Northern Virginia into D.C. and on to Maryland. The scenarios are fleshed out in a new update to Metro’s two-year study of the congested transit routes.

(photo source is linked article)

[202_Cyclist]

The new Frederick Douglass bridge, connecting the Capitol Riverfront and Buzzard Point neighborhoods with Anacostia, opens this week.

New $480 million Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge begins opening week with a Labor Day celebration
The bridge replacement is viewed as a critical step toward the transformation of the shores of the Anacostia River


People gather for the opening of the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington on Sept. 6. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post)

By Luz Lazo and Michael Laris
Sept. 6, 2021
Washington Post

"Commuters idled in traffic jams, planners spent countless hours on studies and politicians debated for more than a decade as road crews patched and paved a crumbling Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

Now, a replacement span is about to open this week.

The city is transitioning from the 71-year-old bridge in Southeast Washington to a freshly built, 1,445-foot-long structure with a community party — opening to pedestrians and bikes for a one-day preview Monday — before welcoming cars for good by the end of the week. The replacement is the city’s largest infrastructure project in history, valued at $480 million, and it is viewed as a critical step toward the transformation of the shores of the Anacostia River..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/trans...ng-washington/

[202_Cyclist]

Here’s how Metro would change Prince William County development, if a Quantico extension ever happens

By Alex Koma
Washington Business Journal
Sep 23, 2021



"A new study points the way to the suburb's potential evolution should the Blue and Yellow rail lines be extended..."

https://www.bizjournals.com/washingt...velopment.html

[Busy Bee]

^^^
Paywall.

Gist?

[OhioGuy]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

^^^
Paywall.

Gist?

Below are some snippets from the article. Beyond this, the article covers ridership projections at various potential stations for either a blue line extension or yellow line extension. And it doesn't mention any cost estimate because officials there want to avoid providing estimates at this point to avoid sticker shock.

If Metro can ever extend its service down to Quantico, Prince William County could expect to see a permanent reordering of its development patterns and a major population surge around Woodbridge, according to a new, state-backed study.

It will probably take decades before the region’s elected leaders can ever manage such an expansion for Metro — if they can pull it off at all — but Virginia officials are starting to consider the possibility in earnest for the first time. The state’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation is finalizing the results of a legislatively mandated study that considers just what would happen if Metro extended either its Blue or Yellow line into the southeastern corner of Prince William, presenting preliminary findings to the public Tuesday.

...

Specifically, it suggests that rail service would drive development away from the county’s suburban and rural areas and lead to huge increases in jobs and population around these new transit hubs. Officials stressed that this wouldn’t represent the addition of new residents, per se, but a redistribution of projected growth in the county.

The study examined a host of other factors beyond just development potential, of course — it considers whether a Blue or Yellow line extension would be more effective, whether it would be more cost effective to extend Fairfax’s BRT service or build Metro, even how many riders each option would add to the system. It generally found that the Blue Line extension would add more riders, while the Yellow Line additions would add more residents and jobs, and it found BRT generally competitive with both options.

But all of those considerations are very far off, state officials warned. Metro itself has been clear that it hopes to address its core capacity issues — namely, the crowding of trains moving through the Rosslyn tunnel as it approaches downtown D.C. — before it considers any extension. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is currently showcasing its own ambitious, long-range plans to address the issue, which would require a decades-long, multibillion-dollar effort.

Yet Prince William officials have been adamant about studying these extensions themselves anyway, so they can move forward on expansion plans once Metro solves its Silver-Orange-Blue crowding conundrum.

[OhioGuy]

Of note, with Virginia studying possible extensions of the blue or yellow line south into Prince William County, an extension of the yellow line south from Huntington through Hybla Valley to Woodbridge (and beyond?) might be impacted by a potential blue line loop as shown below. Doing so would place three lines of service along the corridor between King Street and the Pentagon: the two current lines (from Franconia-Springfield and Huntington/possibly Hybla Valley/Woobridge) and a third line joining from National Harbor. So would the possible loop line nix extending south from Huntington and limit Virginia to expansion to Prince William County via extension from Franconia-Springfield? Does Metro really want three lines of service on the same corridor considering the challenges with the current three lines of service for the orange/silver/blue lines through DC?

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

It Looks Like Metro Is Seriously Considering A Georgetown Metro Station
dcist | Ally Schweitzer | SEP 7, 12:32 PM




(photo source is linked article)

[cambron J]

MWAA Press Release
11 04 2021 1516 EDT

Silver Line Phase 2 Reaches Major Milestone

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority officials announced Thursday they have declared substantial completion for work by Capital Rail Constructors (CRC) on Phase 2 of the Metrorail Silver Line extension project. The work by CRC, a joint venture led by Clark Construction Group and Kiewit, is a key component of the project to extend the region’s Metrorail public transit system to Dulles International Airport and beyond.

Substantial Completion means major construction is complete and allows operational readiness testing to begin, during which the contractor will demonstrate the project’s functionality, as a key step toward delivering the new rail line to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which operates the Metrorail system.

“This is a significant step toward completing the 11.5-mile extension that will provide rail service for residents in Reston, Herndon and eastern Loudoun County and give Metro riders direct access to Dulles Airport,” said Jack Potter, president and CEO of the Airports Authority. “In addition to providing new public transportation options, the Silver Line is a major catalyst for jobs and economic development in the National Capital region.”

The project also includes a 90-acre rail maintenance yard at Dulles International Airport, being built by Hensel Phelps, which is also nearing completion under a separate contract.

Phase 1 of the Silver Line opened in 2014, extending Metrorail service from East Falls Church to the eastern edge of Reston and triggering major transformations in the Tysons Corner and Wiehle Avenue areas. Those same trends are beginning along Phase 2, with changes already underway along the Dulles Corridor in Reston, Herndon and Ashburn, and at Dulles International Airport. The Silver Line’s goal is to help ease traffic congestion by providing alternative routes and easier commuting times, access to regional entertainment, shopping and Dulles Airport.

###

Now WMATA can start the clock and set the opening date. Any additional delays will be on WMATA provided MWAA and its contractors didn't miss something on their check lists.

Every new segment added to the Metrorail system sense the first opening in 1976 handed over to WMATA by the contractors was done the same way.

[Busy Bee]

[202_Cyclist]

Here's what the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill means for Union Station's massive expansion project

By Alex Koma
Washington Business Journal
Nov. 11, 2021

"The $10 billion project could benefit from new federal investments in rail service..."

https://www.bizjournals.com/washingt...ture-bill.html

[Busy Bee]

So the deal with the new contractor to complete the Purple Line is imminent. So thats good news.

[jmecklenborg]

Originally Posted by cambron J

Phase 2 of the Metrorail Silver Line extension project

Google Maps/Earth has updated with views of the completed extension.

[202_Cyclist]

Alexandria VRE project in final design ahead of construction next year

By Vernon Miles
Dec. 1, 2021
ALX Now


Image courtesy of ALX Now.

"A $30 million overhaul of Alexandria’s Union Station, a Virginia Railway Express stop, is in the final design phase and is working through some final permitting ahead of project construction next year.

An update scheduled to be presented to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) tomorrow (Thursday) noted that the project is going through permit coordinating with the City of Alexandria as part of the final design phase.

“Passenger safety will be improved by replacing an at-grade pedestrian track crossing with elevators to connect the two platforms,” the NVTC description said. “The elevators, along with the current and proposed stairs, will connect to the existing tunnel between the two platforms. Adjustments to platform elevation will eliminate the need for stepboxes to access VRE and Amtrak trains. The center platform will be widened and lengthened to accommodate trains on both tracks.”

https://www.alxnow.com/2021/12/01/al...ion-next-year/

[202_Cyclist]

The DC Streetcar May Run to Benning Road Metro in 2026

December 15, 2021
By Nena Perry-Brown
Urban Turf


Image courtesy of Urban Turf.

"While the road to an extension of the DC streetcar has not been smooth, the project may get back on track next year.

On Tuesday, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) released the final design for a project that would not only extend and add five stops to the streetcar, but would also rehabilitate or replace three bridges and add streetscape and intersection improvements along Benning Road between Oklahoma and Central Avenues NE.

The agency expects to bring a contractor on board to begin working on utility relocations along the route next spring or summer, enabling full construction and delivery of the streetcar extension in 2026."

https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/bl...-in-2026/19058

[202_Cyclist]

In growing National Harbor, eyes are once again set on a future Metro station
Metro is studying a long-term plan to bring Metro to National Harbor and Georgetown, but challenges stand before the $25 billion proposal

By Luz Lazo
February 25, 2022
Washington Post


Visitors at National Harbor on Monday. National Harbor officials say a Metro station is critical to meeting the needs of the growing community. (Luz Lazo/The Washington Post)

"The master plan for National Harbor includes houses, hotels, restaurants, an outlet mall and resorts that have largely come to fruition since it opened 14 years ago in the middle of a recession. The Metro station in that blueprint has taken a divergent path.

Developers included the station at a time when the transit agency was on stronger footing, hoping a rail connection to the Washington region would boost the fledgling waterfront community. National Harbor has shown it can grow without Metro, but its continued desire for a station will probably be settled during a process beginning in weeks.

“The only important piece we are missing now is Metro,” said developer Jon Peterson, of Fairfax County-based Peterson Companies, which manages National Harbor..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/trans...tro-blue-line/

[mrnyc]

just got back from a long weekend in dc using up a couple old ne corridor amtrak tix before they expired.

mostly crummy weather unfortunately and also rather quiet downtown, but otherwise all was well on the metro, busses and dc circulator busses.

i noticed quite an impressive bit of development around gallaudet.