DC and Baltimore Area Mass Transit/Transportation

[tombarnes]

You should be OK in Wheaton. Parts of the Green and Blue lines might not be great to ride at night- at least as far as walking around in the neighborhood is concerned. As for the Metro itself, it is a very safe system. You should not run into any problems if you use common sense. Enjoy your trip to Washington.

[monsoon]

This topic is to discuss DC/Baltimore area transit. While not the largest system in North America, it is one of the best.

[TennBear]

I received an e-mail to today from someone who lives in Laurel. He mentioned that the Laurel Leader Newspaper had an article about extending the Green Line to BWI with stations at Konterra/Muirkirk, Columbia, Dorsey, Odenton ...and a few others. Has anyone else heard any information on this? If this came about , it would be great news. People could commute to Fort Meade via Metro, could commute to DC from Columbia and tourists using BWI could take Metro into DC. No idea on the costs. I'm certain that it would be very expensive. I know that there are talks about extending service on Metro to Fort Belvoir, now that the BRAC has called for the movement of everyone and their brother to Fort Belvoir even though you cannot get in there now because of the lack of transportation alternatives. That's why they are Generals. That was set at $1B. Of course there is the extension to Dulles. I can't recall how much that is. And let's not forget that there is no programed funding for Metro.

[urbanaturalist]

I think they should extend the lines into the woodbridge area, where i live. Also into western areas like manassas and gainsville. This would help with all the commuters from the woodbridge area all the way down to fredricksburg and as far west as chalettsville. I think i spelled that right.

Yeah, I agree with that comment 100%.

[TennBear]

"The Columbia Flier" had an article on this in yesterday's paper. A major reason that the extension is being proposed is the 5,361 new personnel from the BRAC expansion of Fort Meade. State Senator John Giannetti has proposed a bill to spend $1M to do a feasibility study. The 20-mile extension would cost >$3B. The $3B cost would be roughly equal to the cost of the Inter-County Connector.

[urbanvb]

moved to transportation thread

[urbanvb]

Metro Board Wants Va. Budgeters to Help, or at Least Not Hinder

Nearly 10,000 Prince William County residents ride Metrorail on an average weekday, according to a survey released yesterday. That kind of ridership would translate into a hefty subsidy -- if Prince William were among the local and state governments that support the area transit system.

article

[TennBear]

When was the last time you were there? I ask because they just reopened the final stages of a complete renovation of the entire mall and it's quite nice. While the metro stop there is deep, the escalator ride up isn't all that interesting, I think Bethesda and Dupont have much more impressive looking rides from the bottom. I think it's because they have more escalators and therefore the tunnel is wider and has more light where the Wheaton escalators are in a dark narrow tunnel. Just my opinion and yes I have put way too much thought into it!

Urbannomad, If it has improved that is great. I still would not go there. Call it a combination of bias based on the past and that it doesn't have anything that I couldn't find elsewhere. The only time that I go near Weaton Plaza these days is when I go to Kennsington. In answer, I haven't been there lately.

[orulz]

Why does it have to be Metro, I wonder? Why not add another track to Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and run more MARC trains? (4 trains per hour all day, for example.)

[tombarnes]

I'd also love to see the MARC trains run on weekends.

[Mike D]

I totally agree. MARC trains should run on weekends and more frequently on the Penn Line in order to better serve BWI. And for way less money. Why throw billions of dollars away on a Metro extension there? This would be a Metro extension that would only benefit DC and its suburbs and not Baltimore.

[urbanvb]

Does the DC Metro have lines that run into DT Baltimore or do you have to change trains? Just wondering how that works.

[SouthJersey7]

Does the DC Metro have lines that run into DT Baltimore or do you have to change trains? Just wondering how that works.

Only MARC trains run from Washington to Baltimore. But you can connect from MARC easily to the Washington Metro.

[TennBear]

Why does it have to be Metro, I wonder? Why not add another track to Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and run more MARC trains? (4 trains per hour all day, for example.)

I am not completely certain, but I think that since the lines are used by the rail lines for freight they have limitations for the number of passenger trains that can travel on the lines. They also wanted to make certain that they had a stop for the NSA and Ft Meade. I'm certain that they could do it if they created a commuter bus from the stations in Odenton and either Jessup or Dorsey to Ft Meade.

[sugoiben]

Dulles Rail Project Faces Cuts as Costs Swell

The contractors on the project to extend Metrorail to Dulles International Airport are proposing to slash several key features -- including the number of rail cars and pedestrian bridges for those boarding in Tysons Corner -- to rein in a new spike in costs, a project director said yesterday.

[SouthJersey7]

Dulles Rail Project Faces Cuts as Costs Swell

^^ Speaking of which...

I was browsing some info on Washington Metro Rail and came across this document which proclaims the Silver Line which is to contain the Dulles extention, a done deal. Can anyone confirm this? I can find little or no information on it anywhere else. Sure looks nice though...

[TennBear]

Here is a better map of the extension to Dulles.

http://www.dullesmetro.com/pdfs/route_map_large_mar06.pdf

[tombarnes]

Silver Line? Hmmm. Interesting. I hadn't heard about that one at all. I had assumed that it would simply be an extension of the Orange Line. The new line is a much better idea.

[SouthJersey7]

So anyway, using the above map, this map, and the Washington DC map from www.urbanrail.net, I put together this little map. I think this is all the current proposals:

Edited March 28, 2006 by SouthJersey7

[SouthJersey7]

Here's another one I did just for fun. I based it off just looking at maps i.e. I put zero research into this (so most of it probably doesn't make much sense )

[TennBear]

Here's another one I did just for fun. I based it off just looking at maps i.e. I put zero research into this (so most of it probably doesn't make much sense )

SouthJersey,

A couple of points. It doesn't look crazy to me. If you have followed some of the information on this, there is a study for the Green line to go to BWI through Laurel. I thought that the idea of an extension to Bowie was an interesting one. I know that 50 is a mess. Maybe if it was cost effective, it could go to Annapolis

[urbanvb]

Officials Fret Over Dulles Rail Plan

Remake of Tysons Hinges on Project Being 'Done Right'

As the Washington airports authority takes control of the extension of Metrorail to Dulles International Airport, some Fairfax County officials and others involved in the project are expressing concerns that the rush to the runway could leave a casualty in its path: their dreams of a remade Tysons Corner.

The ambitious rail project has long tried to balance two goals: speeding access to the airport and transforming Tysons from a car-clogged jumble into a vibrant, walkable downtown for Northern Virginia. Those invested in Tysons' overhaul are now hoping that the airports authority, which is focused on getting the line to Dulles, will show itself as committed to Fairfax's vision for Tysons -- even if that means higher costs or a longer wait.

story

[Archon]

Latest talk is that the green line will eventually be extended all the way to BWI airport with stops around Columbia and Ft Meade, presumably because of a large influx of jobs due to military base re-alignment, which is supposed to bring massive jobs into the area. From BWI, you could connect to Baltimore's light rail and continue for another 30 miles all the way to Hunt Valley. This might render the MARC trains redundant, at least the Penn line. Interesting development.

[urbanvb]

Interesting development. And welcome to the forum, Archon.

[tombarnes]

They do need to do some major upgrades with the MARC trains. Keep us posted.