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In other transportation news..

Southwest Airlines to land at Dulles in early October

Southwest Airlines will begin service at Washington Dulles International Airport Oct. 5, occupying two gates in the airport's B Concourse and initially employing 40 people there.

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House Backs $1.5 Billion For Metro -- With a Hitch

D.C., Md. and Va. Must Match Amount

The House of Representatives passed legislation yesterday that would commit $1.5 billion over 10 years to improve the Metro transit system as long as the District, Maryland and Virginia guarantee to match that money. The vote was 242 to 120, just exceeding the needed two-thirds majority.

The measure, part of a plan to keep trains, tracks, stations and buses in good repair and increase federal oversight, now goes to the Senate, where Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), sponsor of the House bill, said he hopes passage will be "less of a problem."

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And here is the catch:

The regional jurisdictions have to create a major, dedicated source of money for Metro -- such as a portion of a sales tax earmarked for transit -- to cover their share of capital and operational expenses.

The District has approved a measure to dedicate 0.5 percent of city sales tax revenue to Metro, but efforts to establish a stable funding source for the transit authority failed in the Maryland and Virginia legislatures. The Maryland General Assembly is not scheduled to meet again this year, but Virginia's is likely to reconvene this fall to renew its contentious debate on transportation financing.

It seems as though this is the one common roadblock to implementing and maintaining mass transit--dedicated funding sources. I don't see how Virginia would NOT jump on board here; NoVa represents a very significant part of the Virginia economy.

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And here is the catch:

It seems as though this is the one common roadblock to implementing and maintaining mass transit--dedicated funding sources. I don't see how Virginia would NOT jump on board here; NoVa represents a very significant part of the Virginia economy.

I see exactly how Virginia would not jump on board, its currently being run by shortsighted Anti-tax zealots in Richmond who consistently tell NOVA to eat cake. Until these guys are booted out Virginians will never begin to address its transportation needs.

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Well, as bad as I do feel, and I'm not competing, but VA came closer to finding a dedicated source than MD did. I think we will get something though. This is absolutely vital for Virginia. We have made clear that traffic and growth is a concern, why on earth they wouldn't somehow get this to work is beyond me. Let's hope they do, this would definitely be a huge help.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So should the Metro line going out to Tysons Corner be underground or above ground? Seems as though underground would be best, and not necessarily any more expensive. However, critics say that switching designs now, when construction is months away from beginning, would cause expensive delays. The project's chief federal backer, Rep. Frank R. Wolf , warned Gov. Timothy M. Kaine this week that switching to a tunnel could imperil federal funding and doom the entire 23-mile line.

From the sounds of the article, it seems as though an underground line just might happen.

Edited by krazeeboi
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Virginia to Review Rival Bid For Tysons Rail Extension

Virginia officials are considering a proposal from contractors allied with a major Tysons Corner landowner to take over construction of at least half of the Metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport, a prospect that threatens to further delay the project.

The state has a no-bid "public-private partnership" with a Bechtel Corp. and Washington Group International Inc. consortium, which has done extensive work over the past two years in preparing to build the 23-mile line from West Falls Church. But the state revealed yesterday that as part of its consideration of switching to a tunnel instead of an elevated track for the Tysons part of the line, it is now weighing a proposal by a group linked with WestGroup, a major Tysons landowner and tunnel supporter.

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Paralyzed Roads Envisioned Near Belvoir

Army Move Requires Many Improvements That Lack Funding

As more details emerge about the Army's plan to bring 22,000 employees to Fort Belvoir, state and local officials are warning that it will create horrific gridlock in southern Fairfax County when there is no money to fix the inadequate road network in that area.

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Paralyzed Roads Envisioned Near Belvoir

Army Move Requires Many Improvements That Lack Funding

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The Post article reported that the Army is planning to locate most of these jobs at the Engineering Proving Ground in Springfield. I used to live in the West End of Alexandria. Even if the Fairfax County Parkway were completed (doubtful) and the Blue Line extended through the Springfield Mall area and over I-95 (even more doubtful), I cannot envision how the existing road network, including the Mixing Bowl, would handle the increased traffic volumes short of tremendous rush-hour gridlock.

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The Post article reported that the Army is planning to locate most of these jobs at the Engineering Proving Ground in Springfield. I used to live in the West End of Alexandria. Even if the Fairfax County Parkway were completed (doubtful) and the Blue Line extended through the Springfield Mall area and over I-95 (even more doubtful), I cannot envision how the existing road network, including the Mixing Bowl, would handle the increased traffic volumes short of tremendous rush-hour gridlock.

neither can I, I hope something gets figured out.

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Metro to Test Remodeled Rail Car on Orange Line

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WASHINGTON - The first Metro cars with fewer seats and more standing room goes into service Tuesday as the transit system works to ease crowding on rush hour trains.

Metro has reconfigured an older-model car with a new configuration of bench seating and fewer floor-to-ceiling poles to open up more standing room. The remodeled car goes into service on the Orange Line. Rail car 3262 will be tested for two weeks on each of the Orange, Red and Green lines.

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One Very Frustrated Commuter Will Get to Blow Up the Old Woodrow Wilson Bridge

According to this article in today's Washington Post, the commuter with the saddest tale of woe will be selected to set off the charges which will bring down one section of the old Woodrow Wilson Bridge on August 24th. It's an interesting idea....

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VRE Repairs, Tardiness Fuel Ridership Drop

At a time when authorities are urging increased use of public transportation to reduce congestion, an unexpected loss of Virginia Railway Express riders -- many weary of delays and breakdowns -- is a major setback.

After adding at least 200,000 passenger trips a year since fiscal 2001, the Northern Virginia rail line recorded 120,000 fewer trips from July 2005 to June compared with the previous year, dropping its total to 3.64 million

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I'm glad Washington airports authority and Dulles is spearheading effort to get rail out to Dulles. If we relied on the Government to build it, we all could be dead before we see a single train out there.

I think it's good for VA but I would like to see more money put into the MARC train system in Maryland and more customer fly out of BWI.

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It would be great to see the MARC trains updated. I use the system to get to BWI and to Odenton (to get to Severna Park). The system works, but it would also be nice to see the MARC trains operate on weekends. More thought and money need to be put into mass transit throughout the area.

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