Jump to content

DC and Baltimore Area Mass Transit/Transportation


Recommended Posts

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.

I agree the no weekend thing sucks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


OK, I had to get a map to give me a visual of the VRE and MARC, which I am thoroughly unfamiliar with:

marc-vre.gif

Concerning VRE, the Washington Post article states:

VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said the dip in ridership is "a hiccup" tied to numerous factors, including agreements with track owners running competing freight service, problems with a bridge near Quantico and the system's service problems. He vowed that "in time we'll have a positive and viable option against any other form of transport."

When [Virginia secretary of transportation Pierce R.]Homer looks at VRE's service problems, he sees myriad "operational challenges," many of which stem from the complex arrangements needed to make the trains run. The rails are owned by CSX Corp., of Jacksonville, Fla. VRE pays CSX more than $3.8 million a year for the right to use the tracks, but increased train volume on the two-track corridor means that passenger service can get stuck behind freight cars that are slow, late or stalled.

Another frequently mentioned source of VRE frustration is CSX's heat-restriction policy. High summer temperatures can lead to kinks in the steel rails, so train travel is routinely slowed to 40 mph on the Fredericksburg line if the mercury rises above 85 degrees.

The older cars on VRE was also cited as a problem, but VRE has bought 11 cars that will be added this year and has ordered 50 more that will arrive by December 2008, which is good news. I also believe the article said that a new Quantico bridge is on the way, which should help big time.

In the latest news concerning the new Metrorail line out to Tysons Corner, Virginia leaders are wondering if running the line below ground will contribute to making Tysons Corner urban or is the area too far gone. The debate over whether to build a tunnel or an elevated track is partly tied to the urban vision of Tysons and whether trying to achieve it is worth risking the extension of rail service to Washington Dulles International Airport.

It's getting to be a rather complicated issue at this point, especially when you throw in getting the line to Dulles done on time (or at all). State leaders have a pretty hard choice to make at this point. I say be gutsy and go for the tunnel. But some tunnel proponents go so far as to say that if officials can't transform Tysons into an urban hub, then they shouldn't bother bringing rail at all because only an urban Tysons would produce enough ridership to sustain the line--with wich I disagree. With all of the people that work in Tysons (around 100K according to the article), I'm sure an above-ground track would still produce enough ridership.

By the way, isn't this scary? This is on Route 7 near Tysons Corner Center:

PH2006081900673.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tangled Up and Blue No More

Big Section Ready To Open Tomorrow On Mixing Bowl

PH2006082201402.jpg

GR2006082300190.gif

The last major bridge of the Springfield interchange project is set to open in the pre-dawn hours tomorrow, providing one of the final links in an eight-year, $676 million effort to untangle one of the region's most congested and dangerous traffic spots.

story

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At an Impasse Over Va. Parkway's Missing Link

Disagreement Between State, Army Delays Completion of Key Fairfax Road

The long-awaited completion of the Fairfax County Parkway is on indefinite hold because of a disagreement between the state of Virginia and the U.S. Army over who should build it.

The problems are related to old ordnance and other debris that need to be removed from a two-mile stretch of highway that runs through the Engineer Proving Ground at Fort Belvoir. The Army expected to finish clearing the site last year, but more contamination was found than expected, and it is now unclear when the cleanup will be done.

story

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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....

Span of the Wilson Bridge is Demolished

A span of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge was demolished this morning by the winner of the contest.

Washington Post- video clip

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like the tunnel idea for Tysons is dead.

No Tunnel For Tysons, Kaine Says

Federal Concerns About Cost Prove Insurmountable

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced yesterday that a proposal to build a tunnel under Tysons Corner as part of a Metrorail expansion to Dulles International Airport is dead, after federal officials and area congressmen made clear that the costs of an underground link could jeopardize the entire 23-mile, $4 billion project.

Kaine's decision in favor of an elevated track through Tysons represents a stunning shift, coming just a week after contractors, local officials and others involved in the project expected an announcement in favor of a below-ground route.

story

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After reading the article, I can see that it was pretty much all politics:

Word of a pro-tunnel decision prompted even stronger cautions from influential skeptics, including officials in the Federal Transit Administration, which must approve the project, and Reps. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) and Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), the extension's top sponsors on Capitol Hill. When Kaine and his staff made their final checks with federal officials, they were met with blunt warnings about the extra costs and delays of a tunnel, say those familiar with the meetings.

Wolf and Davis had cautioned Kaine in a July letter that the tunnel could jeopardize the entire rail line. In recent days, they increasingly made it known that Kaine should not count on them to secure federal support for an underground route...

Aides said Kaine was stunned that federal officials would sacrifice the tunnel even if any extra cost were borne by state or private sources. He and lawmakers met with FTA Administrator James Simpson yesterday morning. Simpson was blunt, saying that if they pushed for a tunnel, they were likely to lose any commitment for federal money...

Wow. Well at least Kaine and Virginia's senior senator, John W. Warner, saw the potential of the tunnel and what it could have done for Tysons. Oh well, the situation won't be ideal, but the plan to bring some urbanity to Tysons isn't dead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds pretty neat.

Airport's Future Is on Rails

Aerotrain System's Sleeker, Faster Cars to Retire Most Mobile Loungers

Passengers at Dulles International Airport will be able to check out a new underground train system that one day will carry them from terminal to concourse -- replacing the much-maligned mobile lounges -- starting today, when a walk-in display of one of the train cars will open for public inspection.

The $1.3 billion system, called Aerotrain, is half-done and remains on track for a scheduled opening in 2009, engineers and officials said yesterday during an on-site update of the airport's expansion plans.

story

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'An Uphill Struggle' for N.Va. Roads Plan

A $417 million plan by Northern Virginia Republicans designed to ease area traffic problems faces the same obstacle during an upcoming special session of the General Assembly that has thwarted similar efforts all year: opposition from House leaders to new taxes or fees.

story

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What Goes Up Must Be Fixed

Metro Opens Teaching Center for Its Escalator and Elevator Mechanics

Keeping Metro's escalators and elevators in working order is so difficult that the transit agency yesterday became the first in the nation to open a training facility to teach people how to fix them.

Breakdowns of the 588 escalators and 267 elevators are a long-standing issue for a system that relies more heavily on them than other subways because Metro's stations are buried so deep below ground. Nonfunctioning escalators trigger more complaints from Metro customers than almost any other problem. Outside escalators are particularly troublesome because rain, snow and debris pour into the electrical systems and cause problems.

story

PH2006092001957.jpg

Metro board member Charles Deegan, left, and David Lacosse, head of elevator and escalator services, ride a see-through escalator used for training.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

GOP Leaders Present Plan For Dedicated Metro Funds

RICHMOND, Sept. 22 -- House Republican leaders offered legislation Friday they said would ensure that Virginia is able to match $1.5 billion in federal funds for Metro if Congress approves new money for the transit system.

At a news conference, House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) said the proposal would ensure that Virginia pays its share of the Metro money without raising taxes.

story

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fort Meade Expansion Ignites Fears

5,400 New Workers Will Clog Roads and Crowd Schools, Residents Say

When the Pentagon announced a long-term plan to reorganize the nation's military bases, Fort Meade became one of the region's big winners.

Now, more than a year later, residents near the Anne Arundel County base fear that they might turn out to be the big losers, as developers rush to accommodate an estimated 5,400 additional workers coming to the base.

story

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fairfax Calls for Competitive Bidding

The Fairfax Board of Supervisors asked the state yesterday to seriously consider competitive bidding for construction of a Metrorail expansion through Tysons Corner to Dulles International Airport, charging that the current contractors have stripped crucial features from the project but retained excessive profit margins.

link

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At first I was thinking why a competitive bidding process wasn't the first option, but the article stated that state officials chose to build the project under a law that allows public-private partnerships because the process is faster and more cost-efficient than the traditional competitive bid model.

At any rate, perhaps they need to go this route if the chosen firm is eliminating elevators, escalators and walking bridges; that's simply not acceptable, especially coming from a public-private partnership.

Edited by krazeeboi
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Southwest prepares to take off at Dulles

Southwest Airlines is a day away from bringing its "luv" to the Washington area.

The Dallas-based carrier (NYSE: LUV) takes off from Dulles International Airport for the first time Thursday with a scheduled 6:25 a.m. flight. Its new Dulles service initially will consist of 12 daily, nonstop departures to four cities, including Chicago and Las Vegas. Southwest will also offer direct or connecting service to 35 other cities, such as Denver and Los Angeles.

story

Bike lanes, more parking for downtown D.C.

The District Department of Transportation has completed the addition of new downtown bike lanes along E Street NW and added a handful of new parking spaces on K Street NW.

The Transportation Department is also touting a new transportation-centric Web site for commuters.

story

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ron Cassie, The Examiner

Oct 7, 2006 5:00 AM (1 hr 41 mins ago)

Current rank: # 276 of 6,275 articles

BALTIMORE - Construction on the proposed Red Line connecting Western Baltimore County with the city is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2010, with the first riders in 2014

Edited by bmorescottamanda
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hoofing It Out of the Subway

System Considers Converting Some Escalators to Stairs to Save on Repairs

Riders who are sick of dealing with Metro's broken escalators may have a new option: walking up a flight of stairs.

The transit agency's latest idea on how to reduce costs and cut down on wear and tear of its chronically broken escalators is to rip out the shortest ones and replace them with a set of low-tech, low-maintenance steps.

story

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.