http://www.washingtonian.com/2015/12/09/why-does-metro-suck-dangerous-accidents-escalator-outages/

 

"Washingtonians used to celebrate Metro with a boosterish pride. But over the past decade, griping about rush-hour meltdowns had become a staple of office water-cooler conversations. Compared with the safety improvements that board members were touting, the question on many riders’ minds was more prosaic—but possibly more crucial to the system’s survival: Could Metro even be trusted to get people to work on time?"

"To prevent a future problem, the NTSB urged WMATA to develop what the controllers have resisted: written procedures."

 

Not in the most militantly unionized private sector workplace would this fly....

It sounds like they suffer from some chronic leadership issues. Who is Wiedefeld accountable to, is it like a board of regional mayors, or is it Congress? That accountability issue is a unique problem in the DC area...

This sounds a lot like what's happening with BART right now. :cry:

DC is getting serious about bus lanes.  The buses are being outfitted with cameras, which will photograph any vehicle blocking their way in a bus lane.  There was no mention of whether the H Street streetcars would also get cameras.  Camera evidence will get you a $100 fine.

 

Can't provide a source; it was a WTOP (WaPo station) radio report. 

 

 

^ That's good to see. According to a piece in the May Scientific American, for buses 10 minutes is the magic number.  At a ten-minute or less frequency, ridership jumps. I assume this works for trains, too.

Wash DC Metro says give us $750 million a year or else.  WFH has nearly killed them.

 

"Without more money, Metro’s budget calls for the elimination of 67 of 135 bus lines, while reducing service on 41 others. It would shutter 10 of the agency’s least-used stations. It would end Metrorail service daily at 10 p.m. Fares and parking fees would jump 20 percent. Times between trains would soar. Nearly 2,300 Metro jobs would be eliminated."

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/12/12/metro-budget-service-cuts/

Start putting multiple tolls on every nearby bisecting or otherwise subsidized highway as well as significant congestion pricing, and reallocate all that money to the Metro.

 

There, problem solved.

33 minutes ago, TBideon said:

Start putting multiple tolls on every nearby bisecting or otherwise subsidized highway as well as significant congestion pricing, and reallocate all that money to the Metro.

 

There, problem solved.

 

Maryland , DC, and Virginia share the cost; so it's not a HUGE amount for any of them.  Metro says DC, already paying Metro $475 million. owes another $275 million, Maryland pays $519 million and would owe another $219 million, Virginia pays $348 million and would owe another $180. At least the three jurisdictions are coming closer together on what they see as the appropriate level of subsidy.

As fond as I am of gadgets, I may have to get one of these.  It gets updated every 1/10th of a second by WiFi.   $239.00

 

Spring Break in DC recently. Used the Metro extensively. Very happy with how it helped my group of 5 get around town.

On 2/8/2024 at 4:02 PM, Dougal said:

As fond as I am of gadgets, I may have to get one of these.  It gets updated every 1/10th of a second by WiFi.   $239.00

 

 

If someone makes one of those for GCRTA, I will buy it. Won't have anywhere near as many lines and lights but still would be pretty cool.

3 hours ago, KJP said:

 

If someone makes one of those for GCRTA, I will buy it. Won't have anywhere near as many lines and lights but still would be pretty cool.

Maybe if the BRT lines were added, it would look better.  

Automated trains will return to DC's Red Line. Other lines will follow by next summer. There is supposed to be no reduction in service despite fewer trains because the trains will run faster.  What??? It's going to save $7 million which should help out with the $217 million unfunded operating deficit next year. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/12/10/dc-metro-automation-returns/

 

EDIT: Drivers were limited to 59 mph.  The computer gets to go 75.

Have they considered expanding MARC? For me,  I think a few things should be no-brainers to start:

 

1) Build a line from Baltimore to Frederick going thru Ellicott City, Catonsville, and then mostly parallel I-70 along the way.

2) New line first connecting Baltimore to Annapolis and then to DC maybe.

3) Extend the Penn Line to Newark, DE to link up w/ SEPTA and this would bring back rail to Elkton.

4) Weekend service on all lines - run smaller trains if ridership is lower.

5) Electrification of system?

6) Link together Penn & Camden stations and have through-routing.

 

And maybe if MARC can get more funding and they're willing to do it, Maryland's Eastern Shore could use some rail, esp. places like Salisbury or Ocean City. You can run limited services if cost is an issue.

The D.C. Streetcar Will Be Replaced By The “Next Generation Of Streetcar” – And Other Transportation Updates

The streetcar experiment in D.C. is all but over as Mayor Bowser announces that the “next generation of street cars” is, as the Washington Post puts it, really just an electric bus.

The DC Streetcar was in operation for less than a decade after launching in 2016 with a renewed promise of efficiency. But years of delays and a huge budget showed that the efforts weren’t as fruitful as the Mayor hoped, which is why it’s being reported by the Washington Post that funding for the D.C. streetcar will end, and the “next generation” development has been proposed.

The new streetcar will be an electrical bus that uses the street car’s electrical wiring, but there’s no word yet on whether or not it will still be free for passengers, and limited information as of yet. But the proposal was just announced on Tuesday, so there should be more information coming out later this year.

For now, we’re optimistic about what this could mean for riders.

More below: https://secretdc.com/dc-streetcar-electric-bus/