Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Three stations will be closed along the Green Line in Prince George's County the weekend of May 17-19, according to WMATA.
If you were hoping to avoid some of the traffic along Route 1 this weekend, when thousands of University of Maryland students and their families will be on campus for commencement, take note that three Metro stations will be closed along the Green Line. According to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, College Park metro station will be closed this weekend along with the Greenbelt and Prince George's Plaza stations while crews perform track upgrades—"including tie and insulator renewal, interlocking maintenance and work associated with construction of a new test track for 7000-series railcars." The stations will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday and will reopen Monday morning. However, if you must use metro to …
Monday, April 15, 2013
After explosions at Boston Marathon, WMATA takes extra security measures.
Metro Transit Police day shift officers are being held on duty until further notice, running extra security patrols of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority bus and rail systems through rush hour, according to WMATA's official Twitter account. The news comes in the wake of two explosions which occurred as runners were crossing the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Boston Police have told the Associated Press that there were three people killed and at least 22 injuries as a result of the explosion. For up to the minute information about the Boston Marathon explosions, check Back Bay Patch. WMATA has also taken to Twitter to remind commuters of the phone number for the Metro Transit Police, which is 202-962-2121. WMATA …
Friday, April 12, 2013
Agency decides against overhaul of old cars for purchase of new.
The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) recently announced that it will spend $215 million over the next five years to replace some 4000-series rail cars made by Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie with brand-new 7000-series cars from Kawasaki, according to The Washington Post. The new rail cars will not have the ubiquitous orange and brown color scheme, and will add additional signs, brighter lights and more handholds. WMATA ordered a total of 428 of the new cars, at a total cost of $886 million, according to the report. The 4000-series cars have caused WMATA problems since they were first brought into the system in the early 1990s, but have not been the only cars with issues. The Post has detailed that part of the braking system …
Friday, March 29, 2013
The work will cause a 10 minute delay between the Greenbelt and College Park stations.
Although no track work is scheduled for this weekend on the Green Line, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said that starting Sunday night there would be late night repairs that could affect some commuters in Prince George's County. According to WMATA's website, Metro riders should expect a 10-minute delay between the Greenbelt and College Park stations starting at 10 p.m. until closing every day Sunday, March 31 to Thursday, April 4. Tell Us: Does weekend track work affect your plans?
Friday, March 8, 2013
New Metrorail line will connect Largo with Reston when opened later this year.
The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority will be hosting three open houses across the DC region, including one in Prince George's County, next week to share information about Metrorail's soon-to-open Silver Line. When it opens later this year, the new Metro line will initially provide commuters with a transfer-free link between Largo Town Center Metro station and the new Wiehle Reston East Metro station in Reston Va. Phase 1 of the Silver Line using 11 miles of new track to reach up Virginia's Route 267 corridor, passing through Tysons Corner before reaching Reston. Eventually, the line will go all the way to Dulles Airport. Once completed, Hyattsville area residents will be able to make it to Dulles Airport, a trip which can take …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Metro is aiming to give two hours advance warning should bus service be suspended.
Metro is operating on a normal weekday schedule Wednesday as the Washington region braces for a potentially major snowstorm. MetroAccess service and certain Metro commuter bus routes have been canceled. Metrorail customers are advised to plan extra time for their commute. “You may encounter minor delays due to snow and ice clearing efforts, as equipment that removes snow and ice from the third rail operates between regularly scheduled trains,” Wmata said in a statement. Some Metrobus routes may be detoured and bus service may be reduced or suspended as conditions deteriorate, according to Metro. Metro is aiming to notify Metrobus riders two hours in advance if service is suspended. Metro is advising checking your route online ahead of time…
Friday, February 22, 2013
Scheduled work was cancelled, so the Green Line will run normally.
Green Line Metorail riders won't have to deal with service interruptions this weekend, at least not any planned service interruptions. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced that the Green Line will not be single tracking this weekend, although it was initially scheduled for this weekend. "Service will operate at regular weekend intervals between Greenbelt and Branch Avenue," according to a metro alert. Plan your trip from the Greenbelt Metro station on WMATA's website.
Monday, February 11, 2013
On Tuesday, Metro’s head of planning Shyam Kannan will answer questions about the transit system's 30-year growth plan.
Transit riders will get a chance to review Metro’s 30-year growth plan with Metro’s chief planner next Tuesday at a meeting of advocacy group Action Committee for Transit, the group said in a press release. The recently-released, $26 billion plan calls for running eight-car trains across the Metrorail system, upgrading bus service, adding new rail tunnels and pedestrian tunnels in downtown Washington, DC, and other changes. Metro general manager Richard Sarles told The Washington Post that the infrastructure upgrades are necessary to keep up with the region's growth. “Now is the time for the region — with Metro in the lead — to begin talking about projects that make the most sense for making long-term investments," Sarles told The Post. …
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Metro riders won't see a break in weekend track work delays anytime soon, The Washington Examiner reports.
Intensive track work on the Metrorail system could last four more years, The Washington Examiner reports. Metro is working to complete an "extensive backlog" of work, said Metro General Manager Richard Sarles, according to the report. "In looking at the forecast of work we have to do to just get us back to where we were 10 years ago, it will take us about another four more years of that intense work," Sarles said Monday on the Kojo Nnamdi radio show on WAMU, The Examiner reported. The track work often leads to delays during off-peak periods as Metro single-tracks trains through work zones and occasionally closes stations on weekends. Read the full story at The Washington Examiner.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
The popular bus arrival time app has gone dark.
NextBusDC, a smartphone app that had been tracking the arrival times of Metro buses for users since 2009, has quit working, according to a Washington Post story. The app, which is the end product of a partnership between NextBus—a company that tracks transit system data, and AppTight, which makes the data user-friendly in an app format, stopped working on Dec. 20, according to the In The Capital website. In The Capital reported that a contractual relationship between the two companies “ceased,” with NextBus receiving only three days’ notice and AppTight no notice at all. AppTight’s Kelly Beener remarked that only the data feed to the DC app has stopped, and the San Francisco version continues to function. NextBus’ Ken Schmier told The …
Pachacutec
2:31 pm on Thursday, May 16, 2013
OK, Metro has to do their work, but really - who at Metro figured that closing the College Park station on the same weekend that commencement activities were due to take place was a good idea? I mean, it's not like this doesn't happen every year around the same time, right? Nobody at Metro - nobody? - said "hey, maybe we should check on this" before scheduling the work? Unbelievable. Or maybe … more ›