Washington DC: Rail transit

[Cirrus]

[Busy Bee]

I have the strong opinion that by the time the streetcar gets up and going, they are going to wish they had gone with a lengthier mulit-artic triple bogie tram, like a Flexity or Citadis.
And honestly the more I see that Jesus fish paint scheme the more garish it gets.

[afiggatt]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

http://www.dcstreetcar.com/

37-mile city streetcar plan:

The red east-west line is the main one being worked on now (in addition to the thick portion of the purple one). The tan north-south one is next.

The map of the proposed 22 mile priority system is probably more appropriate for any potential schedule for the streetcar deployment at this point. I think given how much the DC Streetcar project has slipped, that the planners and managers are avoiding stating projected date for anything beyond the initial H Street segment until they have a budget and the engineering design decisions made for the next segments to be built.

As I understand it, the Mayor's proposed budget has funding to build the line from Georgetown to along the K St corridor to Union Station to Benning Road Metro station. The release of the study making the determination that extending the route to Benning Rd would generate the larger ridership completes the process of justifying choosing Benning Rd as the eastern end of the "One City Line".

The completion of Union Station to Georgetown Study is the critical step to making progress towards building the rest of the east-west line. If the city succeeds in building the line from Georgetown to Benning Road (with a dedicated ROW along K street) in the next 5 to 6 years, that will count as significant progress.

[cambron J]

Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project Pictures 04 07 2013

Third rail over the entire length of the branch has now been energized. The second segment was energized from the west end to Hunter Mill Road on 02 25 2013, the next segment from the east was energized from Old Chain Bridge Road to east end of the Greensboro station on 03 21 2013, the next segment this time from the west was energized from Hunter Mill Road to Trap Road on 03 29 2013, the last segment between Trap Road and the Greensboro station was energized 04 05 2013.

The first train to operate under third rail power began "Dynamic Testing" in the area of the junction on 02 27 2013. Dynamic Testing is now being done along the Dulles Access road west of VA-7 Leesburg Pike.

The restoration and seeding for the grass in the median of VA I-66 and VA-267 Dulles Connector Road is mostly complete.

The yard lead is now connected to track 20 in Falls Church Yard. The ties (concrete) and rail for the new storage tracks along with the tracks leading to the second shop building have been laid. The ballast tamper hasn’t been run over the new yard tracks yet. Third rail is at various stages of installation along the storage tracks.

The shop building has a ways to go, it has proceeded only as far as having basement / foundation walls done.

The structural work on the entrance pavilions at all of the stations is done, the sheet metal roofing on the entrance pavilions are at various stages of completion.

The finishing of the platforms are at various stages of completion. Pavers have been installed at the McLean, Tysons Corner and Wiehle-Reston East stations, the mud job for the pavers at the Greensboro is done.

The 2 vehicle bus bay along with most of the curb gutter and sidewalk work in front of the McLean station is done.

The realignment of eastbound VA-7 Leesburg Pike west of the Greensboro station entrance has been done. Preparation for the realignment of eastbound VA-7 Leesburg Pike adjacent to the Spring Hill station are at early stages of completion.

Bus bays are being installed on the shoulder of the eastbound off ramp from VA-267 Dulles Toll Road to Wiehle Avenue adjacent to the Wiehle-Reston East south entrance pavilion.

###

Captioned thumb nails along with the above and past essays can be view at cambronj.blogspot.com DCMP 04 07 2013.

Pictures with captions can be viewed at picasaweb.google.com/cambronjr DCMP 04 07 2013.

[202_Cyclist]

cambron J-- thank you for posting these excellent photos. Do you know when the Silver Line is expectted to begin service? I know later this year but do you have a more specific estimate? I already have the champagne on ice, ready for opening day.

[afiggatt]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

cambron J-- thank you for posting these excellent photos. Do you know when the Silver Line is expectted to begin service? I know later this year but do you have a more specific estimate? I already have the champagne on ice, ready for opening day.

The projected start date for revenue service on Phase 1 has been widely stated as December 2013 for some time. There are public meetings being held and considerable planning underway on revised bus routes to start the same day revenue service to Wiehle Ave begins. We will see if the December start date holds over the next 6 months. What day in December? I don't recall seeing a specific day in December published.

With the reports of live test runs, I made a small detour earlier this afternoon along the Access road and, voilà, saw a 2 car train headed westbound near Hunter Mill Rd under its own power. Moving along at maybe 10-15 mph. There was a second 2 car set parked west of the Wiehle Ave station. I was driving on the Dulles Access Rd so it was not a situation where I could take photos with my cell phone. But it is progress!

[cambron J]

202_Cyclist;6086716cambron J-- thank you for posting these excellent photos. Do you know when the Silver Line is expectted to begin service? I know later this year but do you have a more specific estimate? I already have the champagne on ice, ready for opening day.

The Project Implementation Schedule (3.89 MB PDF file) PDF page 62 states 12 04 2013. 12 04 2013 is on a Wednesday. WMATA typically opens new segments on Saturdays. The Saturday after the 4th is the 7th. WMATA will ultimately set the official opening date and announce said date roughly 3 months before opening.

[202_Cyclist]

Maryland seeks private-sector input on ways to finance and build Purple Line

By Katherine Shaver
Apr 12, 2013
Washington Post

"Maryland transportation officials are asking private companies to consider how they could help build — and, most importantly, help pay for — a light-rail Purple Line in the Washington suburbs.

If they move ahead with the ideas, it would be the first time the state has sought private investment for building a transit project. A 16-mile Purple Line to provide a direct transit link between Montgomery and Prince George’s counties has been studied for years, but state officials have yet to demonstrate how they would pay for it. The construction costs are estimated at $2.15 billion, and the projection has increased steadily in recent years.

The Maryland Transit Administration has issued a “request for information” to private companies for “best practices and innovative approaches” to finance and build the line between Bethesda and New Carrollton, via Silver Spring and College Park. The agency also is soliciting similar ideas for a proposed $2.57 billion light-rail Red Line in Baltimore..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...f35_story.html

[afiggatt]

Some DC Metro news.

The Metro has announced plans and released a short video for renovating the stations with a new glass and steel appearance (in some aspects anyway). The Bethesda station will be the demo station for the changes. Washington Post article on the announcement with video link. I agree that the stations need better lighting and wayfinding signs, but the glass and stainless steel look in place of the brown pillars, kiosks, low maintenance and durable concrete walls around the stairwells? That will be controversial.

On Wednesday, April 10, the Metro had the 4th busiest day in its history with 870,171 riders. It was due to the confluence of events: peak day for the Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin and along the southern part of the National Mall, home games for the Nationals and Wizards, and a large political rally near Capitol Hill. The Cherry trees in bloom can be spectacular, but boy can it get crowded around the Tidal basin area. The Smithsonian metro station must have been jammed.

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by afiggatt

Some DC Metro news.

On Wednesday, April 10, the Metro had the 4th busiest day in its history with 870,171 riders. It was due to the confluence of events: peak day for the Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin and along the southern part of the National Mall, home games for the Nationals and Wizards, and a large political rally near Capitol Hill. The Cherry trees in bloom can be spectacular, but boy can it get crowded around the Tidal basin area. The Smithsonian metro station must have been jammed.

I bet Capital Bikeshare also set a record this week, with all of the activities and nice weather. It seemed that everyone was riding one of those bikes on Monday and Tuesday.

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by afiggatt

Some DC Metro news.

The Metro has announced plans and released a short video for renovating the stations with a new glass and steel appearance (in some aspects anyway). The Bethesda station will be the demo station for the changes. Washington Post article on the announcement with video link. I agree that the stations need better lighting and wayfinding signs, but the glass and stainless steel look in place of the brown pillars, kiosks, low maintenance and durable concrete walls around the stairwells? That will be controversial.

One improvement I would like to see WMATA make is to post arrival times for the next trains outside of the stations. That would provide passengers with information to help them determine if they should walk to another station, take Capital Bikeshare or a bus if the headways are 15-20 minutes.

[jg6544]

I read the article in today's on-line Post. Hard to tell much from the drawings, but I think they should let the redesigns "season" for a couple of years before they redo all the stations. Steel and glass have a way of not looking as good after a couple of years as they did new. I haven't lived in DC for many years; haven't even visited. But I did live there when Metro opened and grew and I was always a fan of the station design, right down the subdued lighting.

Agree, they should post "next train" times outside all stations and inside them as well, as they do on BART.

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by jg6544

I read the article in today's on-line Post. Hard to tell much from the drawings, but I think they should let the redesigns "season" for a couple of years before they redo all the stations. Steel and glass have a way of not looking as good after a couple of years as they did new. I haven't lived in DC for many years; haven't even visited. But I did live there when Metro opened and grew and I was always a fan of the station design, right down the subdued lighting.

Agree, they should post "next train" times outside all stations and inside them as well, as they do on BART.

There are arrival time signs posted inside the station but by the time you walk down into the station, most passengers are already committed to the trip.

With the lighting, I think the dim lighting at some of the stations creates real public safety concerns.

Additionally, I don't know why there is so much concern about historical preservation issues with these improvements. As the article notes, many of the stations have new, more modern canopies and both the Dupont and Foggy Bottom stations recently got new escalators, with new and improved lighting (I think blue lighting for the Foggy Bottom station).

[ardecila]

The environment of the station caverns is the core piece of design for the entire system. The lighting is crucial to that experience.

Dimness should be alleviated by placing sconces and spotlights at key points where light is needed, not by lighting the whole place up like a movie set. They can put spotlights on the station signs, for example, or switch to a tasteful backlit sign. Also, several of the Post articles point out that a lot of the perceived dimness is because WMATA can't replace burned-out lightbulbs, especially in places with low ceilings like underneath mezzanines.

[afiggatt]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

There are arrival time signs posted inside the station but by the time you walk down into the station, most passengers are already committed to the trip.

With the lighting, I think the dim lighting at some of the stations creates real public safety concerns.

Additionally, I don't know why there is so much concern about historical preservation issues with these improvements. As the article notes, many of the stations have new, more modern canopies and both the Dupont and Foggy Bottom stations recently got new escalators, with new and improved lighting (I think blue lighting for the Foggy Bottom station).

They could place arrival time signs outside the entrances, but that could end up being a lot of signs if, to be complete, the signs have to be clearly visible at each entrance point. By each escalator entrance and each access elevator. Maybe multiple displays for visibility for people approaching the entrances from different directions. It could easily get out of hand and expensive.

Or WMATA could save money by providing the arrival time data over the internet and to smartphone apps, so people can provide their own display and check the projected times as they approach the station.

As for the proposed station design changes, adding a lot of stainless steel and glass around stairways and at the entrance space in place of the brown color scheme and the concrete barriers around the stairwells means a lot more surface area to clean (well, once so many X years) and maintain. Glass panels are going to get broken and have to be replaced. The current overall design of the Metro stations has held up remarkably well for the older stations because concrete is durable and low maintenance. The interior lighting needs to be improved or fixed and the wayfinding signs needs to be improved. But that can be done without embracing a stainless steel and glass upgrade just because that is supposed to be 21st century.

[afiggatt]

It was a busy week for rail transit plans and projects in the DC region. There was a public presentation on the possible alternative routes for the Union Station to Georgetown streetcar/BRT corridor. Greater Greater Washington discussed the proposed alternate routes and designs here.

The complete set of presentation documents is available on this Meeting Materials webpage.

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

I bet Capital Bikeshare also set a record this week, with all of the activities and nice weather. It seemed that everyone was riding one of those bikes on Monday and Tuesday.

Yep, Tuesday is the record-holder, with not quite 10,000 rides throughout the day:
http://dcist.com/2013/04/biggest_bikeshare_day_ever.php

Originally Posted by jg6544

But I did live there when Metro opened and grew and I was always a fan of the station design, right down the subdued lighting.

Inadequate cleaning has contributed to complaints about the stations being too dark. Cheaper lighting has raised our expectations of how brightly public places should be lit since the 1970s.

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

One improvement I would like to see WMATA make is to post arrival times for the next trains outside of the stations.

Mobility Lab has a small campaign to add displays at businesses around town showing a bunch of real-time transportation info -- bus, train, bike, perhaps even car-share or cabs. I think these could be even more useful than info at the station entrance.

[cambron J]

202_Cyclist

One improvement I would like to see WMATA make is to post arrival times for the next trains outside of the stations. That would provide passengers with information to help them determine if they should walk to another station, take Capital Bikeshare or a bus if the headways are 15-20 minutes.

The most basic cellphones can be used to fetch next train and bus information:
wmata.com/mobile
Then there is the new version:
wmata.com/mobile_new

[Foley Santamaria]

New ridership record set yesterday, over 11k riders, shredding the old record:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ecord/?hpid=z5

Can't wait until we hit 20k!

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by ardecila

The environment of the station caverns is the core piece of design for the entire system. The lighting is crucial to that experience.

Dimness should be alleviated by placing sconces and spotlights at key points where light is needed, not by lighting the whole place up like a movie set. They can put spotlights on the station signs, for example, or switch to a tasteful backlit sign. Also, several of the Post articles point out that a lot of the perceived dimness is because WMATA can't replace burned-out lightbulbs, especially in places with low ceilings like underneath mezzanines.

• Video Link

Alright; some of these changes aren't bad. The integrated wall with the ticketing, vending, and information is pretty slick, and the new kiosk makes sense if more turnstiles are added. I assume the new turnstiles will be the glass slider models that get used on other systems globally.

The new stairway to the platform is pretty good too, but they don't need to use a glass railing.

The new pylons make sense but completely destroy the simplicity of the originals. If they get replaced, it should be with something equally monolithic, not some helicopter-looking thing.

Finally, pendant lights... hell no.