Washington DC: Rail transit

[turigamot]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Only 22000? That's an amazingly low number.

Average weekday boardings hover around 750000, or roughly 375000 users. That means, even assuming that everyone living near a metro station uses the train to get to work, that only 6% of Metro ridership derives from Washingtonians who walk to a station.

In reality the number is probably quite a bit lower because the people who live near Metro stations don't all use the system.

For all the vaunted TOD that's occurred in the District, it's still a drop in the bucket of Metro ridership, which is a drop in the bucket of the DC area's population.

You are assuming that only one person lives in each of those households. There is also the fact that the number of people living within a 1/2 mile of a metro station, which is, in my mind, still within a reasonable walking distance, is several times that 22000 number.

[Kingofthehill]

Last night, I left NY Ave at roughly 11pm, taking a Shady Grove-bound Red Line train. Got to Dupont about 10 minutes later..waited on the Dupont platform for a whole ****ing hour. What on earth is wrong with the Metro?!?! No other city has a Metro system this terribly unreliable and damn-near unusable. If it isn't the never-ending single-tracking, it is stations being closed; fare increases; broken escalators; ridiculous, 15-20min headways at night; rude, ghetto staff and workers, etc. And don't dare think of using it on the weekend, lol. One thing after another.

If delays are necessary, and continue to persist, riders should, at minimum, be informed of such. Having people sit on a train for one hour straight, while saying a train will be arriving "momentarily" is both unprofessional and deceitful. I feel like what little faith and trust I had in Metro has been destroyed. Unfortunate.

‎"Code 34 means Central Control cannot see the trains. All trains are standing still until Central Control can see the trains. Sorry to have y'all waiting; we want to get home, too. Last night, we waited 30min on the platform.....thank you for riding Metro." This was in addition to single-tracking between Dupont and Friendship Heights. Get it together, Metro.

[202_Cyclist]

Kingofthehill:

Last night, I left NY Ave at roughly 11pm, taking a Shady Grove-bound Red Line train. Got to Dupont about 10 minutes later..waited on the Dupont platform for a whole ****ing hour. What on earth is wrong with the Metro?!?! No other city has a Metro system this terribly unreliable and damn-near unusable.

‎"Code 34 means Central Control cannot see the trains. All trains are standing still until Central Control can see the trains. Sorry to have y'all waiting; we want to get home, too. Last night, we waited 30min on the platform.....thank you for riding Metro." This was in addition to single-tracking between Dupont and Friendship Heights. Get it together, Metro.

Yesterday morning it took me an hour and fifteen minutes to commute to work via bus and metro, a distance of 5 1/2 miles. Yesterday evening, it took me an hour to run home from the gym (a 1/2 mile farther from work in the opposite direction) and this is will a one-mile hill on Massachusetts Avenue. I don't even pretend to be a fast runner either.

[Cirrus]

The delays late last night were due to a massive computer crash, as I understand it.

More holistically, these sorts of problems are the result of years of chronic under-funding, especially in regards to preventative maintenance.

[turigamot]

GGW has info on the problem last night.

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/...lete-blackout/

[202_Cyclist]

At least biking is still a great mode of transportation in DC.

District Ranks Highest in Nation for Investment in Biking and Walking, Report Shows

January 25, 2012

"(Washington, DC) A report issued this week by the Alliance for Biking & Walking gives the District of Columbia high marks for its commitment to bicycle and pedestrian programs. The report, Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2012 Benchmarking Report, ranks all 50 states and the 51 largest US cities on bicycling and walking levels, safety, funding, and other factors. The District topped the list of cities with the highest per-capita funding for cycle and pedestrian facilities and education. The report says DC spends approximately $9.82 per resident to promote biking and walking.

The Alliance also found that the District has the second-highest share of commuters who walk to work, trailing only Boston, and the 7th-highest share of commuters who bike to work. In addition, only New York City can boast a lower rate of car ownership. More than 35 percent of District households do not own a vehicle.

“I have made it clear I want the District of Columbia to be the most sustainable, walkable city in the nation," said Mayor Vincent C. Gray. "It’s great to see where we stand among our peers and that we are making real progress toward that goal.”

DC also scored well on safety. Among the major cities surveyed, the District has the 6th-lowest fatality rate for cyclists and pedestrians. The nation’s capital is considered the 4th-safest city to bike in and the 7th-safest for walking.

“The report shows our commitment to bike and pedestrian programs is paying off,” said DDOT Director Terry Bellamy. “It is easier and safer to bike and walk in the District today thanks to the investment we have made in bike lanes, bikesharing, pedestrian crossings, education and enforcement, and under Mayor Gray’s leadership we will continue to make improvements for our residents, many of whom don’t drive.”

The full Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2012 Benchmarking Report is available for download online.

For more information about DDOT’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Programs please visit ddot.dc.gov/BikesandPeds."

http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/About+DDO...,+Report+Shows

[202_Cyclist]

Capital Bikeshare program looks to spread into the Washington suburbs

By Ashley Halsey III
February 1, 2012
Washington Post

"The sturdy red bikes that arrived in the District and Arlington County as a curiosity and now blend into the urban landscape will swarm into suburbia this year.

By summertime, the bikes should be rolling through the streets of Rockville and Alexandria as the popular Capital Bikeshare program expands into several outer Washington communities. If grant applications come through, they might also appear in the inner-ring areas of Bethesda, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Friendship Heights and Forest Glen. The development of White Flint and Wheaton make those neighborhoods likely candidates as well. College Park, with thousands of students looking for cheap transportation, is also a tempting location. Greenbelt is in the mix, as are Frederick, Howard and Prince George’s counties.

A key reason the bike program has flourished in the District and Arlington has been the expansion of bike lanes and bike-related improvements to encourage cycling. As Bikeshare moves to areas outside the city, the same accommodations are important, said Shane Farthing, director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association..."

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

[202_Cyclist]

Metro’s Red Line riders can expect years of inconvenience


Image courtesy of the Washington Post

By Dana Hedgpeth
Published: February 2, 2012
Washington Post

"Red Line riders won’t get any relief soon.

That was the message from Metro officials Thursday as they warned that passengers on the system’s busiest line can expect years of inconvenience.

Metro also detailed a need to hire 877 more workers to fix and maintain the aging system and operate new service.

Even after new track circuits and switches are installed on the Red Line over the next three years — safety upgrades recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board — Metro officials said there will be a “steady stream of maintenance” that will involve shutdowns and single-tracking..."

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

[OhioGuy]

I have the worst timing when I relocate among cities. In 2004, I moved to Houston as they ramped up expansion of the Katy Freeway (I-10), which was the main highway in & out of the city from the far west side where I lived & worked. They finished the majority of construction shortly after I moved to Chicago. While in Chicago, the CTA had massive slow zones in the red line subway, and they were completely reconstructing all of the brown line stations. The red line subway slow zones were eventually eliminated in my final year in Chicago, while the brown line reconstruction finished up around the time I left. So in both Houston & Chicago, I never had the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the immense inconveniences I experienced. Basically I get the worst of it without being able to enjoy the end results. Now here I am in DC and once again I'm facing massive transportation inconveniences. It remains to be seen whether I'll still be living here in 2037 when Metro finally hopefully gets its shit together. :-/

[202_Cyclist]

Dulles Rail back on track, managers say

By: Liz Essley
02/02/12
Washington Examiner

"The first phase of the Dulles Rail project, which was six months behind schedule last August, is now just 11 days late and on target to be completed next year, officials said.


Image courtesy of the Washington Examiner.

That's because managers and contractors were able to accelerate work on some parts of the $2.8 billion project, said Pat Nowakowski, the project manager.

The Silver Line's massive concrete structures are rapidly advancing along Route 7 in Tysons Corner and beyond. The first phase of the line, which will extend from East Falls Church to Reston, is now expected to be completed by Aug. 15, 2013, and open for business in early 2014..."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/...rs-say/2164341

[202_Cyclist]

OhioGuy:

Basically I get the worst of it without being able to enjoy the end results. Now here I am in DC and once again I'm facing massive transportation inconveniences. It remains to be seen whether I'll still be living here in 2037 when Metro finally hopefully gets its shit together. :-/

At least biking has never been better in the District. Except for the days in the summer when it's 95 or 100 degrees, biking is the most civilized way to get around in DC.

[202_Cyclist]

D.C. trolley car barn angers Kingman Park residents

By Chris L. Jenkins
Washington Post
2/6/12

"Like many of her neighbors in the Kingman Park community of Ward 7, Beverly Mullins is looking forward to the day when trolleys start rolling up and down Benning Road. But she’s not happy about where the street cars might be parked overnight: just across Benning near her home.

Mullins is one of hundreds of Kingman Park residents organizing to stop a city proposal that calls for a trolley car barn near the eastern terminus of the H Street/Benning Road line. The 14,000-square-foot facility would sit on a grassy swath of Spingarn High School’s grounds and house several trolley cars at night, according to the proposal.An additional dozen or so cars might park on the grounds as the system adds more trolleys. The facility also would be an operations base and maintenance facility where workers would be trained to fix the street cars.

Residents said they are concerned that the $13 million car barn will create a noise nuisance, disturbing their quiet community of single family homes. Furthermore, residents point out that the proposed barn would sit among three local landmarks: Spingarn, Langston Golf Course and Langston Terrace Dwellings, the first public housing project in Washington..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...3kuQ_blog.html

[OhioGuy]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

OhioGuy:


At least biking has never been better in the District. Except for the days in the summer when it's 95 or 100 degrees, biking is the most civilized way to get around in DC.

The heat index generally seems to be that high throughout July and much of June & August.

[mfastx]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

D.C. trolley car barn angers Kingman Park residents

......

Wow you have got to be kidding me. Classic NIMBYism.

[ardecila]

Eh... It makes no sense to take away green space when the world's biggest parking lot is across the street at RFK. Planners could site it beneath the Metro viaduct near the river and away from residential properties.

It's not NIMBYism if they're calling out DDOT for a legitimately boneheaded decision.

[RCDC]

^Yes. When I first saw the proposed location I was like wtf, that asphalt wasteland across the street would be perfect, afaik it's DC owned. Agreed it's not NIMBYism, the planned location is just thoughtless. Cripes, don't just dump it in the "cheapest" location.

[mfastx]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Eh... It makes no sense to take away green space when the world's biggest parking lot is across the street at RFK. Planners could site it beneath the Metro viaduct near the river and away from residential properties.

It's not NIMBYism if they're calling out DDOT for a legitimately boneheaded decision.

Well if the parking lot is right accross the street, wouldn't the residents complain about noise if it's in that location as well? I don't understand how it would all of the sudden make no noise right accross the street.

Originally Posted by RCDC

^Yes. When I first saw the proposed location I was like wtf, that asphalt wasteland across the street would be perfect, afaik it's DC owned. Agreed it's not NIMBYism, the planned location is just thoughtless. Cripes, don't just dump it in the "cheapest" location.

They are trying to save money I assume. The residents are just complaining like this to delay the project and to raise the costs.

[RCDC]

mfastx, to save you from further opining based on supposition and what you imagine the area looks like, as best I can tell this is where it's planned to go, and where it could go:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

It's an industrial use and would be a sore-spot in a residential area.
If this were worked out at the beginning the concerns could have been addressed then.

[aquablue]

Hey, I heard that the new Dulles rail link will be useless for DC due to time. How long will it take to get to Dulles from DC on the new metro link?

If it's over one hour, all I can say is --- idiotic shortsighted planning will come back to haunt you, my dear Washington Area.

I really hate this crap. How hard is it to put in some bypass tracks at stations so we could have express service like any proper civilized country?

So the Dulles rail line is going to be for Tysons and Reston basically? Pathetic. God, I really hate this sprawl-ville. DC is almost left out of the equation. Dulles is supposed to WASHINGTON's INTL. airport, remember? Not just Virginia's.

[OhioGuy]

I believe it's estimated to take approximately 50 minutes from Dulles to Metro Center.

For comparison,

It's approximately 40-45 minutes from O'Hare to Washington & State in downtown Chicago via the Blue Line.

It's approximately 40-42 minutes from Newark Airport Rail Station to Times Square, New York via New Jersey Transit & the subway (not counting the time it takes to use AirTrain from the airport to the train station).

It's approximately 32 minutes from the SFO BART station to the Embarcadero station in downtown San Francisco.

It's approximately 50 minutes via Link Light rail from SeaTac airport to Westlake in downtown Seattle.

Even though it'll take a while to get there, I'll still be happy to have the train. Having a one seat ride there still rates above taking Metro to West Falls Church and switching to the Washington Flyer bus.