Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Limited rail, bus service returns Tuesday afternoon; full service expected by Wednesday.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced Tuesday morning it would restore rail and bus service at 2 p.m., with trains and buses operating on a Sunday schedule. WMATA said normal weekday service — including rush hour service — would be restored in time for Wednesday opening. Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess were suspended for all of Monday and Tuesday morning as the system braced for the effects of Hurricane Sandy. According to a release Tuesday morning, Metro plans to offer the following services: In the release, officials warned "residual effects of the storm are still possible. Customers traveling today should allow extra time. Buses may encounter detours due to downed trees, power lines or flooding. Customers …
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Metro will be closed Monday due to Hurricane Sandy. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority made the announcement on Sunday evening.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority issued the following news release Sunday: In light of updated forecast information from the National Weather Service projecting higher wind speeds, as well as the closure of Federal Government offices in the Washington area and the possibility of widespread commercial power outages, Metro has announced the following service changes for Monday, Oct. 29, 2012: Metro service will only be restored when it is safe to do so. Following the storm, Metro personnel will need to perform a comprehensive damage assessment, including inspections of track, bridges, aerial structures, stations and facilities. Service restoration also will be contingent on adequate commercial power to support operations …
Monday, September 17, 2012
Metro trying to incentivize commuters to jump from the Blue Line to the Yellow Line at certain stations.
Rush Plus service isn’t relieving crowding on some lines like Metro planned, so the transit system is going to start handing out free farecards worth $5 to some passengers on Monday, according to WTOP. When Rush Plus started in June, Metro reduced the number of Blue Line trains while increasing trains on other lines, including the Yellow Line. The result has created more overcrowding on the Blue Line because riders aren't making a switch to the Yellow Line. Riders on the Orange Line through Arlington and Falls Church told Patch this summer that they were largely satisfied with the changes. However, the Washington Post reported in the first week of Rush Plus that Blue Line riders seemed to be frustrated with overcrowding.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Extreme heat prompts transit authority to again make exemption to its no-drinking policy.
Thanks to the ongoing heat wave, Metro is again allowing passengers to carry and consume bottled water on trains, buses and access vehicles this afternoon through the close of the system Sunday night. The exception to the transit authority's no-drinking policy applies to water only, according to a Metro news release. This is the second time in as many weeks that extreme heat has caused Metro to allow bottled water into the system.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., calls on Metro board to remove ad.
A movie advertisement in the Clarendon Metro station telling President Barack Obama to "go to hell" has raised eyebrows in Northern Virginia. The ad, for a movie called "Sick & Sicker," which is critical of the president's health care reform initiative, states, "Barack Obama wants politicians and bureaucrats to control America's entire medical system." It adds: "Go to hell Barack." U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., called on the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority, or WMATA, to remove the ad. “This advertisement is inappropriate, disrespectful of the President, and should be removed immediately,” Moran stated in a news release. “The families with children and thousands of tourists who take Metro everyday should not be subjected to such …
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Police say they hid money under overpass, used it to buy lottery tickets.
Two Metro employees were arrested and charged Wednesday with stealing thousands of dollars from fare machines. According to the Washington Post, Metro employee Horace McDade and Metro Transit Police officer John Haile allegedly hid portions of collected fares under an overpass near the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Alexandria instead of bringing the money to a nearby collection facility. It was McDade’s job to collect money from the fare machines at various subway stations in the Washington, D.C. metro area and take it to the Alexandria collection facility. Haile typically oversaw the collections and made sure the money was delivered in a safe manner. But the employees made stops at the Alexandria overpass to hide some of the collected money…
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2700 Eisenhower Ave, Alexandria, VA
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
Fiscal year 2013 plan, presented to board of directors today, would also add 1,000 employees
The fiscal year 2013 budget Metro General Manager Richard Sarles will unveil Thursday morning proposes hiring more than 1,000 employees in a plan that also raises bus, rail and parking rates across the system. The $1.6 billion budget proposal, which will be presented to the board of directors today, would increase fares by 5 percent while expanding the system's total number of employees by 9 percent, according to the Washington Post. It's not clear how much those positions would cost the system, which faces a $116 million budget shortfall. According to the budget, the fare hikes are expected to make up much of that gap. Still, Sarles told the Post these changes would not help improve service, but rather, keep it running at its current …
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
An overview of this year's big transportation projects in the area.
With students back in school and others back to work after New Year's weekend, traffic this morning was... back to normal. This means many local residents and northern Virginia commuters can prepare themselves for another year of traffic and transportation programs. In addition to a recent Washington Post article that highlighted a variety of the substantial projects that will turn heads this year, Virginia state resources provide numerous sources to plan your travel. Here's what's coming up in 2012 on area roadways: Capital Beltway & Telegraph Road The Virginia Department of Transportation has to wait for warmer weather before it can complete and open new Beltway lanes near Telegraph Road as part of its Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project. …
Friday, December 30, 2011
There will be normal service this weekend but holiday hours Monday.
- HOLIDAY GUIDE
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Friday, December 30, 2011
Make sure you're aware of these Metro service hours for the New Year's holiday weekend: Friday, Dec. 30: Normal service with extra afternoon trains. Saturday, Dec. 31 (New Year's Eve): Normal hours, 7 a.m. until 3 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 1 (New Year's Day): Normal hours, 7 a.m. until midnight. Monday, Jan. 2 (New Year's Observed): Holiday service. Metrorail operates 7 a.m. until midnight; buses operate on Sunday schedule.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Board discusses several ways to close budget gap in 2012 as ridership decreases, costs grow
Though the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority raised Metro fares last summer, riders could see another increase as soon as this July in an effort to make up for lost revenue and rising costs. The Washington Post reports Metro needs to close a $124 million shortfall in fiscal year 2013, a combination of growing expenses — including overtime and health care costs — and fewer riders: while bus ridership is expected to increase, a 2 percent decrease in those that use the subway system will cost the system $3 million, according to the Post. The fiscal year begins July 1. The last rate adjustment occurred during the summer of 2010, introducing a controversial tiered system that charged more for "peak" and "peak of peak" rides during rush…
Jerry Sandors
1:38 pm on Monday, September 17, 2012
Julia, I sent in a suggestion to Metro to call the new service the "Light Blue" line but never heard anything back. more ›