Friday, April 19, 2013
Work will impact riders on every line starting at 10 p.m. Friday and continuing through system closing Sunday night.
The four-week reprieve from Metro's weekend track work is over: Metro will perform system rebuilding work on every line in the system for the weekend of April 19-21. The track work will result in service changes on all lines beginning at 10 p.m. Friday. According to a Metro news release: Red Line - 10 p.m. Fri., April 19 through closing Sun., April 21 Orange Line - 10 p.m. Fri., April 19 through closing Sun., April 21 Blue & Yellow Lines - 10 p.m. Fri., April 19 through closing Sun., April 21 Green Line - 10 p.m. Fri., April 19 through closing Sun., April 21 MAP: Click on your nearest station on the map to see when the next train arrives and to learn about any alerts.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Rodrigo Bitar was Metro's first general superintendent for elevator and escalator programs.
Rodrigo Bitar, Metro’s first general superintendent for elevator and escalator programs, is taking over the agency’s track and engineering services unit, according to The Washington Post. Bitar joined Metro’s quality assurance group in 2008 and worked on the 2000, 3000 and 5000 series railcars, which the Post reports experienced problems with brake pads falling off of them. The Delphi Automotive and General Motors veteran was promoted to the escalator post in December 2010, shortly after an incident that injured four passengers when an escalator at L’Enfant Plaza Station sped up to dangerous levels, according to The Post. Metrorail has a total of 588 escalators—more than any transit system in North America. As of July 2011, more than 100 …
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
A confluence of sporting events, the cherry blossom peak bloom and a rally on Capitol Hill will make for crowded stations and trains.
Metro advises customers to expect crowded stations and cars during the afternoon and evening rush hours as several large events overlap with Wednesday's rush hour. A Metro advisory lists the following events that may impact travel Wednesday: The transit agency advises riders to make sure their SmarTrip cards or fare cards are purchased and loaded prior to rush hour to avoid lines. Metro will be operating additional eight-car trains in the afternoon to accommodate crowds attending the rally and will also run extra trains on the Green line to get fans to the Washington Nationals game. Additionally, Metro suggests customers avoid the following stations, if possible: • Capitol South (consider Eastern Market or Federal Center SW as alternates…
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Metro says system-wide capability not possible until 2015, but the Congressional deadline is Sept. 30 of this year.
Metro got a break this week on its Congressional deadline to install cellphone service system-wide; a continuing resolution pushed the due date from March 30 to Sept. 30, The Washington Examiner reports. But don't get your hopes up, Metro has said system-wide service will not happen until December 2015. Among other requirements to continue receiving $150 million in federal funding each year, Metro is supposed to offer cell phone service throughout the transit system. Metro's 20 busiest stations were wired for internet service in 2009, but many tunnels between stations and many stations still do not have cell phone or internet service capabilities. Currently AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless have mixed levels of service throughout…
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Traffic information for Northern Virginia commuters, including traffic jams, delays, Metro, ART, DASH, Fairfax Connector and more. Click on the grey tabs below for more information.
Problems on your commute today? Tell other readers about it in the comment section below. Updated traffic information: Delayed Metro trains, buses and cars sitting in endless traffic on I-66 and the Beltway—even a 10-minute commute in the DC metro area can be extreme some days. In fact, a March 2013 report from the Census Bureau shows people in the DC metro area have the second-worst commute in the country. That report came on the heels of a Texas Transportation Institute report in February that DC area commuters face the worst traffic in the country. Patch is here to help! Click on any of the grey tabs above to expand it and get more information about congestion, delays or other traffic alerts. On the Metro rail map, click on any …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Metro has cancelled track work in order to prepare for Wednesday morning's commute.
Metro announced Tuesday afternoon that all previously announced evening track work for Tuesday evening has been canceled. The cancellation will allow personnel to focus on clearing snow from tracks, platforms, parking lots and walkways in preparation for Wednesday morning's opening, according to a release sent by Metro. Metro has snow-related service information available on its website at wmata.com/snow. There, customers can find information and maps showing pre-planned Metrobus route adjustments that may be necessary tomorrow due to road conditions. Metro urges customers to sign up for MetroAlerts email and text messages for up-to-the-minute information about weather-related service changes on Metrobus or Metrorail. To sign up, visit …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Current escalator upgrades and maintenance, and future expansion plans for Metrorail could both be scaled back with sequestration.
If Congress doesn’t stop sequestration by Friday’s deadline, Metrorail users could be walking up and down more broken escalators. Sequestration—billions in automatic spending cuts set to start Friday—will hit the DC Metro area hard, with thousands of federal and government contracting employees bracing for furloughs as their agencies and companies look for ways to cut spending. Federal employees account for 40 percent of Metro’s ridership, WTOP reported, and passenger fares make up about 58 percent of Metro’s funding. Last week, James C. Dinegar, CAE, president & CEO of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, and Karen Young, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Board of Directors, co-signed a letter to Congress …
Friday, February 22, 2013
Work will impact riders on the Orange and Red lines this weekend.
Taking the Metro to get around this weekend? Here’s what to expect. Lucky riders on the Blue, Yellow and Green lines can expect normal weekend schedules. According to a Metro news release: Orange Line Red Line Subscribe to Greater Alexandria Patch for Metro news and updates.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Metro will operate on a Saturday schedule on Monday because of the Presidents' Day holiday.
Metro riders Monday should anticipate trains running on a Saturday schedule and buses running on a "Saturday Supplemental" schedule because of the Presidents' Day holiday. Metrorail Schedule The system will open at 5 a.m. and close at midnight. Orange Line: Blue Line Red Line: Green Line: Yellow Line: Metrobus Schedule According to a Metro news release, "Metrobus service will operate on a "Saturday Supplemental" schedule; customers should check timetables for details."
Friday, February 15, 2013
A look at what you need to know about Metro this long weekend.
Planning on catching the Metro to get around this Presidents Day weekend? Here’s what to expect. There will be no work on the Yellow Line this weekend. Monday, Presidents' Day, Metro will operate on a Saturday schedule. According to a Metro news release: On Presidents' Day, Monday, February 18, Metrorail service will operate on a . The system will open at 5 a.m. and close at midnight. Metrobus service will operate on a "Saturday Supplemental" schedule; customers should check timetables for details. Orange Line Blue Line Red Line Green Line
MSandyDogg
1:37 pm on Friday, April 19, 2013
There have been HUGE improvements in the Metro elevator situation since 2008 -- e.g., the projects to replace and cover them after the realization that the elevator's exposure to the outside elements caused their frequent breakdowns more ›