Metro

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Examiner: It’s All Zimmerman’s Fault— In an editorial, the Washington Examiner encourages drivers stuck on I-66 to “call or tweet Arlington Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman” to complain, since “he’s one of the most vocal opponents of widening I-66 inside the Beltway.” Regarding local opposition to adding a third lane to I-66, the paper concludes: “This whole scenario is beyond short-sighted and incompetent. This is insane.” [Washington Examiner]

Flat Fare Could Cost Arlington Metro Riders — Arlington transit riders take, on average, the shortest trips of any local residents on the Metrorail system. As a result, county officials warn that Arlington riders will pay more if Metro ever switches to a flat fare system — as has been proposed as a way to simplify the agency’s fare system. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington’s First Female K-9 — The Arlington County Police Department recently received its first female police dog. Roxy, a Belgian Malinois, graduated from an intense, 15-week K-9 patrol school in June. Roxy and handler Cpl. Thorpe Lichtenberg are one of Arlington’s nine K-9 teams. [Examiner]

Exchange Students Arrive — Arlington fifth graders will be waiting at the airport today to greet 44 sixth graders from Aachen, Germany, as they arrive with their parents for “a whirlwind week in the D.C. area.” The German students will stay with the families of fifth graders who attend Nottingham, Tuckahoe and Arlington Traditional elementary schools. In addition to attending classes, they will visit memorials and museums, go on hikes and attend sporting events. Aachen is Arlington’s sister city, and the exchange is being organized by the Arlington Sister Cities Association.

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Merrick Mailer Goes Negative — Republican state Senate candidate Caren Merrick is railing against mudslinging by her Democratic opponent, Barbara Favola, by sending out a mailer that does some major mudslinging of her own. “Barbara Favola: Too extreme to represent us,” the mailer says, before listing a litany of negatives about Favola’s record on the Arlington County Board. “Apparently, she will do anything to get elected in her quest for power,” the mailer also says, before declaring: “On November 8th, vote to reject [Favola’s] mud slinging politics.” [Blue Virginia]

Man Struck By Train Dies — Updated at 11:50 a.m. — The 39-year-old McLean man who was struck by an Orange Line train in an apparent suicide attempt at the Clarendon Metro station last week has died. Earlier, Metro said the man had been in critical condition the Intensive Care Unit of a local hospital with head injuries and broken bones. It took rescuers about an hour to free the man from underneath the train on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The disruption on the Orange Line caused major delays for thousands of evening rush hour commuters. [Washington Examiner]

Boeing HQ Fight Comes Before the Board — Will the County Board approve a plan to build a sprawling new six-story headquarters for Boeing just north of Crystal City. Or will it take the unanimous opinion of the county’s Planning Commission and reject the project because of a lack of community “benefits?” The board will take up the matter at its meeting this evening. [Sun Gazette]

Flickr pool photo by Webaroo

Blue Line Changes Will Relieve ‘Orange Crush’

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 1:05 p.m.) Changes approved by a Metro committee yesterday will provide some much-needed relief to the “Orange Crush” — the overcrowding of passengers on the Orange Line around rush hour.

Starting mid-2012, six additional Orange Line trains will be put in service each peak hour, three in each direction. Those trains will run from West Falls Church to Largo Town Center, which is normally a Blue Line station. To allow that to happen — the Orange Line tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom operates at capacity during peak hours — six Blue Line trains will be diverted over the Yellow Line Bridge.

Those “former Blue Line trains” will operate between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt, a Green Line station. The trains — three in each direction during peak hours — will be identified as Yellow Line trains.

The so-called “Blue Line split” will serve to relieve passenger congestion between Rosslyn and Courthouse, identified as the most crowded section of the entire Metro system. It will also free up some capacity for the future Silver Line to Tysons Corner and Dulles Airport.

From a Metro press release:

During peak periods, more than 46,000 Orange Line customers will benefit from six additional trains per hour — three in each direction — resulting in 18 percent more capacity on the line, or approximately 2,600 seats per hour. The new trains will operate between West Falls Church and Largo Town Center.

The Orange Line is Metro’s second busiest, carrying approximately 180,000 passenger trips on a typical weekday. In a phenomenon known as Orange Crush, peak trains on the Orange Line between Courthouse and Rosslyn carry more passengers per car than anywhere else on the system.

During peak periods, the tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom is at capacity, with 26 trains per hour in each direction. The additional “slots” in the schedule will be made possible by routing three Blue Line trains in each direction over the Yellow Line bridge each peak hour. Trains following this service pattern will travel between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt and will be considered Yellow Line trains.

For 33,500 Blue and Yellow Line customers in Virginia, the realignment will mean more trains providing faster access to downtown via the Yellow Line bridge. A smaller number (about 16,000) weekday peak-period customers who travel on Blue Line trains via Arlington Cemetery will experience a maximum of six-minutes additional waiting time for a train.

In addition, stations on the northern segments of the Green/Yellow lines will see additional trains during weekday peak periods. Stations from Shaw-Howard to Greenbelt will benefit from six additional Yellow Line trains each peak hour — three in each direction — between Greenbelt and Franconia-Springfield. For the first time, a customer can travel from Greenbelt to Franconia-Springfield without transferring. More than 28,000 customers will benefit from the change.

Members of the Metro board gave the plan “preliminary approval” at a meeting yesterday. They also approved a new Metro system map (above). The service changes are expected to take effect in June.

Morning Poll: ‘Peak of the Peak’ Metrorail Fee

By ARLnow.com

Metro’s ‘Peak of the Peak’ fare surcharge is “highly unpopular among riders” — according to Metro.

The $0.20 fee applies to Metrorail trips on non-holiday weekdays between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m., and between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. The ‘POP’ charge is meant to generate more revenue for Metro at those time when rail service is the busiest.

But a presentation released by WMATA yesterday morning suggests the transit agency is thinking about eliminating the surcharge as part of an overall effort to simplify its fare structure.

If you’re a Metrorail rider, how do you feel about the Peak of the Peak surcharge? Have you ever tried to adjust your schedule to avoid the fee?

Sunday Road Closures for Army Ten-Miler

By Katie Pyzyk

You may have to alter Sunday morning driving plans if you plan to travel on some major roads near the Pentagon.

Tens of thousands of runners will be hitting the streets for the 27th Annual Army Ten-Miler race.

The race begins at 8 a.m. on Route 110 and ends in the Pentagon South Parking Lot, but some roads will be shut down as early as 5 a.m.  They should all be reopened by noon.

The road closures and times:

5 a.m. to 3 p.m.:

  • There will be no access to Pentagon North Parking, Boundary Channel Drive, or the eastern portion of Pentagon South Parking (Pentagon employees will be able to access South Parking via Columbia Pike or South Fern Street).

5 a.m. to 12 p.m.:

  • Route 110 (northbound and southbound) will be closed from Rosslyn to Crystal City.  The George Washington Parkway will remain open.

7 a.m. to 10 a.m.:

  • Access to Memorial Drive and the Memorial Bridge from Washington Boulevard (Route 27) will be closed.

7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

  •  I-395 HOV lanes will close and open on a rolling schedule from the Eads Street ramp to DC

Parking is limited, so runners, spectators and support personnel are encouraged to use Metro. The Pentagon and Pentagon City stations on the Blue and Yellow Lines are located within walking distance of the start and finish lines. Metro will open early, at 6 a.m.

Photo via armytenmiler.com

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Musical Moves to New Theater — The Arlington Players are moving next month’s production of Nine to the Kenmore Middle School auditorium. Earthquake damage was discovered earlier this month at the musical’s original venue, the Thomas Jefferson Community Theater. [Sun Gazette]

Roosevelt Island Access From D.C.? — Greater Greater Washington argues that ferry service or bridge should be established/built from the Georgetown waterfront to Roosevelt Island. Why? “Roosevelt Island is in the District of Columbia, yet DC residents have to travel through Virginia via or along a highway to get to this fantastic and wild resource.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Metro Cell Phone Upgrades Behind Schedule — Metro is well behind schedule in providing cell phone service to all 47 of its underground rail stations. The agency had promised to add service to the 27 stations currently without cell phone infrastructure by last fall, but now says it’s not sure when the cell phone companies will complete the work necessary to provide the service. [Washington Examiner]

Metro Plans Major Track Work This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

If you’re staying in town for the long weekend, be sure to bring some patience when riding Metro. Major track work starts tonight on the Orange Line.

Trains will not run between East Falls Church and West Falls Church while crews work on the Dulles rail extension project. Passengers will be able to use free shuttle buses between the two stations. Buses will run from tonight at 8 p.m. through closing on Monday.

The last train from Vienna will also depart 20 minutes earlier than usual–at 2:08 a.m. tonight and tomorrow night, and 11:08 p.m. on Sunday.

Riders who travel through the work zones should expect to add about 30 minutes to travel times until normal service resumes on Tuesday.

The Blue Line will also be undergoing major construction.  Click here to see the full list of Metro changes this weekend.

Metro Prepares for Hurricane Irene

By ARLnow.com

Metro is preparing for the flooding and wind damage that may accompany the weekend arrival of Hurricane Irene.

The agency says it is calling in additional support personnel, who will be “on duty throughout the weekend to respond to any situations that may arise.”

WMATA is supplying chain saws to Metro drivers, “for use in the event of downed trees.” Metrobuses and MetroAccess vehicles may be detoured around fallen trees and flooded areas, as necessary. Metro is also checking all drainage pumps and clearing out debris from drainage areas near Metro stations.

“Supervisors will monitor critical locations, such as bus garages, parking garages, and flood-prone areas throughout the weekend,” Metro said in a press release.

Metro has placed more than 2,000 sandbags around the escalators of Metrorail stations that have a history of flooding, including the Foggy Bottom and King Street stations. None of the listed stations are in Arlington.

“We’re putting all of our resources in place to address any issues that arise out of the extreme weather conditions this weekend,” said Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles. “We will be updating our customers through our website, Twitter, email alerts and the media.”

See our earlier post on Arlington County’s hurricane preparations here.

Flooding Splits Blue/Yellow Line at Potomac Yard

By ARLnow.com

Update at 9:40 a.m. — Normal service has been restored between Braddock Road and Reagan National Airport. That will likely result in a couple of crowded trains running through Arlington stations, as residual crowds of stranded riders at Braddock Road clear out.

Thanks to flooding near Potomac Yard, the Blue and Yellow Lines have been split in two between Braddock Road and Reagan National Airport this morning.

But while riders were treated to disaster movie-like scenes at the Braddock Road Metro station, where a crush of humanity lined up for shuttle buses to Reagan National, Yellow and Blue Line riders in Arlington said the morning commute was pretty average.

“Pentagon City crowded but not terrible,” Twitter user @smmccue told us. “No trains listed on arrivals board.”

“Not too bad. Slightly crowded, but nothing out of the ordinary,” said @nemesisgal. “Yellow Line train seemed a bit empty, but I just thought it was the August Effect.”

WMATA says it is pumping water in the flooded area.

“Service will be restored as quickly and safely as possible,” the transit agency said.

Metro Seeks Input on Proposed Weekend Rail Cuts

By ARLnow.com

WMATA will hold a public hearing on proposed service cuts at the Arlington County Board Room (2100 Clarendon Blvd) on Wednesday.

In addition to cuts to several bus lines in Maryland and the District, WMATA is proposing scaling back weekend rail service.

Train “headways” would increase from 12 minutes to 18 minutes until 9:30 p.m. on Saturdays. On Sundays, headways will increase from 15 minutes to 20 minutes before 9:30 p.m. After 9:30 p.m. on both days, you’ll have to wait 25 minutes between trains.

The meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow with an “open house,” followed by a “town hall meeting” at 6:00 p.m. and a public hearing at 6:45 p.m. The meeting is one of six being held around the region this week.

Small Fire Reported on Metro Tracks

By ARLnow.com

Update at 10:25 a.m. — “A couple of trains were delayed but continued to move through the area,” says Metro spokesman Ron Holzer.

Update at 9:30 a.m. — The fire is reported to be out. Expect some traffic issues on westbound I-66 due to parked fire equipment. Initial reports suggest that trains may have been halted in the area. Metro is said to be checking whether the fire may have damaged the third rail.

Update at 9:25 a.m. — The fire is said to be on a railroad tie. No word yet on whether this will affect trains along the Orange Line.

A small fire has been reported on or near the Metro tracks along I-66, between Glebe Road and East Falls Church.

Arlington firefighters are responding to the area.

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