Monday, May 20, 2013
The Maryland Transit Administration is considering a plan to end three of its five routes on the Intercounty Connector.
The Intercounty Connector could lose three of its existing five commuter bus routes by Aug. 1, 2013, according to The Washington Post. Based on low ridership numbers, the Maryland Transit Administration is considering axing three commuter bus routes, including: The article notes that initial supporters of the toll highway, which stretches for 18 miles between I-270/I-370 and I-95/US 1, hyped the highway's ability to provide bus transportation. Now, 60 percent of those bus routes, which provided peak-hour weekday service, could end in the coming months. The MTA has scheduled a number of public hearings in the first week of June: If you are unable to attend one of the meetings in person, the MTA will accept comments with a name and postal …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Metro's map is set to see big changes.
The Maryland Transit Authority has scheduled a series of open houses to update citizens on the status of the much-discussed Purple Line, the Washington Post reports. The Purple Line is a proposed light rail link between the Red, Orange and Green Lines of the Washington Metro. Once completed, it's set to 16 miles between Bethesda and New Carrollton. Among the areas of concern is how construction of the line will be funded. In order for Maryland to receive federal funding, the state must demonstrate that it can pay its half ($2.15 billion) of the cost. The state's gas tax and various public-private partnerships have been discussed as possible sources of funding, but no decisions have been made. Learn more about the current state of the …
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The page highlights meetings, events, maps, news articles, and general information about the project.
The Maryland Transit Administration has launched a Facebook page focused on the Purple Line, a planned 16-mile light rail connecting Prince George's and Montgomery counties with stops in College Park and Riverdale Park. The page, created by MTA’s community outreach staff, is designed to highlight meetings, events, maps, news articles, and general information about the project. Dubbed "Maryland Purple Line," the page had 129 "likes" as of Thursday morning. “Like” the page to get Purple Line updates in your Facebook news feed.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Purple Line may not open doors past 10 p.m. on UMd.’s campus
Metro's Purple Line may keep its doors closed after 10 p.m. at the three light rail stops proposed for University of Maryland’s campus, according to Vice President for Facilities Management Carlo Colella. The university has presented this option amid Purple Line negotiations with and Maryland Transit Administration in an effort to safeguard campus borders and check campus crime. Currently, security officials at the school close almost all entrances to UMD at 10 p.m., and check each driver who enters campus. “The campus has porous borders,” Colella said. “If someone intended to gain access with the Purple Line, we now have that risk.” But for many students, the trek to UMd. from proposed off-campus light-rail stops seems unnecessary. “…
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Church's driveway could be demolished if the proposed Purple Line is built.
Nestled along Campus Drive is University Baptist Church, a small parish complete with three white crosses that sit sentinel outside the more than 50-year-old building. But in the next few years, the tranquility of the 200-member church might be shattered by the rumblings of Purple Line construction, which project director Michael Madden says will go through UBC’s front U-shaped driveway. “We really didn’t have a choice,” Madden said, who added that in order for the Purple Line to make a clean turn into the University of Maryland, construction would have to side-swipe the property. The Purple Line will run from Bethesda to New Carrollton, and as part of its route, will cut into University of Maryland’s campus along Campus Drive. MTA …
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University Baptist Church
3515 Campus Drive, College Park, MD
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Critics say line will hurt; others disagree.
Nora Levy-Forsythe jogs the Bethesda segment of a 13-mile nature trail that links Georgetown to Silver Spring almost every day when home from college. But, as construction of the $1.93 billion Purple Line threatens to plow through several miles of the Capital Crescent Trail, Levy-Forsythe said she would give up this oasis of nature. And it’s not just the trail—19 acres of forest and more than 5,000 feet of streams may be demolished when the Purple Line is built, according to environmental impact documents the Maryland Transit Administration drafted in 2008. “I’m totally for more public transportation,” Levy-Forsythe said. “If it means less SUVs in this neighborhood, less big cars, less any cars really, I’m fine with it.” MTA officials …
Jay Friedman
10:27 am on Monday, May 20, 2013
Keeping the Gaithersburg to BWI route is certain not a surprise, given the popularity of the Greenbelt/BWI runs. Perhaps a better study of just who wants to go where along the road would yield new routes to serve. I wonder how many people would benefit from Gaithersburg to Wheaton. Instead of the long way around DC on the RED LINE on Metro, a more direct(and faster) route to Ga. Avenue, then … more ›