Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Three stations will be closed along the Green Line in Prince George's County the weekend of May 17-19, according to WMATA.
If you were hoping to avoid some of the traffic along Route 1 this weekend, when thousands of University of Maryland students and their families will be on campus for commencement, take note that three Metro stations will be closed along the Green Line. According to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, College Park metro station will be closed this weekend along with the Greenbelt and Prince George's Plaza stations while crews perform track upgrades—"including tie and insulator renewal, interlocking maintenance and work associated with construction of a new test track for 7000-series railcars." The stations will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday and will reopen Monday morning. However, if you must use metro to …
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 …
Monday, April 15, 2013
After explosions at Boston Marathon, WMATA takes extra security measures.
Metro Transit Police day shift officers are being held on duty until further notice, running extra security patrols of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority bus and rail systems through rush hour, according to WMATA's official Twitter account. The news comes in the wake of two explosions which occurred as runners were crossing the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Boston Police have told the Associated Press that there were three people killed and at least 22 injuries as a result of the explosion. For up to the minute information about the Boston Marathon explosions, check Back Bay Patch. WMATA has also taken to Twitter to remind commuters of the phone number for the Metro Transit Police, which is 202-962-2121. WMATA …
Friday, March 29, 2013
The work will cause a 10 minute delay between the Greenbelt and College Park stations.
Although no track work is scheduled for this weekend on the Green Line, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said that starting Sunday night there would be late night repairs that could affect some commuters in Prince George's County. According to WMATA's website, Metro riders should expect a 10-minute delay between the Greenbelt and College Park stations starting at 10 p.m. until closing every day Sunday, March 31 to Thursday, April 4. Tell Us: Does weekend track work affect your plans?
Monday, March 18, 2013
Although ridership dropped, a fare increase boosted revenues.
Although revenues increased for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in the last half of 2012, ridership dipped by 6 percent to below 100 million, according to transit authority statistics reported in the Washington Examiner. A revenue increase of about $15 million to $412.4 million, from July to December 2012, was attributed to a July 1, 2012 fare increase. While the uptick in revenue sounds good on the surface, Metro spokeswoman Caroline Lucas told the Examiner that “Metrorail revenue is still $20.2 million below budgeted expectations.” During the same July-to-December period, the first half of fiscal year 2013, Metro experienced another financial difficulty described in a report released on March 14 by the transit …
Friday, March 8, 2013
New Metrorail line will connect Largo with Reston when opened later this year.
The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority will be hosting three open houses across the DC region, including one in Prince George's County, next week to share information about Metrorail's soon-to-open Silver Line. When it opens later this year, the new Metro line will initially provide commuters with a transfer-free link between Largo Town Center Metro station and the new Wiehle Reston East Metro station in Reston Va. Phase 1 of the Silver Line using 11 miles of new track to reach up Virginia's Route 267 corridor, passing through Tysons Corner before reaching Reston. Eventually, the line will go all the way to Dulles Airport. Once completed, College Park residents will be able to make it to Dulles Airport, a trip which can take hours…
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Metro is aiming to give two hours advance warning should bus service be suspended.
Metro is operating on a normal weekday schedule Wednesday as the Washington region braces for a potentially major snowstorm. MetroAccess service and certain Metro commuter bus routes have been canceled. Metrorail customers are advised to plan extra time for their commute. “You may encounter minor delays due to snow and ice clearing efforts, as equipment that removes snow and ice from the third rail operates between regularly scheduled trains,” Wmata said in a statement. Some Metrobus routes may be detoured and bus service may be reduced or suspended as conditions deteriorate, according to Metro. Metro is aiming to notify Metrobus riders two hours in advance if service is suspended. Metro is advising checking your route online ahead of time…
Friday, February 22, 2013
Scheduled work was cancelled, so the Green Line will run normally.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced that the Green Line will not be single tracking this weekend, although it was initially scheduled for this weekend. "Service will operate at regular weekend intervals between Greenbelt and Branch Avenue," according to a metro alert. Plan your trip from the College Park Metro station on WMATA's website.
Monday, February 11, 2013
On Tuesday, Metro’s head of planning Shyam Kannan will answer questions about the transit system's 30-year growth plan.
Transit riders will get a chance to review Metro’s 30-year growth plan with Metro’s chief planner next Tuesday at a meeting of advocacy group Action Committee for Transit, the group said in a press release. The recently-released, $26 billion plan calls for running eight-car trains across the Metrorail system, upgrading bus service, adding new rail tunnels and pedestrian tunnels in downtown Washington, DC, and other changes. Metro general manager Richard Sarles told The Washington Post that the infrastructure upgrades are necessary to keep up with the region's growth. “Now is the time for the region — with Metro in the lead — to begin talking about projects that make the most sense for making long-term investments," Sarles told The Post. …
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Metro has awarded a $151.1 million contract to upgrade or replace 128 escalators in its system, The Washington Post reports.
Metro has awarded a $151.1 million contract to escalator company KONE Corp. to upgrade or replace 128 of its escalators, The Washington Post reports. Prince George's stations on the list for escalator improvements under the contract include College Park, Branch Avenue, Capitol Heights and Naylor Road Escalators that break down during busy rush periods have long been a source of frustration for Metro riders. In College Park, one escalators is slated to be replaced in 2014. Community leaders lauded the pending project following outcry about the escalators’ unreliability, Patch reported. According to The Post report, 88 escalator units will be complete by 2018, and the rest will be done in 2019 and 2020. Sarles told The Post the repairs would…
Pachacutec
2:31 pm on Thursday, May 16, 2013
OK, Metro has to do their work, but really - who at Metro figured that closing the College Park station on the same weekend that commencement activities were due to take place was a good idea? I mean, it's not like this doesn't happen every year around the same time, right? Nobody at Metro - nobody? - said "hey, maybe we should check on this" before scheduling the work? Unbelievable. Or maybe … more ›