Friday, May 17, 2013
Work will impact riders on the Red, Orange and Green lines starting at 10 p.m. Friday and continuing through system closing Sunday night.
Traveling on Metro this weekend? Stay informed about delays. Metro will perform system rebuilding work on all but one line in the system for the weekend of May 17-19. This weekend's rebuilding work will result in service changes on the Red, Orange and Green lines. Blue or Yellow lines riders can breathe easy, there is no scheduled track work on either line this weekend. MAP: Click on your nearest station on the map to see when the next train arrives and to learn about any alerts. Weekend track work will result in service changes on three lines beginning at 10 p.m. Friday. According to a Metro news release: Red Line - 10 p.m. Fri., May 17 through closing Sun., May 19 Orange Line - 10 p.m. Fri., May 17 through closing Sun., May 19 Green Line…
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Tuesday's Metrorail fire caused commuters to sound off on Twitter.
Metro troubles reared their ugly head again on Tuesday as a track fire on the Red Line in Silver Spring caused significant delays during evening rush hour. Commuters took to Twitter to share their woes. @MROBart of Washington, DC was happy to have Twitter as a communication channel: "thank u #twitterverse for keeping us folks on the redline informed about the #silver spring FIRE when @wmata has failed to do so!" @wisemetis of Silver Spring had her evening plans impacted: "Red line train on fire at Silver Spring. Guesd I'm missing knit night tonight." @jonathanbtucker of DC might have come up with a new pick-up line: ""Baby, you look like the Red Line.... on fire!" -- no really tho, there's a fire on the DC metro Red Line near Silver Spring…
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
New information released about investigation into the fire beneath a Red Line rail car Tuesday evening at the Silver Spring Metro station.
Metro investigators said Wednesday that they do not yet know the root cause of the fire that led to the evacuation of the Silver Spring Metro station Tuesday evening, but that they have ruled out the track conditions and are focusing instead on the Red Line rail car involved. Metro said it reported the fire under the rail car shortly after 6 p.m. Smoke billowed over downtown Silver Spring, but no one was injured, and firefighters brought it under control quickly. According to Metro, the rail car is a 1000-series car that is the oldest type in the fleet and scheduled for retirement with the arrival of the new 7000-series rail cars next year. Investigators "are looking at the way the electrical arc-flashing occurred beneath the car, which …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Silver Line appears on new map, but when might the Purple Line appear?
The Maryland Transit Authority has scheduled a series of five open houses to update citizens on the status of the much-discussed Purple Line, according to a Washington Post story. The Purple Line is a proposed light rail extension of the current Metro system and would run for 16 miles between Bethesda and New Carrollton, and connect with the existing Red, Orange and Green Lines. Among issues that have been discussed is how the line’s construction would be funded. A February Post article stated that for Maryland to receive federal funding, the state must demonstrate that it can pay its half ($2.15 billion) of the costs. The gas tax and public-private partnerships have been talked about as possible sources of funding, but no decisions have …
Friday, May 10, 2013
Work will impact riders on the Red, Orange, Blue and Yellow lines starting at 10 p.m. Friday and continuing through system closing Sunday night.
Metro will perform system rebuilding work on all but one line in the system for the weekend of May 10-12. This weekend's rebuilding work will result in service changes on the Red, Orange, Blue and Yellow lines. Green Line trains will operate normally between Greenbelt and Branch Avenue. Additionally, Metrorail will open at 5 a.m. Sunday, two hours early, to accommodate the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. According to Metro, race participants traveling to the start line should use the following stations: • Metro Center (Red/Blue/Orange lines) • Federal Triangle (Blue/Orange lines) • Smithsonian (Blue/Orange lines) MAP: Click on your nearest station on the map to see when the next train arrives and to learn about any alerts. …
Friday, May 3, 2013
Work will impact riders on the Red, Green, Blue and Orange lines starting at 10 p.m. Friday and continuing through system closing Sunday night.
These five Red Line stations will be closed for the weekend of May 3-5 as Metro does track work: Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma. This weekend's rebuilding work will also result in service changes on the Red, Orange, Blue and Green lines, beginning at 10 p.m. Friday. Four stations on the Green Line will be closed (see below for details). Yellow Line trains will operate normally between Huntington and Fort Totten. MAP: Click on your nearest station on the map to see when the next train arrives and to learn about any alerts. According to a Metro news release: Red Line - 10 p.m. Fri., May 3 through closing Sun., May 5 Orange Line - 10 p.m. Fri., May 3 through closing Sun., May 5 Blue Line - 10 p.m. Fri., May 3 through…
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Metrorail to go to OT if Caps do.
Metrorail, which has a station near Verizon Center (Gallery Place/Chinatown), will stay open an hour later if any Washington Capitals hockey playoff games run late or go into overtime, according to The Washington Post. The Capitals open their quest for the Stanley Cup against the New York Rangers on at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Last year, Game 3 of the Capitals’ playoff series against the Rangers went to triple overtime, ending well after midnight—when Metro typically closes on weekdays. The Post reports that an announcement will be made inside the Verizon Center by 11 p.m. Metro riders will be able to exit the transit system at any station, but will only be able to enter at Gallery Place (all entrances), Judiciary Square (only on F Street) and …
Council members: Post article was the first they heard of Metro's decision not to operate the center.
A communication breakdown over the Silver Spring Transit Center led to harsh words for Montgomery County officials by County Council members Wednesday. Of particular concern to council members was a letter the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority sent to the executive branch on April 12, stating the transit agency would not operate and maintain the transit center. (See the attached PDF for the full text of the letter.) Council members said they did not know of the letter before it was reported in The Washington Post on April 25. They demanded to know why the executive branch had not immediately shared the letter with the council. The executive branch intended to share the letter with the council, but wanted to first sort out the …
Friday, April 26, 2013
The Washington Post reports that Metro has told Montgomery County it will not operate the Silver Spring Transit Center because maintenance will be too costly.
Metro was supposed to be the one operating the Silver Spring Transit Center when it opened, as part of its regional transit system. But now it's backing away from the deal, citing the "magnitude and severity" of the problems and delays associated with the transit complex, The Washington Post reported Thursday. Montgomery County officials are not taking this move as a final decision by Metro, but rather as an opening round in negotiations, the Post reported. Read more at The Washington Post. The transit center was scheduled to finally open this summer after years of delays, but when inspectors found cracks in the facility's foundation that led to an independent review of the $120 million structure, it was deemed unsafe and unusable without …
Friday, March 22, 2013
Taking the Red Line from Takoma? Weekend track work will take a hiatus.
Metro takes a break from its rigorous weekend track work schedule during the cherry blossom season, according to a statement on Metro's website. The break occurs on four consecutive weekends: March 23-24, March 30-31, Apr. 6-7, and Apr. 13-14. "The only planned weekend work during that time will take place late Sunday evenings, when ridership is light," Metro reported. "While the work we do almost every weekend is necessary to get the system back to a steady state of safety and reliability, we are in a position where we can take a short break to let everyone enjoy the season," Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles said in the statement. "The spring break will give people an opportunity to experience the type of system we are working…
Corbetto
1:55 pm on Thursday, May 16, 2013
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