MetroNow Dispatch 7.2023
This month we chat about the Blue/Orange/Silver alternatives, the transit cliff, and thank the Metro workers who kept the Orange Line construction on track.
Long-Term Planning, Short-Term Blues
Earlier this month, WMATA gave the public a long-awaited update on its Blue/Orange/Silver Capacity & Reliability Study to relieve the bottleneck of the Rosslyn tunnel. Meanwhile, the Washington Post Editorial Board lamented that, “the countdown to a transit fiasco has begun in the Washington metropolitan area.”
We’ll be gracious though and not tell them that our ScuttleBus transit cliff countdown began this past February.
The Blue/Orange/Silver expansion alternatives represent a generational investment that could transform mobility in the region for the better, greatly expanding access to jobs and opportunity while knitting together more communities into the fabric of the regional transit system.
But what about that $750m+ fiscal cliff? Successful regions make big plans, like the Blue/Orange/Silver project and the plans for Union Station. Yet none of these big plans will happen unless WMATA’s funding challenges (short- and long-term) are resolved.
In last month’s MetroNow Dispatch, we detailed just how devastating Metro’s $750m+ operating budget shortfall could be for the region. The business community understands that our region’s success, economic growth, and competitiveness are tied to WMATA’s. However, we also recognize that public dollars face stiff competition, especially with uncertainty around commercial real estate revenues.
We are grateful to see the leadership from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the COG officials who agreed this month to a united front in recognizing that failure to meet this challenge is not an option. Now, those statements must quickly turn into strategies and actions. Meeting this historically uncertain moment and thriving into the future will require WMATA to evolve and match the needs of our ever-changing region. The MetroNow Coalition stands ready to work with WMATA, our jurisdictional partners, and transit stakeholders from across the region to make sure that Metro lives up to its full potential.
The ScuttleBus
The name’s Bus, ScuttleBus. Here are MetroNow’s top transit picks this month:
⌛ 339 days until the transit cliff: FY 2025 budget starts July 1, 2024.
🚇 DC area leading the country in transit recovery: Transit ridership in the Washington region is recovering faster than any other part of the country.
🎂 General Manager Randy Clarke Celebrates One Year: Becoming GM during a crisis that sidelined most Metro trains for more than a year, trains are now arriving nearly every four to six minutes downtown throughout the day.
🟣 (Another) delay on the Purple Line: Maryland’s 16-mile light rail’s opening date pushed back to Spring 2027.
💡 Metro testing new bus transfer lights: The lights will alert operators when a train is approaching so that they can delay the bus to give rail riders more time to make their connection.
📷 Don’t drive or park in the bus-only lanes: Buses in D.C. are now using camera enforcement to deter people from parking or driving in bus-only lanes.
🚧 Orange Line construction: ✔️ — Now onto the Green Line: Metro reopened all Orange Line stations closed due to construction, with summer construction now moving to the Green Line.
📈 Metrorail ridership on July 4th was the highest since 2015: Going fare free for the evening, ridership topped 410,000, the highest Independence Day ridership since 2015.
🦺 Metro launches “yellow-shirt” ambassador program: WMATA’s 25 Metrorail ambassadors are part of its “holistic approach” to improve customer experience.
🚌 Duke Street Transitway moving forward: Alexandria City Council unanimously approved the project, including partial dedicated bus lanes and bikeways, and numerous safety improvements between King Street Metro and West End Alexandria.
💰 WMATA Combats Fare Evasion: Taller gates coming to Pentagon City, Courthouse stations amid push to stop fare evasion.
🚶 Second entrance at Crystal City Metro station approved: Arlington County Board signed off on a new east entrance for the Virginia Metro station improving access to jobs and connections to VRE and future Amtrak.
Transit Champion of the Month: WMATA Maintenance Crew Members
Earlier this month, WMATA maintenance crews wrapped up construction on part three of a multi-part modernization effort this summer. So far, the construction on the Silver and Orange Lines has been on schedule and without incident. The MetroNow Coalition recognizes the hard-working team members showing up in heat and haze to keep our system up to snuff and in good repair. The final phase of the project will focus on the Green Line and start late this month, with construction expected to wrap up by early September. These women and men are essential to every Washingtonian, Virginian, and Marylander moving about the region. Thank you for your efforts to keep our lives and economy moving.
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The MetroNow Coalition is made up of regional leaders from the business, non-profit, and advocacy communities who believe that transit is designed to bring us together —at work, school, and play. Today, we believe our collective advocacy for better transit for the Washington DC region is more important than ever.
We launched the MetroNow Dispatch to bring residents, leaders, and transit agencies together to think about how we can make better transit today, during the pandemic, and “tomorrow,” as we look beyond recovery to how we can build a more equitable, sustainable, and accessible transportation system for our region.