Per WMATA: Metro’s Headquarters Building at L’Enfant Plaza has been certified as LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council, the highest certification achievable […]
WMATA
Per WMATA: Metro today received a $104 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), delivered at a celebration at the Cinder Bed Road Bus Garage which will be converted to exclusively serve battery-electric buses with funds from the grant.
The Low or No Emission Vehicle grant will help Metro achieve its accelerated timeline to transition nine bus garages and nearly 1600 buses to zero-emission by 2042. FTA Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanterpool delivered the grant at a celebration that included U.S. Congressman Gerry Connolly, Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay, Metro Board Chair Paul C. Smedberg, and Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke.
Metro today announced that Greenbelt, College Park-U of Md, Hyattsville Crossing, and West Hyattsville stations – closed since July 22, – will reopen for rail service on Saturday, Sept. 2. The reopening will be three days ahead of schedule, and the project will be completed under budget.
While the four Green Line stations were closed, Metro installed over 21,000 linear feet of fiber-optic cable to improve radio and signal capabilities and provide the infrastructure necessary for future upgrades such as Communications-Based Train Control. Because the cables are housed in the middle of the two tracks, construction crews could only complete the work while both tracks were out of service.
The grant will support the procurement of approximately 100 battery-electric buses that will provide cleaner, more sustainable transit for the National Capital Region. Metro is partnering with Fairfax County on the electrification of the Cinder Bed Road facility, a portion of which is planned to be used by the county to house and charge their all-electric Bus Rapid Transit service running from Fort Belvoir to Huntington Metrorail Station by 2030. Metro’s newest electric bus will be on display and available for tours.
Featured photo courtesy of WMATA
Metro is marking the first day of school for D.C. public school students with a new effort to help ensure a safe and stress-free trip to and from school. Starting today, students will see ‘Kids Ride Free’ signage directing them to use specific faregates at Metrorail stations most used by school children. Station Managers will be on hand to help students who may have issues with their Kids Ride Free SmarTrip cards. If a student does not have their card, the Station Manager will tap the student through the faregates and take note of the student’s school to give the D.C Public School System data to help ensure cards are distributed.
Students are reminded that their Kids Ride Free card from last school year will work until the end of September to allow time for distribution of this year’s cards. Metro has begun working with the District to make Kids Ride Free cards available in mobile wallets in the future to give give students with smartphones a convenient way to get to school without the risk of losing their physical cards. Stations with Kids Ride Free faregate lanes include:
Issuing bonds is an important part of Metro’s strategy to maintain a predictable revenue stream to plan for long-term capital projects that modernize the system and keep it safe and reliable for generations to come. The Sustainability – Climate Transition Bonds designation is issued by the International Capital Market Association (ICMA).
The $797,800,000 bond sale, which settled August 17, will fund capital projects across Metro’s approved FY24 Capital Improvement Plan, including but not limited to: bus garage rehab and replacements, bus fleet replacement & zero emission bus transition, automatic train control equipment upgrades, traction power upgrades, work on Metro’s existing fleet of trains and its next generation of railcars, and rail station LED lighting improvements.
Update: Another escalator replacement was completed at Silver Spring Station earlier this week. The final escalator replacement at the station is now underway.
History: On September 6, 2022, Metro began a major capital project replacing the five entrance escalators at Silver Spring Station. All five escalators will be replaced with brand-new ones that are more durable and reliable. Metro’s contractor KONE will install the escalators as part of an ongoing project to replace 130 escalators across the Metrorail system by 2028, helping to ensure the regional infrastructure remains in a state of good repair.
Metro is accelerating the escalator replacement work at Tenleytown-AU Station and will replace the two east entrance escalators with brand-new ones that are more durable and reliable. Starting Monday, August 28, 2023, the entrance on the east side of Wisconsin Avenue, closest to 40th Street, will close for approximately four months. By closing the east entrance, construction crews can work on both escalators at the same time, increasing project efficiency and reducing the overall project duration by roughly two months.
During the entrance closure, construction crews will also continue to replace the final escalator that runs from the intermediate level to the mezzanine. Metro began construction to replace four entrance escalators and three internal escalators at this station in August 2021. To date, four escalators have been replaced at the station, including the two escalators at the west entrance. All escalator replacement work at Tenleytown-AU will be complete when the east entrance reopens in late December. Customer Impacts:
Metro today released preliminary data showing that new, higher faregates are reducing fare evasion by more than 70 percent at the first stations where they have been installed, including Fort Totten, Pentagon City, Bethesda, Vienna, Mt. Vernon Square, and Addison Road. Metro is now publishing both paid and unpaid ridership data on its online ridership portal to provide transparency on the effectiveness of fare evasion reduction strategies and a more complete picture of total ridership to the public.
New faregate installation was completed today at Congress Heights, and installation at Federal Center SW, Wheaton, and Court House is expected to be completed by early September, followed by the rest of the Metrorail system. Metro will continue to monitor the performance of the new faregates as the rollout is completed.
Metro Board Chair Paul C. Smedberg has been awarded 2023 Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) for his vision, leadership, and commitment to transit. More below, per WMATA:
Since first joining the Metro Board of Directors in 2016 and being elected Chair in 2019, Smedberg’s leadership has helped Metro return to a state of good repair through an aggressive capital program, guided the transit agency through the pandemic, spearheaded the selection of a new General Manager, and helped Metro recover ridership faster than any other transit agency in the country.
Per WMATA: Metro is kicking off the new school year with our first Back-to-School Celebration and School Supply Giveaway. Families across the DMV are invited to join us at the Fort Totten Station on Saturday, Aug. 19, for music, food, games, and free school supplies.
The Metro Transit Police Department’s Community Services Bureau will host the inaugural back-to-school event. School supplies, collected by Metro employees across the region, will be provided to school kids and teens in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. “This is an opportunity for our MTPD officers and employees to support the DMV and create positive relationships with the community,” said MTPD Chief Michael Anzallo. “Metrorail, Metrobus and MTPD help thousands of kids get to and from school throughout the year. In addition to keeping them safe, we want to ensure that every student has the supplies they need to start school.”