WMATA

Left something on Metro and need to get it back? If it ends up at Metro’s lost and found, you may be in luck. Metro will now keep a wider list of lost items left behind on trains, buses, at stations, and other Metro facilities. The new policy, updates changes made due to pandemic-related budget constraints in 2021 that restricted Metro’s lost and found storage to wallets and electronics such as phones, tablets, laptops, and cameras only.

In addition to these items, Metro’s lost and found department will now work to also reunite customers with lost keys, glasses, backpacks, headphones, luggage, and purses. Items such as perishables, clothing, umbrellas, and bikes will not be kept by the lost and found. Non-returnable items, and any other property unclaimed after 30-days will be disposed of, donated to charity, destroyed, or auctioned.

Per WMATA: Trying to figure out the various Metrobus routes can be a puzzle with a mix of letters, numbers, and street names, express or limited-stop service. This outdated naming convention dates to Metro’s takeover of the region’s private bus companies and street cars and is about to get a refresh. For the first time in its 50-year history, Metro is looking to revamp the bus system and simplify routes with its Better Bus, Better Names campaign.

Metro has opened a survey to ask the public how Metro can name bus routes to make it easier for customers to understand and use the Metrobus system. People are encouraged to take the Better Bus, Better Names online survey until Sept. 28, to weigh in and help Metro standardize and modernize the entire bus experience throughout the region.

This weekend, Sept. 16 – 17, Metro will close four stations on the Red Line to perform track work in the interlocking, where the two tracks intersect and is critical to maintaining safe reliable service. To accommodate this work the Shady Grove, Rockville, Twinbrook, and North Bethesda stations will be closed, with free shuttle buses replacing trains.

Normal Red Line service will operate between Glenmont and Grosvenor, every eight minutes during the day, and every 10 minutes after 9 p.m. During the weekend, Metro will replace the switches in the interlocking outside the Twinbrook Station. The switches and equipment in the interlocking are part of the signaling system embedded on the tracks to ensure trains are routed properly and can safely cross over from one track to the other in the event of a service disruption or single tracking.

Per WMATA: More frequent service is coming to Metro beginning Monday, September 11, when the transit agency will roll out its eleventh service increase since last summer. While ridership continues to grow, it remains below pre-pandemic levels, therefore Metro will monitor ridership trends and continue to assess the need for any future service adjustments based on ridership demand.

With ridership trending higher during the morning and evening commuting hours, Metro will boost peak service on the Red, Blue, Silver, Green, and Yellow lines to meet demand and ridership growth as more customers return to the office and other activities. Trains on those lines will run more frequently from approximately 7 a.m. – 9 a.m., and from approximately 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Exact times of peak service will vary by station.

Per WMATA: On Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4, Metrorail will open at 7 a.m. and close at midnight, providing normal Sunday service on all lines at all 98 stations, including the Green Line where four stations closed for summer construction will reopen ahead of schedule tomorrow. Metrobus will operate on a Sunday schedule. MetroAccess customers may make a reservation to travel on the holiday; however, subscription trips will be canceled.  

Whether heading to a movie, barbeque, or one of many local events, Metro is your convenient and affordable way to get around the region this holiday weekend. If you’re heading out of town, avoid the traffic by taking Metro to Washington Dulles International or Reagan National airports. Metro this week announced that Green Lines stations 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, three days ahead of schedule.

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 […]

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.