Members of the Transportation & Environment Committee have written WMATA a letter stating that they believe that Metro should adopt a fare plan that is fair to all riders. The full letter, by Montgomery County Council President Evan Glass and Councilmembers Kate Stewart and Marilyn Balcombe, can be seen below:
“Dear Mr. Smedberg,
Starting Monday, March 20, Metro will begin increasing train service across the rail system just in time for peak cherry blossom season. Weekday service will see an infusion of trains, as well as weekends. Additional trains will also run as needed during the Cherry Blossom Festival as crowding is monitored during peak bloom.
Per WMATA: The improvements correspond to growing ridership, with new post-pandemic records being set almost daily. This week, Metrorail saw its highest ridership since the pandemic, with more than 337,000 paid trips on Wednesday, followed by the second highest day on Thursday with more than 335,000 trips. Cherry blossom season, tourism, sporting events, entertainment, and increased commuters are driving the trend.
Cherry Blossom Season is calling, and to celebrate the famous blooms Metro will have a specially designed cherry blossom train and buses to get you there. We’ve also cleared any maintenance and track work on Metrorail until late-night, including weekends, so that you can go see the blossoms without any scheduled disruptions.
Look for Metro’s cherry blossom train and buses debuting today. On Metrorail, our fully wrapped six-car cherry blossom train will be on the tracks, running on different lines throughout cherry blossom season. The pink and white train is decorated inside and out, covered in pink blooms. Keep an eye on the roads too. The two 40-foot Metrobuses are hard to miss with branches of cherry blossoms flowering on a white background and the words “The Blossoms are calling.”
On or about March 20, 2023, crews will resume excavation in the Purple Line’s elevator shaft to connect to Metro’s Red Line in Bethesda. This operation will include blasting the rock within the shaft located at the work zone on Elm Street at Wisconsin Avenue. Blasting is planned during daytime hours, typically once a week with additional work in the area occurring over multiple shifts between excavation and removal of spoils from the site. In advance of each blast, warning siren will be activated. Use of backup alarms will be limited during nighttime hours. Work may occur in two shifts weekdays and weekends, as needed, according to Purple Line MD.
Additional Purple Line construction updated in Bethesda/Chevy Chase: Crews continue work in the Jones Mill Road underpass area through March. Work includes utility relocation, construction of retaining walls, and completing the east side of Jones Mill Road. Work may take place 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and overnight 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays and weekends, as needed.
Metro’s youngest customers and those traveling with them now have one less barrier to an stress-free ride on Metrobus. Metro today announced that effective immediately, open strollers are welcome on Metrobus, replacing a policy that required strollers to be folded before boarding.
“Metro is committed to making transit accessible and convenient for everyone, and that includes those traveling with young children,” Clarke said. “This family-friendly initiative relieves a hardship many parents told us they face when riding Metrobus, and we hope it encourages more families to choose Metro.”
Starting next week, customers and the general public have four opportunities to publicly provide feedback on Metro’s Fiscal Year (FY 24) 2024 budget proposal. All are invited to participate in person, via video or via telephone. Below are details for each hearing date:
WMATA Transit Police tweeted the following regarding the Metrobus crash into a jewelry store in weekend this morning: “Driver of van that caused morning Metrobus accident charged with 4 infractions: (1) unsafe lane change, (2) failure to control speed to avoid a collision, (3) improper right turn, and (4) failure to wear corrective lens. Thx to @mcpnews and @mcfrs for their on-the-scene support.”
At approximately 9:30am on Thursday morning there was a collision involving a Metrobus that closed Veirs Mill Rd between Reedie Dr and University Blvd, according to Montgomery County Police. The incident occurred at the Jewelry Buyers at 2575 Ennalls Ave in Wheaton around 9:30am on Thursday, March 2. Featured photo courtesy of Alex Chapelle
Metro’s plan to change the way it presses wheels on 7000-series rail cars (7Ks) is under development, based on technical data released today by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB):
“We appreciate the NTSB making the technical reports available so that we can develop our plan to begin repressing wheels on these trains at a higher standard, including the fit onto the axles,” said Chief Operations Officer Brian Dwyer. “We are preparing the technical documents and training plan, while we collaboratively advance the next version of our return to service plan for approval by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission.”
Last week, Metro’s Board of Directors marked the 50th Anniversary of Metrobus service, now the nation’s sixth largest bus network. The milestone coincides with Metro’s Better Bus Initiative to redesign the bus network and improve the Metrobus system for decades to come including new bus facilities, zero-emission buses, more bus lanes and signal priority.
Long-time Metrobus employees joined the Board to celebrate, among them was Bus Operator Robert Miles, who worked for DC Transit when it merged with three other bus companies in 1973 to become Metrobus. Retired General Superintendent of Bus Services Sherman Ramey, who also started with DC Transit in 1964 and transitioned to Metro, was recognized too along with Depot Clerk James Woods, marking his 50th year with Metrobus, and other past and present bus employees.
Metro will perform critical work, to maintain the tracks during the late-night and overnight hours weeknights, Monday through Thursday, Feb. 27 – Mar. 2, Mar. 6 – 9, and Mar. 13-16. Work will begin at 10 p.m. prior to the system closing, with trains single tracking between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery on the Blue and Blue+ lines, and between Foggy Bottom and Ballston on the Orange and Silver lines.
The single-track area is three miles long and coupled with the Yellow Line Bridge closure requires train service to be reduced to every 26 minutes on the four lines. Trains will gradually transition from the end of the lines starting at 9 p.m. until all trains are operating every 26 minutes by 10 p.m. as follows:
Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) and Montgomery County emergency responders will conduct a full-scale emergency response exercise at Wheaton Station on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023 from opening until approximately 2 p.m. Members of the public may notice a large number of emergency vehicles on site. Please be assured that this is only an exercise.
The exercise will take place inside the tunnel between Wheaton and Forest Glen and will simulate real-world conditions to test the operational and evacuation coordination, and interagency communication between MTPD, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, Montgomery County Police, Metrorail and Metrobus operations staff, on-scene responders and support personnel.