From WMATA:
“Over the bridge and through the tunnel, trains on the Yellow Line are ready to go. Starting Sunday, May 7, Yellow Line service will resume across the Potomac River, following an eight-month, on-time and anticipated to be under budget rehabilitation project to repair the deteriorating 1970’s tunnel and bridge.
The reopening, announced last month, will provide a faster, more direct connection for customers between Virginia and downtown DC, including travel to/from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Yellow Line trains will initially operate every eight minutes weekdays from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. for the first month between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square, and every 12 minutes all other times and on weekends, a 60 percent increase in train service than before the closure last fall. In June service will improve to eight minutes all day, seven days a week.”
photo by nevermindtheend
From the office of Councilmember Charles Allen:
“The following is a statement from Councilmember Charles Allen on WMATA’s Letter Delaying Fare Free Buses One Year:
“I’m frustrated with WMATA, but bold ideas sometimes take time. A one-year delay isn’t the end of the world, but I do hold some skepticism about Maryland and Virginia’s genuine interest in fare-free buses.
They’re making it clear today they don’t want DC residents to have what they don’t want to give their own residents. My frustration is compounded because I was initially sold on the fare-free bus concept as a late addition to my Metro for DC proposal – which will create a recurring monthly balance on your SmarTrip card – specifically because WMATA brought the idea to me and the Chairman last year and told us implementation would be easier. And in now reversing course after the Council delivered, WMATA’s walking away from a stable source of money. And this is only a year out from their $500 million looming fiscal cliff. Where Maryland and Virginia seem to be pushing WMATA is short-sighted and ignores the incredible economic, ridership, and service improvement potential of both fare-free buses and my Metro for DC proposal. And who loses the most are WMATA’s bus riders – the essential workers and working families that depend on the bus to keep our city running and will power our economic recovery. But we’re going to continue to lead boldly for our residents and I will continue to work to make this a reality.”