metro

From WMATA:

“Your chance to ride the first train on the Silver Line Extension is here. Service begins November 15 at approximately 2 p.m. when the first train departs the Ashburn Station headed for Downtown Largo. Customers in Loudoun County will now have convenient access to Metrorail and Washington Dulles International Airport will be an easy train ride away for people across the region.

The start of passenger service will commence following a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting at the Washington Dulles International Airport Station to recognize this generational infrastructure investment. Customers will have an opportunity to join the celebration by sharing their happiest Metro moment for a chance to receive a “Silver Ticket” to join Metro General Manager Randy Clarke and other officials on a special preview train ride on opening day before passenger service begins. (more…)

photo by Miki Jourdan

From WMATA:

“Metrorail customers will be back on track south of Reagan National Airport with full service resuming to six closed stations on Sunday, Nov. 6. Blue Line trains will serve all six stations – Braddock Rd, King St-Old Town, Eisenhower Ave, Huntington, Van Dorn St, and Franconia-Springfield – while long-term work continues to rehabilitate the Yellow Line Tunnel and Bridge.

Metro is also making progress on the Yellow Line Tunnel and Bridge Rehabilitation Project which began during the closure. The Yellow Line will remain suspended through May 2023, (more…)

From WMATA:

“Opening day is set for the Silver Line Extension – Tuesday, November 15 – connecting Metrorail customers to Washington Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County for the first time. The announcement came from Metro Board Members and employees in a video touting “We’re Ready,” marking the opening for customers and culmination of the largest expansion of Metrorail since the system’s inception.

On opening day, customers who visit the six new Silver Line stations – Reston Town Center, Herndon, Innovation Center, Washington Dulles International Airport, Loudoun Gateway, and Ashburn – will be greeted by Metro teams handing out commemorative pennants, a Metro tradition that started when the first station opened in 1976. (more…)

photo by GordonCV

From WMATA:

“Metro Transit Police officers will begin issuing fare evasion citations on Tuesday, November 1, following a monthlong awareness and warning campaign. Citations with associated fines may be issued to anyone jumping fare gates, improperly using emergency gates, or not tapping fare boxes on Metrobuses.

Fare recovery is a major issue and has been mentioned as one of the top concerns of customers when talking with Metro staff and Metro Board Members. Revenue from fares allows Metro to keep buses, trains, and MetroAccess serving our community.

Fare evasion is responsible for significant revenue losses and is part of the focus to close a shortfall of nearly $185 million in the upcoming budget. Using data from Metrobus and pre-pandemic industry averages for Metrorail, Metro estimates revenue losses due to fare evasion totaling tens of millions of dollars in fiscal year 2022. (more…)