metro

“Charles Allen Re-Introduces Metro For DC Bill to Give Every DC Resident $100 Monthly Balance on SmarTrip Card and Transform Bus Service”

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Bradley Joines

From a press release:

“DC Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6) is re-introducing his bill that would put a recurring $100 balance to DC resident’s SmarTrip card every month and make a $10 million annual investment in improving bus service and infrastructure in the District.

Metro For DC would create a way for all DC residents to register a SmarTrip card and have it refresh to a $100 balance at the beginning of each month, similar to some employer-paid benefit programs. The balance would never exceed $100, so the District only pays for what a resident uses while riding Metrorail or Metrobus. (more…)

What the Helen of Troy are These?

By Prince Of Petworth

C asked: “Can anyone tell me the purpose of these (photo above) attached to the walls in every wmata platform?”

I recalled a previous conversation where we learned that they were used to measure vibration in stations and Ryan replied: (more…)

Four Green and Yellow Line stations reopened Today. Also, now more buses and trains, lower prices, and extended Metrorail operating hours on weekends.

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by LaTur

From WMATA:

“Greenbelt, College Park, Prince George’s Plaza, and West Hyattsville stations – closed since late May – will reopen as scheduled on Tuesday, September 7. Crews have been working around the clock all summer to completely reconstruct the deteriorating outdoor platforms while adding additional safety and customer convenience features.

Metro customers will also benefit from more buses and trains, lower prices, and extended Metrorail operating hours on weekends. (more…)

“Metro customers have more reasons to ride with new discounts, more trains and buses starting September 5”

By Prince Of Petworth

From WMATA:

“Metro is making changes that will make riding easier and more convenient as the region resumes school, leisure activities, and returns to workplaces. Beginning September 5, Metro will add more buses and trains, offer lower prices, and extend Metrorail’s operating hours on weekends.

The changes, approved by Metro’s Board of Directors in June, followed extensive public input about how riders plan to travel. The service and pricing improvements are designed to make Metro a more affordable, attractive way to go and to meet customer needs for more service at all times of the day, not just during rush hour.

“This is a time of change for Metro and our customers, and it’s an opportunity to make our service work better for all riders whether they take Metro to work, the grocery store, visit family or friends or just get around town,” said Metro Board Chair Paul C. Smedberg. “We are adding more rail and bus service, more hours, and working with businesses and the community to ensure the service will be there when riders need it.”

Among the service improvements, Metro will add more buses on the busiest lines to better serve customers throughout the day, reduce average wait times for buses during the day, restore more service that had been suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and provide free bus transfers between rail and discounted passes.

On Metrorail, more trains will run during off-peak hours with average wait times ranging between 2-7 minutes any time of day. Trains will also run longer, closing later overnight on weekends, and opening earlier on Sundays.

“As the region goes back to work and school, we will be ready with service that is convenient any time of the day and offers the flexibility riders need,” said Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld. “We are also making Metro the best way to go on weekends, with less wait times for trains and just $2 for a one-way trip anywhere on the rail system.”

The service improvements will bring overall bus and rail service to near pre-pandemic levels, providing 97 percent of pre-Covid service levels on Metrobus and 91 percent on Metrorail. On some bus routes, and off-peak on rail, service will be even better than it had been before the pandemic.

Metro will also offer up to a 50 percent discount on selected unlimited pass products between September 16 and October 15.

The following discounts and service changes will be effective beginning Sunday, September 5: (more…)

“Capital Bikeshare Offers 10 Free Rides to Metro Users Who Switch to a Virtual SmarTrip Card”

By Prince Of Petworth

From DDOT:

“Today, the District Department of Transportation and its six partner jurisdictions announced a new partnership between Capital Bikeshare, operated by Lyft, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) to incentivize riders to use clean transportation options. Metrobus and Metrorail riders who purchase a virtual SmarTrip card or transfer their physical, plastic SmarTrip card to mobile pay on Android, iPhone or Apple Watch will receive ten 30-minute classic rides on Capital Bikeshare, valid for 30 days. The promotion is also good for riders with an existing virtual SmarTrip card. (more…)

“Metro proposes suspensions for offenders of sex and weapons related crimes”

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Victoria Pickering

From WMATA:

“The Metro Board of Directors Safety and Operations Committee today approved a proposal to suspend access to Metrorail and Metrobus for those arrested for sex and weapons related offenses on the system. The full Board is expected to vote on the proposal at an upcoming meeting.

Transit agencies around the country have successfully implemented similar rules, such as LA Metro, San Francisco’s BART, Dallas’s DART and Atlanta’s MARTA. Metro developed its proposal taking those best practices into account.

Health and safety concerns are top of mind as the region recovers from the pandemic, and this proposal would give Metro an additional tool to ensure customers and employees are as safe as possible.

Currently, those arrested on Metro for sex or weapons related charges are often released on the same day pending a court date. (more…)

Metro service extended to midnights starting Sunday

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Daniel Kelly

From WMATA:

“Metro will expand train service to midnight, seven days a week starting Sunday, July 18. The extended operating hours are the first in a package of service improvements passed by Metro’s Board of Directors in June that will add more all-day rail service, create high-frequency bus routes and improve service across the region.

“Riders that work late, enjoy the region’s restaurants and nightlife or need to get to and from places at night will now have more flexibility with trains running longer every night,” said Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld. “As the region recovers, Metro will be there to meet the transit needs of customers and businesses in the National Capital Region.”

In addition to extending rail hours until midnight, Metro resumed late-night bus service to 2 a.m. in June on 36 routes, restored more service and improved the frequency of buses on high-demand routes. (more…)

“I was greeted with the following message playing every five seconds…for 10 minutes until my train came.”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Caitlin Faw

“Dear PoPville,

Any idea what’s going on with Metro’s automated announcements? When I got to Shaw-Howard this morning I was greeted with the following message playing every five seconds…for 10 minutes until my train came.

Attention attention would the station manager report to the kiosk and inspect your F9 panel(?) and notify central of any discrepancies. Thank you.”

“The work, beginning Saturday, July 17 through Sunday, August 29, requires around-the-clock single tracking between Dupont Circle and Van Ness stations.”

By Prince Of Petworth

From WMATA:

“Metro is reminding customers of upcoming construction on the Red Line for improvements to the tunnel ventilation system. The work, beginning Saturday, July 17 through Sunday, August 29, requires around-the-clock single tracking between Dupont Circle and Van Ness stations. (more…)

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