From the DupontForum:
“Ranjith [Assistant Project Manager, Red Line Rehab Project] confirms they are on schedule to reopen the Dupont South entrance with brand new escalators…..the middle of October.”
The Dupont south metro entrance closed for repairs in Feb. 2012.
Photo by PoPville flickr user JRoseC
From WMATA:
Metro’s Riders’ Advisory Council is looking for riders to fill nine available positions on the volunteer council. Positions are available for residents in the District of Columbia (2), Montgomery County (3), Prince George’s County (1) and Fairfax County (2). There is also one at-large position available to a resident of any jurisdiction served by Metro.
The 21-member council is made up of six individuals each from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, two at-large members and the Chairman of Metro’s Accessibility Advisory Committee. The Council advises the agency’s Board of Directors on issues affecting Metrobus, Metrorail and MetroAccess service. It was created in December 2005 to improve communications with riders.
Individuals on the Riders’ Advisory Council represent a cross-section of Metro’s riders from across the region. The Council includes people with different riding patterns, people who use Metrobus, Metrorail and MetroAccess, transit-dependent people, people with disabilities, people who travel both short and long distances.
Persons interested in applying should complete the online form or complete and mail an application.
Applications are also available at:
Metro sales offices: Metro Center, Anacostia, Pentagon Transit Center, Metro headquarters.
Montgomery County TRiPS stores: Friendship Heights, Silver Spring.
Fairfax County Connector Stores: Franconia-Springfield Metro station, Herndon Monroe Park & Ride, Reston Town Center Transit Station, Tysons West Park Transit Station.Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Friday, October 12. Applicants must be regular riders of Metrobus, Metrorail and/or MetroAccess.
Metro employees, contractors or elected officials are not eligible to apply. All positions are unpaid.
Photo by PoPville flickr user Jen Morrissey
From WMATA:
The ongoing effort to rebuild and upgrade the Metrorail system to provide safer and more reliable service will continue over the weekend of September 28-30, 2012, on the Red, Orange, Green and Yellow lines. The work will begin at 10 p.m. Friday and continue through system closing on Sunday.
Red Line
Red Line trains will single track between NoMa-Gallaudet U and Fort Totten stations to allow for platform reconstruction, tie and fastener renewal and DDOT bridge work. Throughout the weekend, Red Line trains will operate every 20 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont. Between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, additional trains will operate between Shady Grove and NoMa-Gallaudet U stations, resulting in service about every 10 minutes between those stations. Customers traveling on the eastern side of the Red Line should allow about 15 minutes of additional travel time. Green Line service between Fort Totten and Gallery Place may be a good alternate route for some customers.
Orange Line
Buses will replace Orange Line trains between Vienna and East Falls Church for testing associated with the Silver Line extension. Throughout the weekend, Orange Line trains will operate between East Falls Church and New Carrollton every 16 minutes. Customers should allow about 10 minutes of additional travel time. On Friday and Saturday nights, the last Orange Line train from East Falls Church to New Carrollton will depart at 2:35 a.m.; on Sunday night, the last train will depart East Falls Church at 11:35 a.m.
Blue Line
While there is no scheduled track work on the Blue Line, throughout the weekend trains will operate every 16 minutes between Franconia-Springfield and Largo Town Center to avoid schedule conflicts with Orange and Yellow line trains. Customers should allow about 10 minutes of additional travel time.
Green Line
Buses will replace Green Line trains between Southern Avenue and Branch Avenue stations to allow for fiber optic cable installation in the tunnels to improve and expand cell phone coverage. Three stations — Branch Avenue, Suitland and Naylor Road — will be closed. Free shuttle buses will operate between Branch Avenue, Suitland, Naylor Road and Southern Avenue stations; customers using shuttle bus service should allow about 40 minutes of additional travel time. Between Southern Avenue and Greenbelt, Green Line trains will operate at regular weekend intervals. The last train from Southern Avenue to Greenbelt will depart at 2:32 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and at 11:32 on Sunday night.
Yellow Line
Yellow Line trains will single track between Huntington and Braddock Road stations to allow for structural repairs and drain cleaning. Throughout the weekend, Yellow Line trains will operate between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square stations every 16 minutes. Customers traveling to/from stations north of Mount Vernon Square should use Green Line trains to complete their trip. Yellow Line customers should allow about 10 minutes of additional travel time.
Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC
From WMATA:
Metro today launched SmarTrip® Auto Reload, a new convenient feature that allows customers to have value automatically added to their cards when their balances drops below a minimum threshold. By signing up for SmarTrip® Auto Reload, customers can avoid the hassle of stopping at farecard vending machines or repeatedly going online to add more value.
Similar to EZ-Pass, the Auto Reload feature allows customers to have a pre-defined dollar value automatically added to a registered card whenever the balance on SmarTrip® drops below $20 on a full fare SmarTrip® card or below $10 on a Senior/Disabled SmarTrip® card.
For customers who use a 7-Day Bus or Rail Pass, Auto Reload will add a new pass when three days remain on the pass. Similarly, for the 28-Day or 30-Day Pass, Auto Reload is triggered when seven days remain on the active pass.
The launch of Auto Reload follows a successful testing period with more than 1,300 customers using the new feature.
To use the Auto Reload feature, customers must register their cards and have an online SmarTrip® account. Upon logging into their online account, customers are able to link their SmarTrip® cards to a credit or debit card that will automatically add the pre-determined value that the customers chooses.
Photo by PoPville flickr user BrennaLM
From WMATA:
The ongoing effort to rebuild and upgrade the Metrorail system to provide safer and more reliable service will continue over the weekend of September 21-23, 2012, on the Red and Orange lines only. The work will begin at 10 p.m. Friday and continue through system closing on Sunday.
On the Blue, Yellow and Green lines, service will operate on a regular weekend schedule with no planned track work this weekend.
Red Line
Buses will replace Red Line trains between Grosvenor and Friendship Heights to allow for rail renewal, fastener replacement, grout pad rehabilitation and leak mitigation. As a result, Red Line trains will operate in two segments: between Shady Grove and Grosvenor, and between Friendship Heights and Glenmont. Between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Red Line trains will operate every 10 minutes. At other times, trains will operate at regular weekend intervals. Customers traveling through the work zone should allow about 30 minutes of additional travel time. (Note: On Friday and Saturday nights, the last Red Line train from Shady Grove to Grosvenor will depart at 1:58 a.m., 32 minutes earlier than normal, to allow for shuttle bus connections. On Sunday night, the last train will depart Shady Grove at 10:58 p.m.)
Orange Line
Orange Line trains will single track between East Falls Church and Ballston for tie and insulator renewal, and between Stadium-Armory and Cheverly for platform reconstruction. Throughout the weekend, Orange Line trains will operate every 24 minutes. Customers should allow 15 minutes of additional travel time.
Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric Spiegel
From WMATA:
The ongoing effort to rebuild and upgrade the Metrorail system to provide safer and more reliable service will continue over the weekend of September 14-16, 2012, on the Red, Orange, Blue and Green lines. The work will begin at 10 p.m. Friday and continue through system closing on Sunday.
• Red Line trains will single track through two work zones: between Van Ness and Friendship Heights to allow for rail and fastener maintenance, and between NoMa-Gallaudet and Fort Totten for platform rehabilitation, structural repairs and DDOT bridge work. Throughout the weekend, Red Line trains will operate between Shady Grove and Glenmont every 20 minutes. Customers should allow about 15 minutes of additional travel time.
• Orange Line trains will single track between Vienna and West Falls Church to allow for tie and insulator renewal and track maintenance. Throughout the weekend, trains will operate between Vienna and New Carrollton every 20 minutes. Customers should allow about 10 minutes of additional travel time.
• Blue Line trains will single track between Stadium-Armory and Morgan Boulevard to allow for repairs to the floating concrete slabs beneath the rails for a smoother ride. Throughout the weekend, trains will operate between Franconia-Springfield and Largo Town Center every 24 minutes. Customers should allow about 15 minutes of additional travel time.
• On the Green Line, buses will replace trains at Greenbelt Station only as crews replace ties and improve track conditions. Green Line trains will operate normally, at regular weekend intervals, between College Park and Branch Avenue. Customers traveling to or from Greenbelt Station only should allow 20 minutes of additional travel time for shuttle bus service.
• There is no scheduled work this weekend on the Yellow Line. Trains will operate normally between Huntington and Fort Totten.
Photo by PoPville flickr user available_photons
From WMATA:
Metro has posted its Vital Signs annual report [2011 Performance Report], which provides a summary of performance indicators for calendar year 2011. Metro met or exceeded 9 of 11 performance indicators.
“Vital Signs shows our commitment to transparency by providing an at-a-glance summary of key performance metrics.” said Metro’s General Manager and CEO, Richard Sarles. “It shows the many areas in which we are making progress, and identifies where additional focus is needed.”
Among the highlights of the report:
Nearly an eleven percent decrease in the customer injury rate as compared to 2010. Investments made in customer safety received recognition by the National Transportation Safety Board, Congressional and local leaders, and the Tri-State Oversight Committee.
Serious crimes on Metro declined by sixteen percent in the last year, aided in part by the use of crime statistics to better optimize Metro Transit Police resources, and direct actions to deter criminal activity. Metro also increased customer outreach also helped to educate our riders on safer travel practices.
Metrorail met or exceeded its on-time performance target for eight of the twelve months, reflecting a modest improvement over 2010, despite an increase in track work during operating hours.
Metrobus fleet reliability improved by seven percent, due to the addition of more than one hundred hybrid buses.
In other WMATA news – “Efforts to rebuild Metro ramping up”:
Metro’s investment in projects to rebuild and modernize its railroad, trains, stations and buses grew by 26 percent to $770 million in FY2012, an increase of nearly $160 million, and is on track to continue ramping up to nearly a billion dollars this year, following years of underinvestment in maintaining the system. In a presentation to the Metro Board Finance & Administration Committee on Thursday, Metro staff will provide a detailed update on progress to rebuild the system.
“What these charts and graphs tell us is that customers are starting to benefit from more reliable service with a newer fleet of vehicles, and upgraded track and track components. These investments are also starting to deliver more reliable escalators and elevators following extensive modernization and replacement projects,” said Marcel Acosta, chair of the Board Finance & Administration Committee.
The fiscal year 2013 capital budget accelerates efforts to rebuild Metro. In the coming weeks, Metro will open the new Shepherd Parkway bus facility in Southwest Washington, DC, and reopen the south entrance of the Dupont Circle station upon completion of the entrance escalator replacement project.
“Most importantly, we are making significant progress addressing federal safety recommendations and improving reliability by upgrading and replacing thousands of moving parts that make the system work,” said Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles. For example, during the year, Metro welded 1,229 joints, rehabilitated 1,445 linear feet of floating slabs and replaced 2,679 rail signs, 12 miles of running rail, and 21,336 cross ties.
“It’s the type of work that is done on weekends or late nights—the kind of work that necessitates station closures or single tracking, and unfortunately creates some inconvenience for our customers. But it’s essential work in our extensive rebuilding program will make the Metro system safer and more reliable,” Sarles said.The aggressive capital program, known as Metro Forward, includes projects to replace 95 buses, rehabilitate 100 buses, rehabilitate 42 escalators and 21 elevators, install event recorders on the 1000- and 4000-series rail cars, and continue the rehabilitation of track and structures maintenance on the Red, Orange and Blue lines.
The report this week includes significant accomplishments over the last year, including:
Rehabilitation of 36 escalators throughout the system
Replacement of three escalators at Foggy Bottom station
Rehabilitation of four elevators
Acquisition of 166 new Metrobuses to replace older buses that have been removed from service
Rehabilitation of 100 buses in midlife overhaul program
Acquisition of 213 new paratransit vehiclesMetro’s aggressive schedule of work to rebuild the system over the past two years and proposed work schedule for the next several years will enable the transit system to catch up on maintenance projects including replacing ties, fasteners, frogs and running rail. Clearing the backlog on such maintenance projects caused by years of underinvestment will enable Metro to achieve a steady state of maintenance on the rail system by 2018, resulting in a safer, more reliable ride for customers.
In fiscal 2012 Metro also continued to advance critical work to meet NTSB recommendations, including the completion of a key recommendation to install Guarded #8 rail switches. Between 2008 and 2012, Metro installed 108 of the recommended 178 Guarded #8 switches, including 64 over the past two years. In addition, Metro moved ahead with the 7000-series rail car project to replace the 1000-series fleet, and continued work on track circuit and power cable replacement.
Photo by PoPville reader WM
From WMATA:
Metro weekend track work September 7-9
Buses replace Red Line trains between Dupont Circle and NoMa-Gallaudet UEfforts to improve and rebuild the Metrorail system will continue over the weekend of September 7-9, 2012, including a major project on the Red Line to improve wireless communications. All work will begin at 10 p.m. Friday, September 7, and continue through system closing on Sunday, September 9.
Red Line
Free shuttle buses will replace Red Line trains between Dupont Circle and NoMa-Gallaudet U stations to allow for installation of new fiber optic cable for improved wireless communications, as well as track maintenance and third rail upgrades.The following stations will be affected:
Dupont Circle – open for rail service to/from Shady Grove only
Farragut North – closed
Metro Center – open for Blue/Orange line service only (NOTE: The station entrances at 11th & G St NW and 13th & G St NW will be closed. The entrances at 12th & G St NW and 12th & F St NW will remain open.)
Gallery Place – open for Green/Yellow line service only (NOTE: The station entrance at 9th & G St NW will be closed. The entrances at 7th & H St NW and 7th & F St NW will remain open.)
Judiciary Square – closed
Union Station – closed (NOTE: Shuttle buses will depart from First Street NE, outside the Metro station entrance.)
NoMa-Gallaudet U – open for rail service to/from Glenmont onlyRed Line trains will operate in two sections:
Between Shady Grove and Dupont Circle stations every 10 minutes between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., and at regular weekend intervals at other times.
Between Glenmont and NoMa-Gallaudet U stations every 10 minutes between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., and at regular weekend intervals at other times.Free shuttle bus service will operate on two routes:
Limited stop buses will operate between Dupont Circle, Metro Center, Gallery Place and NoMa-Gallaudet U stations only. Customers using limited stop buses should allow up to 30 minutes of additional travel time.
Local buses will stop at all stations. Customers using local bus service should allow up to 50 minutes of additional travel time.Last train information
On Friday and Saturday nights, the last Red Line train from Shady Grove to Dupont Circle will depart 30 minutes earlier than normal, at 2:00 a.m. The last train from Glenmont to NoMa-Gallaudet U will depart 41 minutes earlier than normal, at 1:56 a.m.
On Sunday night, the last Red Line train from Shady Grove to Dupont Circle will depart 30 minutes earlier than normal, at 11:00 p.m. The last train from Glenmont to NoMa-Gallaudet U will depart 41 minutes earlier than normal, at 10:56 p.m.The September 7-9 Red Line track work project was first announced in April 2012.
Orange Line
Trains will single track through two work zones:Between East Falls Church and West Falls Church to allow for testing associated with the Silver Line.
Between Stadium-Armory and Cheverly to allow for platform reconstruction.Throughout the weekend, Orange Line trains will operate every 24 minutes. Customers should allow 15 minutes of additional travel time.
Yellow Line
Trains will single track between Huntington and Braddock Road to allow for structural repairs, grout pad rehabilitation and drain cleaning. Throughout the weekend, Yellow Line trains will operate every 16 minutes between Huntington and Mt. Vernon Square only. Customers traveling to/from stations north of Mt. Vernon Square should use Green Line trains to complete their trip. Yellow Line customers should allow about 10 minutes of additional travel time.Blue Line
While there is no scheduled track work on the Blue Line, trains will operate every 16 minutes throughout the weekend to avoid conflicts with Orange and Yellow line trains.Green Line
No scheduled track work; trains will operate at regular weekend intervals.
Photo by PoPville flickr user pablo.raw
From WMATA:
Work to rebuild the Metrorail system will continue over Labor Day weekend (August 31 through September 3) with scheduled track work on the Red, Orange and Blue lines. The work will begin at 10 p.m. Friday and continue through system closing on Monday (Labor Day).
A previously scheduled shutdown on the Green and Yellow over Labor Day weekend has been cancelled due to Nationals home games at Navy Yard. Green and Yellow line service will operate on a regular weekend schedule.
Red Line trains will single track between Rhode Island Avenue and Fort Totten to allow for platform reconstruction. Throughout the weekend, Red Line trains will operate between Shady Grove and Glenmont every 15 minutes in each direction. On Saturday and Sunday, between 9:30 a.m. and 9 p.m., additional trains will operate between Shady Grove and NoMa-Gallaudet U stations, providing service an average of every 7-8 minutes between these stations. Red Line customers traveling through the work zone should allow about 10 minutes of additional travel time.
Orange Line trains will single track between between Stadium-Armory and Cheverly to allow for platform reconstruction. Throughout the weekend, Orange Line trains will operate every 20 minutes in each direction. Customers should allow 10 minutes of additional time.
Blue Line trains will single track between Arlington Cemetery and Foggy Bottom stations to allow for structural rehabilitation of the track bed and leak mitigation. Throughout the weekend, Blue Line trains will operate every 20 minutes in each direction. Customers should allow 10 minutes of additional time.
Photo by PoPville flickr user KJinDC
From WMATA:
In the first case to benefit from new online customer reporting tools, Metro Transit Police (MTPD) today announced the conviction of Robert Lee Scott, Jr., 48, of Capitol Heights, Md., for two counts of indecent exposure within the Metrorail system.
On July 26, Metro Transit Police responded to Reagan National Airport Station for a report of a male subject masturbating aboard a train. Responding officers detained Scott based on witness descriptions, and he was positively identified at the scene by two passengers who were aboard the train.
Because Scott’s description and actions were similar to two open indecent exposure cases being investigated by MTPD, a transit police detective responded to the scene to further question Scott.
The responding detective found that Scott was wearing a shirt bearing the logo of a popular national restaurant chain. The restaurant shirt matched descriptions from two previously reported incidents: one reported online earlier the same day and one reported the previous day.
Scott was arrested and charged with two counts of indecent exposure in Virginia (§ 18.2-387). He pled guilty to the charges on Monday (August 27) and was sentenced on each charge to 12 months in jail, 10 of which were suspended. He was also found guilty of one count of giving false identity to a law-enforcement officer (§19.2-82.1) and sentenced to 12 months in jail, 10 of which were suspended. Two of the sentences will run concurrently; as a result, Scott is expected to serve a total of four months in the Arlington County Detention Center.
“I commend our customers for reporting these incidents and Metro Transit Police for pursuing this case and others like it,” said Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles. “Through reporting and active police work, we are sending a message that inappropriate sexual conduct will not be tolerated on Metro.”
Metro’s online sexual harassment reporting tool, located at wmata.com/harassment, allows someone who feels they were sexually harassed to report the incident directly to Metro Transit Police using a web-based form. Information submitted through the web portal is immediately transmitted to Metro Transit Police for follow-up action, and people who report incidents have the option of remaining anonymous. Metro has also established an email address (harassment [at] wmata [dot] com) to allow victims to send photo or video files to assist an investigation.
Scott is also expected to face one count of misdemeanor sexual abuse for the incident reported online, which allegedly occurred on July 25 aboard a train at Foggy Bottom Station.