Transit

Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

From Congresswoman Norton’s press release:

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) plans to offer an amendment on the House floor next week to the surface transportation bill, H.R. 7 (American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012), to encourage commuters to use mass transit by equalizing tax benefits for mass transit and parking, which had been the case until American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding expired this year. Currently, commuters receive up to $240 a month for driving their personal cars to work and up to $125 a month for taking mass transit. Norton’s amendment would be retroactive to the beginning of the year.

“It is insane to incentivize by almost two to one the use of cars over mass transportation to get to work,” Norton said. “At the very least, we should level the playing field by giving commuters the same tax benefits for using public transportation as for driving. My amendment, of course, applies nationwide, but without it, the effect in this region, where traffic congestion is already a crisis issue, could become catastrophic. Some do not care as much about the serious health and environmental effects as I do, but everybody cares about being stuck in traffic.”

Norton also said that with mass transit fares continuing to rise here and throughout the nation, and ridership declining from the recession, now is not the time to lower the benefit. Norton is opposed to the underlying bill and voted against it in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, but said she is planning to offer the amendment so at least some good would come from the legislation if it passes.

Photo by PoPville flickr user p.bjork

Thanks to a reader for sending. In what surely won’t be a surprise for those who take the Petworth metro – it has the worst escalator(s). At least I now know, I’m not going crazy thinking the escalators are always broken…

Here’s the whole list from WTOP:

Below is a list of the top 20 worst performing escalators as compiled by Metro for ABC7. The number listed after the station is the percentage of time at which a particular escalator at that station works.

Georgia Avenue: 34.17 percent
Friendship Heights: 38.46 percent
Bethesda: 44.57 percent
Friendship Heights: 44.60 percent
Huntington: 45.16 percent
U Street: 46.38 percent
Georgia Avenue: 48.85 percent
U Street: 60.87 percent
Columbia Heights: 61.96 percent
Glenmont: 65.93 percent
Georgia Avenue: 66.25 percent
Arlington Cemetery: 67.07 percent
Friendship Heights: 69.46 percent
Georgia Avenue: 70.40 percent
U Street: 70.56 percent
Woodley Park: 70.90 percent
Glenmont: 73.64 percent
Woodley Park: 73.87 percent
Cleveland Park: 73.89 percent
Arlington Cemetery: 74.48 percent

Photo by PoPville flickr user Barbara.K

From WMATA:

Beginning at 10 p.m. tonight and continuing through system closing on Sunday, shuttle buses will replace Orange Line trains between Court House and Foggy Bottom and Blue Line trains between Pentagon and Foggy Bottom to allow for rail fastener renewal, insulator replacement and sludge removal from the tunnel beneath the Potomac River.

Two stations — Rosslyn and Arlington Cemetery — will be closed.

Orange Line trains will operate in two segments: between Vienna and Court House every 20 minutes, and between Foggy Bottom and New Carrollton at normal weekend service levels.

Blue Line trains will operate in two segments: between Franconia-Springfield and Mt. Vernon Square via the Yellow Line bridge at normal weekend service levels, and between Foggy Bottom and Largo Town Center at normal weekend service levels.

Photo by PoPville flickr user Barbara.K

From WMATA:

Metro is advising Red Line customers to allow additional travel time during this morning’s commute due to a cracked rail outside Tenleytown Station on the inbound track.

Trains are single tracking between Friendship Heights and Van Ness with delays in both directions. The disruption is expected to last throughout the morning commute.

Every other Red Line train will turn back to Silver Spring at Farragut North.

Metro personnel are en route to begin repairs.

For alternate bus options along the Red Line, click here select your station and look for “bus maps.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

From WMATA:

The Massachusetts Avenue Line, Route N2 only, will be rerouted between Friendship Heights Station and Ward Circle to Wisconsin and Nebraska Avenues via the routing and schedule that existed prior to September 25, 2011. This change will restore the connection between Cathedral Avenue and Tenleytown requested by customers.

On the Park Road Brookland Line, Routes H8 and H9, several trips that operate only on days when Carroll High School is open will be discontinued due to low ridership. The affected trips are the H8 departures from Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Station at 11:33 a.m. and 2:47 p.m. and H9 trips from Carroll High School at 11:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.

In addition, the following trips on the H8 and H9 will be discontinued due to low ridership:
• Departing Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Station at 2:31 and 3:06 a.m. on Fridays and at 2:35 and 3:08 a.m. on Saturdays.
• Departing Mount Pleasant at 2:28 and 3:03 a.m. on Fridays and at 2:36 and 3:09 a.m. on Saturdays.

Routes 62, 64, A4, D2, D8, G2, U4, U5, W2, W6, W8: Certain late Friday and Saturday night trips will be eliminated due to low ridership. Click the link for details.