Metro Service: 6/23

Due to yesterday's fatal Metro collision, service on the Red Line will be disrupted during the AM peak, if not longer. Additionally, there will be NO BRUNSWICK LINE service on the MARC commuter rail. 

The Red Line will operate in two separate segments: from Glenmont to Silver Spring and from Shady Grove to Rhode Island Avenue. Free shuttle buses will connect Rhode Island Avenue, Brookland, Fort Totten, Takoma, and Silver Spring Stations. Trains on the Red Line will be operating 8-10 minutes apart, quite a bit less than the normal 2-3. Passengers can expect overcrowded conditions. 

Passengers should try to keep to alternate routes if possible. Shuttles will likely be overcrowded, so patrons should try the normal bus routes. 

Alternatives include:

• 70s Line, Georgia Avenue/7th Street: Archives to Silver Spring
• S Line, 16th Street: Downtown to Silver Spring
• C4: Twinbrook to Wheaton to Prince George's Plaza
• C2: Twinbrook to Wheaton to College Park
• J1: Medical Center to Silver Spring
• J2, J3, J4: Bethesda to Silver Spring (J4 to College Park)
• Q2: Rockville to Wheaton to Silver Spring

Red Line Collision Mars Commute

The big news of the evening was a collision between two Red Line trains on the DC Metro. The most recent reports tally 6 deaths and more than 70 injuries. The crash between two inbound trains occurred under the New Hampshire Avenue overpass, just north of Fort Totten station. The accident happened at about 5:02p. 

I work in Silver Spring, a Red Line stop north of the crash site. I live in DC's Petworth neighborhood, just off the Green Line. At the time of the accident, I was still at work, although I was preparing to leave. Every day I travel over this stretch of track, and my commute was quite a bit longer this evening. I thought I'd post a few of my observations from today.

Firstly, I found out about the incident not from WMATA, but from Maryland's MTA. The MTA operates MARC commuter trains, and I'm subscribed to their service announcements. They announced that Brunswick Line trains would be holding at Union Station indefinitely due to the incident. 

Needing to know how to get home, I tried Metro's website, which was receiving so much traffic that it refused to load. Originally, WTOP reported that trains were operating between Glenmont and Takoma, where I could transfer to my local bus line (50s Line). However, when I got to Silver Spring Metro, the station manager just repeatedly yelled "No Trains, No Trains, No Trains." There was no crowd of people, he just kept repeating it. When I approached, he just repeated it with more focus. This was despite the fact that I could hear the train operator upstairs announcing that her train was going to Glenmont. And while the vast majority of commuters do travel toward DC, some do commute to Glenmont. Therefore it was not entirely expedient to announce "No Trains." 

I met my boyfriend, who also works in Silver Spring, at the nearby McDonald's. He had left work at 5:00, and gone to Silver Spring like usual. He boarded a train, which was held "due to delays" for a few minutes. After about 10 minutes, the train was taken out of service, and everyone was told they would not be able to go downtown. Stranded, and unaware of local bus routes, he called his brother to come pick him up. I caught a ride with them to College Park, where I could catch the Green Line.

At the station, I was surprised to hear the announcements. They reported that due to a "train experiencing mechanical difficulties," major disruptions were occurring on the Red Line. Mechanical Difficulties? That's a bit light Metro. It also didn't jibe with the PIDS screens, which reported Red Line service disruptions because of "police activity at Fort Totten." It seems a bit disingenuous to underrepresent something like this. Most passengers have alternative methods to find out about these things (e.g. cell phones), and to attribute 6 deaths to "mechanical difficulties" is a bit of a stretch. 

I got off at Fort Totten, because I was curious. I walked toward the scene, to see what was visible. I passed a person waiting on the Shuttle, who wondered why he had to find out about this from his Aunt in Florida and not from Metro. I heard others on the news later espouse similar views. From Metro, mum was the word.

The area around New Hampshire and First NE was wild. News crews littered the fringe of the scene, with knots of onlookers scattered about. Most of the area closest to the overpass was roped off, with police, fire, and rescue personnel still working on the search for the injured. Walking further up, I eventually caught a glimpse of the rear of the second train, but I couldn't see the telescoped car. There were fire trucks and ambulances from several jurisdictions, including Kensington and Wheaton in Maryland. Also present was the Prince George's County Ambulance/Bus. 

Finally, I trekked back to Fort Totten, and rode the Green Line home. I'm not fearful of riding the Metro. In fact, I have little alternative, but it's still the safest mode of travel in the region. The last time an accident killed a Metro rider was in 1982. Hopefully it will be a lot longer until the next time. 

Photos from my trek. All photos are from/on Blair Road south of Oglethorpe Street.

The next one is actually from 1st and New Hampshire NE.

Transit Alert: Rockville MARC to Remain Open

New information has come to light in regards to the Rockville MARC Station renovations. MTA clarified this morning that the station will remain open. Trains will continue to stop at Rockville, however tickets will not be able to be purchased at the station until after the renovations are complete.

These renovations do not have a timeline yet, but will result in the construction of a waiting room with seating for passengers and the installation of self-serve ticketing kiosks. Rockville will not have a ticket agent after March 6.

I apologize for any confusion that my earlier posting my have caused. I hope you'll continue to visit Track Twenty-Nine for the scoop on transit.

I strive to bring you the most accurate information possible here at Track Twenty-Nine. Part of that means sending out occasional updates for major changes in transit services in the region. When I got an email from MTA last week which referenced Rockville's impending closure, I emailed them to confirm. They responded, saying that the "Rockville Station" would be closed for the duration of the renovations.

It appears that they actually meant "ticket office." Today's email clarifed that the Rockville ticket office would remain closed through the end of the renovations.

In my opinion, MTA needs to work on its communications. This case in an excellent example. Please see the below emails I received from MTA.

MTA Broadcast Email to MARC Subscribers,
Friday, February 27, 3:03PM

Attention MARC Commuters; The following MARC stations will no longer be staffed after the close of business on Friday March 6, 2009: Aberdeen, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Laurel, Martin Airport, Perryville, Rockville and Savage. Rockville Station will be closed temporarily for renovations. The "Self Serve Ticketing Kiosk" installation is complete and operational. The availability to purchase tickets will increase to both morning and evening hours, during MARC’s hours of operation. You will still be able to purchase a one-way ticket onboard the train with cash and without a penalty fee. MARC regrets any inconvenience this may cause.

Above emphasis added.

MTA Email Response to my Inquiry,
Monday, March 1, 9:59AM

The station will close at the end of the business day on Friday March 6th 2009. It will remain closed for renovations to the station, adding a waiting area with seating and a ticket machine. It will remain shut for a short while but we can not give you a
deadline at this time. We will send out a notice as soon as we have updated information. Thank you for your inquiry.

Above emphasis added.

I hope you can understand my confusion. I am sorry if I confused any of you.

Transit Alert: Rockville MARC Closing

Rockville MARC Station to Close for Renovations
MTA Maryland has announced that they will be closing the Rockville MARC commuter rail station for renovations after the last outbound train this Friday, March 6. This closure is temporary and will add ammenities to the station. The project will add a waiting area with seating and ticket machine. The station will be closed during the duration of the construction, but MTA does not have a firm deadline for reopening at this time. I'll keep you posted.

Passengers wishing to board at Rockville can take Metro's Red Line downtown or can travel to other nearby stations, including Washington Grove and Garrett Park.

Some MARC Stations to be Unstaffed
MTA also announced on Friday that a number of stations will no longer be staffed with ticket agents after the end of rail service on Friday, March 6. Quicktrak ticket machines have been installed in all of these locations, and despite the loss of ticket agents, passengers will now be able to purchase tickets during increased hours. Apparently, at these locations, you will still be able to buy your ticket onboard without being assessed the surcharge.
These stations will no longer be staffed:

• Aberdeen (Penn)
• Gaithersburg (Brunswick)
• Germantown (Brunswick)
• Laurel Main Street (Camden)
• Martin State Airport (Penn)
• Perryville (Penn)
• Rockville (Brunswick)
• Savage (Camden)

UPDATE: 3/4, 12:30P
A revised email from MTA Maryland clarifies that when
they said "Station" in their earlier email, they really meant "Ticket
Office."

The Rockville MARC Station will remain open during the
duration of the construction, however, tickets will not be sold at the station
until completion of the renovation.

More Purple Line Debate

Thursday, the Montgomery County Planning Board held a public hearing on the Purple Line. At the meeting 43 people spoke about the transit route, which, when completed, will span the inner ring of northern suburbs from Bethesda and Silver Spring in Montgomery County to College Park and New Carrollton in Prince George's County.

This week, the Board will vote on a resolution deciding which mode and alignment they prefer. The Montgomery County Council will also vote on this at a later date, but ultimately the final decision rests with Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley.

The Issues

At issue right now with the Purple Line in Montgomery are the following:

• Mode: Bus Rapid Transit or Light Rail
  
• Western End: Georgetown Branch ROW or lanes on Jones Bridge Road
  
• Bike Facilities: Bike/Ped trail should go through Bethesda tunnel or along Elm Street
  
• East Silver Spring: Street running trains/buses along Wayne or in subway
  
• Dale Drive: Should the station be deleted or included?
  

As for mode, Light Rail saves time and will carry more passengers. It mostly gets its own right-of-way in MTA plans and is a familiar technology to them--they operate Baltimore's Light Rail system. On the bus front, BRT would operate along the region's streets, in lanes dedicated for their use in most places. They would most likely be powered using hybrid or CNG technology. Overhead caternary (as is common on the west coast) is not being considered for the buses.

BRT in Ottawa, Ontario

When it comes to the western end of the transitway, all of the light rail alternatives go directly to Bethesda from Silver Spring along the abandoned Georgetown Branch (of the B&O Railroad) ROW. BRT alternatives travel along that right-of-way from Silver Spring to Jones Bridge Road, where they then deviate, traveling along Jones Bridge Road to the National Naval Medical Center before turning south to travel along Wisconsin Avenue to Bethesda.

With regard to the Light Rail option, the current Georgetown Branch Trail (bikeway/pedway) would not share the tunnel under Downtown Bethesda with trains if the medium investment option is selected. Many are calling for it to be included anyway. In this case, the trail would be elevated above trains within the tunnel. If not selected, bikes would detour via Elm Street, rejoining the Capital Crescent Trail at Woodmont Avenue.

Light Rail in Charlotte, North Carolina

Between Silver Spring and University Boulevard, both the BRT and Light Rail options have few options to navigate the suburban development. Planners have called for a route along Wayne Avenue, with a tunnel in the Manchester Place area. The MTA says that tunneling would make the project too expensive, but there has been a lot of opposition to having street-running trains or buses along Wayne.

A station along that segment of the route at Dale Drive would be less than 1/2 mile from stations in either direction. To minimize impact, many have called for its deletion. Passengers from that area would have a walk of about 10 minutes to reach stations at Manchester Place or Fenton Village.

The Hearing
I had the opportunity of attending the Public Hearing last Thursday, and I kept track of what people's comments favored and opposed. I didn't tally everything they said, but I did make note anytime someone mentioned one of the hot-button issues. I only counted a tally if they specifically mentioned one of the issues I was considering. If someone, therefore, supported the "medium investment" light rail alternative, I tallied that as a vote for light rail, but not one for the Georgetown Branch alignment.

It should be pointed out that this is in no way a scientific survey and it does not include comments submitted in writing (but not verbally) to the Planning Board.

Of the 43 commenters, almost everyone spoke in favor of the Purple Line, in some shape or form. One commenter supported it, but did question the wisdom of building it now, with the economy and state finances in shambles. Another person just asked the Planning Board to provide her with studies showing that train vibrations wouldn't cause her house to fall in or result in a takings later. So, despite the divisive debate (dubbed a "war" by some), people are generally in favor of an east-west transitway across Washington's Maryland suburbs.

With regard to the "Trail" alignment between Jones Bridge Road and Bethesda, commenters who opposed that alignment almost uniformly supported BRT. Some 9 commenters spoke against this alignment, while 10 spoke in favor of BRT. They were outnumbered, with 13 speaking in favor of the alignment using the Georgetown Branch Trail right-of-way and 20 speaking in favor of light rail.

Wayne Avenue proved to be less contentious than I had predicted. Comments were evenly split, with 5 people on each side of the debate. Of the 5 opposing street-running trains/buses on Wayne, 4 called for a resolution supporting further study of tunnel options (remind anyone of Tysons?) One person, who supported street-running LRT, incidentally, suggested that further study would only lead to further study and in a decade, he said, we'd still be studying whether to build it above ground or below.

Reflections
I think that commenters on both sides brought up excellent points. There are a few things worth mentioning here.

Tree cover: The Chevy Chase opponents all decried the loss of trees which will result from building the line along the Georgetown Branch between Jones Bridge Road and Bethesda. This is a valid argument, and it concerns me to some degree. How will MTA deal with the loss of shady, oxygen-producing trees?

Saving the trail: Petitions to the contrary, cyclists spoke in favor of the Purple Line along the Georgetown Branch. It will result in improved crossings at major intersections, such as Jones Bridge Road and Connecticut Avenue. Additionally, it will result in the completion of the gap between Lyttonsville and Silver Spring, allowing cyclists a continuous bikeway from Union Station to Georgetown, via Silver Spring and Bethesda, once the Metropolitan Branch Trail is completed. He pointed out that petitioners don't explain that the Purple Line will result in grade-separated crossings, a paved surface, and perhaps a wider trail--they only say that this transit project will destroy the Georgetown Branch Trail. After all, the county purchased the ROW from the railroad in 1988 with the intent of building a rail transit link. The trail was just put there as a temporary measure (although Montgomery County is dedicated to keeping it alongside the Purple Line). As a matter of fact, it's not even a park--the trail property belongs to the county Department of Transportation.

Keeping the trail: Previous paragraph aside, it is important to consider the ICC bikeway, which bit the dust after it was determined that a 12'-wide bikeway adjacent to a 6-lane tollway would result in environmental degradation. What is to stop MTA from cancelling the trail later to reduce the footprint of the Purple Line? One commenter pointed out that as far as trails go, Maryland has a "credibility problem."

Trains, Buses, and NIMBYism: Commenters also noted that those Chevy Chasers so vehemently opposed to Light Rail on the Georgetown Branch support BRT on Jones Bridge Road because it won't detract from the trail. But the fact of the matter is that BRT on Jones Bridge still runs alongside the trail on the Georgetown Branch from Jones Bridge Road to Silver Spring, including its passage through Rock Creek Park. Besides, with buses along this portion of the trail, they'll be spewing exhaust right next to cyclists and joggers. Apparently, Chevy Chasers only care about the trail in their neighborhood. This suggests to me (and it shouldn't surprise anyone) that the Town of Chevy Chase doesn't support BRT because of its merits, but because it doesn't go through their neighborhood. I wonder if they'd still call for buses over trains if the BRT alternatives also used the Georgetown Branch ROW between Jones Bridge and Bethesda?

Don't fear the train: One commenter has young children and lives on Wayne Avenue in East Silver Spring. She testified in favor of street-running LRVs on Wayne, surprisingly. Apparently, she has lived along one of San Francisco's Muni lines and thinks that Wayne will be safer with light rail on the surface than it will be underground. This argument could easily be extended to the UM campus, where fights to reroute the Purple Line have been going on for years. Of course, if we're so afraid that a few trains will kill pedestrians, it's a wonder we allow cars, eh?

MTA Announces MARC Cuts

As I reported before, due to a severe budgetary situation, MTA Maryland had proposed cuts to MARC Commuter Rail service despite ridership being higher than it has been in years. The actual cuts have proven not to be as bad as the original proposal, but even this proposal is disappointing for a region with growing commuter rail ridership.

I've listed the proposed cuts to MARC service below:

Overall Service:

• No service will be offered on federal holidays
• No service will be offered on the Friday after Thanksgiving
• No service will be offered on December 26
• The 10-Trip ticket will be discontinued

Penn Line:

• Train #447 (9:30p departure; Balt.->Wash.) is cancelled
• Train #448 (11:00p departure; Wash.->Balt.) is cancelled
• Local stop Train #410, will depart Washington 15 minutes later at 8:30a
• Limited stop Train #412 (8:45a Wash. departure) is cancelled

Camden Line:

• The midday bus from Odenton (Penn Line) to Laurel will be discontinued
  

Brunswick Line:

• Train #871 (1:45p departure; Wash.->Bruns.) is cancelled Monday - Thursday. Service will continue to operate as scheduled on Fridays
• As a condition of retaining two trains to West Virginia stations, passengers boarding at Harpers Ferry, Duffields, and Martinsburg will pay an additional fare. For a one-way ticket, the fare will increase by $2 at each of these stations. Weekly and monthly tickets will increase by $20 and $80, respectively

Dead Week/Disappointment

It's a busy time of the year for everyone, I suppose, and so the past few days have been light on blogging and blog reading for me. Next week is the last week of the semester at Maryland, meaning that my final classes are this week. When I was at Georgia Tech, we called the week prior to finals "Dead Week." It certainly will be dead for Track Twenty-Nine, although I'll try and get back to blogging more next week as my class obligations end.

But despite my lack of time this week, I want to express some frustration. I'm not the only one around to be doing so, either.

You see, on November 4, I stood in line in the cold and voted for change. While I waited with my neighbors and fellow disenfranchised citizens (in DC), I thought back to the first time I voted for Barack Obama, on a snowy day in March, during the Potomac Primary. It was cold then, too. But I felt that I was casting a ballot which would help to thaw America from the icy clutch of the Republicans. For 8 long years, they stood with the reigns of power, and created public policy in the transportation, energy, and urban policy areas which made me want to vomit.

So on November 4, I was out in the streets cheering when CNN called the election for Obama. It was raining, but we didn't care here in DC. Getting wet that cold November evening didn't matter. We had won! After 8 years of strife, victory was at hand. Change was in the air. In a matter of months, a new era would start in America--an era of growing environmental consciousness, of reinvestment in our cities, of policies for the people--instead of for corporate executives.

Now, I'm not so sure that I got what I voted for. To be certain, Mr. Obama has not yet taken office, and much is still unknown about his policies, but I am worried.

In a speech on Saturday, the President-Elect called for investment. But I did not hear a call for anything remotely like the Second System. Instead I heard a call that hearkens back to the Eisenhower Administration.

"We will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in
our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in
the 1950s. We’ll invest your precious tax dollars in new and smarter ways, and
we’ll set a simple rule – use it or lose it. If a state doesn’t act quickly to
invest in roads and bridges in their communities, they’ll lose the money.”

Granted, Obama did not actually call for investment in the federal highway system. But he did use it as an example. Where are his calls for high speed rail? Where are his examples of the UMTA transit program of the 1970s that gave us BART, Metro, and MARTA? The program that gave us LRT in San Diego, in Pittsburgh, in San Francisco?

In a world where highway building has been the status-quo for over 5 decades, the lack of mention of transit does not bode well. For the last 7 years, Mr. Bush has called for Americans to reduce their dependence on foreign oil in each of his States of the Union. Not once did he ask Americans to try transit--nor did he do much to increase the supply of transit. Do we face another 4 years of the same?

Mr. Obama says that if communities don't invest in roads and bridges, they'll lose federal dollars. I fear that if they don't invest in transit, they'll lose their communities. But where are Mr. Obama's pledges of money to fund transit projects that are in design?

According to today's Washington Post, Maryland and Virginia have new hopes for road projects cancelled by the recent downturn. Excuse me? What about the major cuts to MARC service proposed by MTA? Shouldn't we be hoping for a stimulus that would at least keep transit service at today's levels, especially in the face of vast increases in ridership?

Just yesterday, the Post ran a story about transit ridership across the nation--it's up, way up. In heavy rail, LA leads the pack with a 14.1% increase over last year. Baltimore's light rail leads with an increase of 19.6%. The Railrunner in Albuquerque leads with a huge increase of 35.8%. For the Post's editorial board, the evidence is clear and convincing. They're calling for investment in transit. The Post rightly points out, that any fast-acting stimulus penalizes transit because of the hoops we've created for those projects to jump through. And while Obama might be the likeliest candidate to change that situation, he has so far shown no inclination to fund a transit stimulus.

Even though VMT is dropping and transit ridership is increasing, Mr. Obama wants to give states money to widen highways, like I-66 and I-95, but doesn't see fit to give a few federal dollars to stop the elmination of already-crowded commuter trains running alongide these corridors.

Indeed, with all this talk of infrastructure spending to rival the New Deal, why haven't we heard about his pick for Secretary of Transportation? If we're really going to invest in our transportation infrastructure like Eisenhower did, why isn't Mary Peters' replacement already drawing up plans?

I'm still holding out hope for a Transportation Secretary like Jim Oberstar or Earl Blumenauer, but with Obama's talk of highway spending, I'm afraid we'll get someone more like Robert Moses.

I haven't yet given up hope for change. But I also haven't heard much since November 4 to suggest that change is really coming, at least to transportation policy. And in this time of high ridership and demand for government infrastructure investment, that would be a shame. This is the chance of a generation to change the way our cities are structured--we cannot afford to squander that opportunity just to build more highways. Not if we have any hope for redesigning cities to survive into the 21st century--a century guaranteed not to be the century of cheap oil.

MTA Light Rail Service Improves

Last week, I reported on MTA's Light Rail disruptions up in Baltimore. Service will be much improved starting Sunday, November 23 2008. The Penn-Camden Shuttle will still not operate, and many trains will only be one car long, but service to Hunt Valley has been restored.

Trains will operate every 15 minutes between Hunt Valley and Linthicum and every 30 minutes on the branches to BWI and Cromwell/Glen Burnie.

MTA Light Rail Disruptions

Track Twenty-Nine does not typically cover Baltimore, but our friends further up the bay are having some major transit issues that I think warrant a post.

This weekend, MTA Maryland, the agency which runs Baltimore's transit system announced that due to emergency maintenance on their light rail vehicles, major service cuts would be going into effect immediately. These cuts are temporary, but MTA has not yet announced a timetable for renewal of services.

As of November 15, all light rail services north of North Avenue are canceled. A shuttle bus will take passengers to all stops north of North Avenue. Additionally, no service will be provided on the Penn-Camden Shuttle. Buses will take passengers between Penn Station and Mount Royal/U of B Station. On the rest of the light rail system, one-car trains will be in operation, with the potential for serious overcrowding.


Apparently the cause of these disruptions is damage to the wheels of MTA's LRVs caused by "Slippery Rail Season." This season is recognized by many transit agencies, including WMATA, as the time of the year when falling leaves get ground to mush on the tracks. This causes rails to be slippery and reduces traction and braking power to trains. According to MTA, their LRVs are more prone than other systems to be damaged by slippery rail season.

MTA reports that staff are working overtime to resolve the problem. While this is reassuring, I wonder what is being done to keep this problem from being manifested again next year.

If you're up in Baltimore, hang in there, hopefully service will be restored shortly.

*The Metro Subway is unaffected by these problems.