News

Regional transportation news stories compiled by CommuterPage.com. Subscribe to a daily email with the most recent news, recent ACCS blog posts, and upcoming events. Every CommuterPage.com News email includes an "unsubscribe" link.

Transit agencies across North America make rider experience upgrades

The Bus Stop Enhancement Program is a $20 million statewide initiative to modernize high-ridership bus stops with new amenities, including shelters, benches, solar lighting and real-time information displays. Read more...
Noah Kolenda, August 27, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine

Fairfax Connector is adding more hybrid-electric buses to its fleet

The buses, built by New Flyer Industries, were purchased with state funding, costing roughly $1.1 million each.The buses will have technology that allows them to use battery power in designated areas through geofencing. Read more...
Acacia James, August 27, 2026, FFXNow

Metro opens public comment on proposed new training facility on Pennsy Drive in Landover, Maryland

The project, located at 3636 Pennsy Dr. in Landover, Maryland, proposes demolition of the existing 350,000 square-foot warehouse facility owned by Metro. A new two-story, 380,000 square-foot structure will be built in its place.  Read more...
August 27, 2026, WMATA

VRE eyes more specialty trains for festivals and sporting events after IndyCar test

The Virginia Railway Express is eyeing more specialty train services for festivals and select sporting events following the stronger-than-expected interest it garnered for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix IndyCar race in D.C. Read more...
Nate Doughty, August 27, 2026, Washington Business Journal

Your guide to navigating Georgetown and D.C. transit like a local

After settling into Georgetown, it’s easy to find yourself stuck in the Georgetown bubble—walking to Leo’s, heading to class, and occasionally venturing down to M Street. But whether you’re heading to a museum, commuting to a job, or exploring a new neighborhood, getting around District of Columbia means learning to navigate its transportation options.  Read more...
Bennett Gilhuly, August 26, 2026, The Georgetown Voice

Metro hosts community open house to share information about RFK Campus redevelopment transit improvement plans

Proposed enhancements at the Stadium-Armory station include the installation of additional elevators, escalators, and a new mezzanine. A wider North entrance to the station is also under consideration. Together, these improvements would increase station accessibility and capacity, enabling customers to safely move from the RFK Stadium campus to trains. Read more...
August 26, 2026, WMATA

Family Biking Matters: Bring the joy of biking to your daily commute

Need help mapping a low-stress route? Check out our previous Family Biking Matters post on which route app you should use to find the safest bike routes wherever you might be headed. Read more...
Mark Sussman, August 26, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

I-95 express lanes could be expanded, turned into 2-way

Unlike other express lanes around Northern Virginia, I-95 is only inbound in the morning and outbound in the afternoon. Read more...
Adam Tuss, August 26, 2026, NBC4 Washington

Work is underway ahead of 9-day pause on Amtrak, VRE service between DC and Va.

The project is part of a larger effort to replace rail infrastructure that Amtrak says is at the end of its useful life. Crews have been making repairs and replacing components over the years, but Michalski said a full replacement is now the best option. Read more...
Mike Murillo, August 26, 2026, WTOP

Arlington's new microtransit program has provided 1,500 rides since April

The program offers rides in a large portion of northwestern Arlington and in the Westover neighborhood, with destinations including VHC Health and the Madison Community Center.  Read more...
Dan Egitto, August 26, 2026, ARLNow

Metro on track for upgrades near new RFK campus to avoid 2-hour nightmare after games

At a community event Tuesday in Southeast D.C., Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager Randy Clarke said plans to upgrade the existing Stadium Armory stop and create a new rapid bus line called the "Gold Line" are headed to the design phase. Read more...
Lianna Golden, August 26, 2026, ABC7 News

Some Amtrak trips to run from Alexandria instead of D.C. for nine days in October

Amtrak announced Monday that it will be replacing aging track components for nine days, prompting a service suspension at the control point between D.C. and Virginia. Work will start after service ends on Friday, Oct. 16 and be completed before morning service on Monday, Oct. 26. Read more...
Emily Leayman, August 25, 2026, ALXNow

All aboard Amtrak's sleeker, cleaner new trains

The $8-billion investment is expected to reduce trip times on multiple routes, though Amtrak did not say by how much, and the trains can reach speeds of up to 125 mph. Read more...
Benton Graham, August 19, 2026, Grist

Metro hears from neighbors of the new Commanders stadium site in DC

At the gathering of a few dozen people across the street from the Stadium/Armory Metro station, residents had a chance to speak directly with Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke and several other city officials on the current plans for the $3.8 billion development, which would also include retail and residential investments. Read more...
Alan Etter, August 26, 2026, WTOP

Survey: Drivers would take pay cut to avoid Northern Virginia commutes

While workers were willing to make financial sacrifices to reduce their commutes, fewer were willing to move to a less desirable neighborhood to shorten the trip. Thirty-six percent said they would make such a move. Read more...
August 19, 2026, Inside NoVa

What is the value of investing in transit?

The primary source of transportation funding is the federal gas tax, which has remained unchanged since 1993. However, if you are like most Americans, you probably didn’t know that — a national survey found that only 3% knew the federal gas tax rate hasn’t changed.  Read more...
Karen E. Philbrick, August 24, 2026, The Washington Post

Metro: L'Enfant Plaza station sees busiest Sunday ever during Freedom 250 Grand Prix

In total, the transit system moved around 1.15 million trips on both rail and bus on Saturday and Sunday. Read more...
Makea Luzader, August 24, 2026, DC News Now

FTA issues $665 million in funding to modernize ferry service, infrastructure

The FTA noted that it received 49 eligible project proposals in 16 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, totaling $1.1 billion in requests, from the notice of funding opportunity it released in April. Read more...
Noah Kolenda, August 24, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine

Amtrak work in October to cause significant service disruption into DC from the south

For a nine-day period in October, Amtrak will perform critical upgrades at the First Street Tunnel in D.C., meaning significant service reductions and train cancellations for those traveling between D.C. and points south, the passenger rail company said Monday. Read more...
Thomas Robertson, August 24, 2026, WTOP

Is a monthly Metro pass worth it?

A Monthly Unlimited pass is priced at 32 times your one-way fare, so it pays for itself once you take more than 32 one-way trips in a month, which is about 16 round-trip commuting days. Commute four or more days a week and the pass wins. Read more...
August 24, 2026, Next Metro

WMATA CEO calls for regional action as Metrobus fare evasion remains at 63%

Although overall ridership has fallen slightly during the past two years, paid rides reached a new post-pandemic high in June. The post received significant attention, prompting Clarke to respond with a series of thoughts on X. Read more...
August 21, 2026, The MoCo Show

IndyCar will race through Washington, D.C., for the first time in history. Here's how to watch.

The Freedom 250 Grand Prix takes place Sunday, Aug. 23, on a temporary 1.7-mile, seven-turn street circuit around the National Mall, with the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument serving as the backdrop. Read more...
Katrina Morgan, August 23, 2026, News Center Maine

Metrobus wants drivers to tell passengers the fare. Drivers say that's dangerous. Who's right?

These questions are at the center of an ongoing debate between WMATA and the union representing Metrobus drivers, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689. On one side, WMATA has this year been directing drivers to quote fares as part of a broader, system-wide crackdown on fare evasion; on the other, the union recently advised drivers not to comply, asserting that fare quoting increases the potential for passenger violence against drivers. Read more...
Jenna Lee, August 21, 2026, Washingtonian

Staunton's Amtrak station secures $15 million in rail funds

Repairs to the platform and canopy are planned, along with accessibility upgrades like a smoothed surface and tactile edge strips to meet ADA compliance. Read more...
Aila Miyabi, August 19, 2026, 29 News

Public transit is a public health solution

Every full bus removes dozens of cars from the road, reducing emissions and improving air quality, including removing tire particulate matter from our air. Read more...
Sergio Lopez/Charlotte (Jingqi) Liang, August 20, 2026, Ripple

WMATA pulls commemorative Freedom 250 Grand Prix Smart Trip cards after finding defect

Metro says they have removed all of the cards from the system, but they have made a small batch available at the L'Enfant Plaza station, which is where WMATA headquarters is located. Other retail locations will be added as they are identified. Read more...
Nick Bove, August 21, 2026, WUSA9

All aboard Amtrak's sleeker, cleaner new trains

Amtrak plans to begin rolling out 83 new trainsets, dubbed Airo, this fall, starting with eight on the Pacific Northwest’s Cascades route. The trains will eventually serve more than a dozen routes in places like New England, Pennsylvania, and much of the mid-Atlantic region.  Read more...
Matthew Patel, August 19, 2026, Misryoum

Amtrak re-opens East River Tunnel after year of construction

Over the past year, crews completely reconstructed the 116-year-old tunnel’s interior systems, including track, power, communications, drainage and structural elements. Read more...
Brandon Lewis, August 18, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine

Events: Celebrate new bike lanes in Alexandria

Here’s some good news for cyclists in Alexandria: The bike lane project on Holland Lane is now complete! The project added bike lanes and improved pedestrian crossings on the formerly four-lane road. Celebrate with a short ride looping from Atlas Brew Works in Carlyle Crossing along the project corridor.  Read more...
Tricia Chicka, August 17, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

Amtrak, cities and states get $5.3B in federal rail grants

Approximately $3.2 billion is allocated to improving highway-rail grade crossings, rail bridge repairs and replacement, station improvements and other projects. Read more...
Dan Zukowski, August 17, 2026, Smart Cities Dive

The unseen trip: Fighting back when the fare doesn't match the ride

Short ticketing hides in plain sight. A rider buys a cheaper ticket that covers only part of their trip, then quietly travels farther than they paid for. There are no gate jumpers or incriminating video evidence at first glance, just a small underpayment repeated millions of times across a given transit network. Read more...
Jeremy Mandell, August 18, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine

Students launch survey to improve bus service in Northeast Alexandria

The routes that service the area are also inconsistent and sometimes infrequent as Metrobus tangles into the DASH network. Headways for the DASH 33 and 34 are every 30 minutes, and traffic on the routes can lead to bunching, where a couple of buses arrive in a short time span.  Read more...
Brian Shi/Sohum Sundar, August 17, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

How WMATA could help reduce building emissions, starting in North Bethesda

WMATA’s sustainability goals are built around reducing transportation emissions, but in the Washington region, buildings account for 50% to nearly 70% of greenhouse gas emissions.  Read more...
Linda Cui, August 17, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

Virginia, DC drivers feel the sting as I-395 bridge work disrupts Express Lanes

Preparation and construction on the project began in late 2024 and early 2025. The extensive work includes repairing, resurfacing and reinforcing the bridge, along with new paint and signs and the installation of new railings, lighting and gutters. Read more...
Tom Roussey, August 17, 2026, ABC7 News

Amtrak recieves $5.3 billion for new trains, new tracks and infrastructure improvement

The funding includes $2.05 billion for equipment to fund 43 new trainsets, as well as bridge repair, signal and track improvements and new tracks, including several projects adding double tacks to improve bottlenecks. Read more...
Christine McLaren, August 16, 2026, Planetizen

Commuters, beware: New traffic pattern in place on MD-4 in Upper Marlboro

The new traffic pattern consists of two lanes in both directions while maintaining dual left-turn lanes on northbound MD 4 to Suitland Parkway, according to the State Highway Administration's website. Read more...
Jessica Albert, August 16, 2026, NBC4 Washington