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.

Want a cheaper commute? First, repeal this roadblock.

Each day, rail lines and buses ferry millions of Americans between their homes and workplaces. But in major cities, these critical systems are staring at a fiscal crunch. Ridership remains well below pre-pandemic levels and fare revenue has plummeted while operating costs surge. Read more...
Marc Scribner, May 13, 2026, The Washington Post

USDOT issues $28.5 million NOFO for grants through Pilot Program for TOD Planning

The department notes that pilot program supports FTA’s goal of improving America’s communities through public transportation by providing funding to local communities to integrate land use and transportation planning with a new fixed-guideway or core-capacity transit capital investment. Read more...
May 12, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine

RFK transit proposal skips new Metro station, focuses on upgrades

Among the proposed upgrades are new escalators, elevators and stairs at the Stadium-Armory Metro station, along with expanded mezzanines and improvements to the station’s north entrance, according to the study. Read more...
Isabel Soisson/Bob Barnard, May 12, 2026, Fox 5 News

Bus riders deserve better information

For many, especially those without a smartphone, easy access to information at bus stops can be the deciding factor in whether to make that extra trip. Read more...
Luke Zeigler, May 12, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

No new Metro station planned for RFK Stadium site, but new Gold Line bus service proposed to handle crowds

The proposal also leans heavily on buses. Metro is recommending a new bus rapid transit line, called the Gold Line, with dedicated lanes along H Street NW and Benning Road NE to connect the stadium to Union Station. That would include setting aside and even painting red bus lanes to keep buses moving and out of traffic.  Read more...
Mike Murillo, May 12, 2026, WTOP

Commuters in Crystal City impacted by work on Metro, long bridge

Two major projects are hitting a new gear in Northern Virginia, and that means changes and delays for commuters, but project leaders say there is light at the end of the tunnel. Read more...
Adam Tuss, May 11, 2026, NBC4 Washington

MDOT MTA completes rail installation on Maryland Purple Line

The Purple Line in Maryland is one step closer to completion, as the final segment of rail was installed at the future Purple Line 16th Street – Woodside Station on May 7, marking the completion of the installation of 193,100 feet of track connecting Prince George’s and Montgomery, Md., counties.  Read more...
Brandon Lewis, May 11, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine

New VDOT map hub a powerful tool for riders

This user-friendly, mobile-ready tool brings together a wide range of biking and walking data into one place, making it easier than ever to explore routes, understand conditions, and see what’s planned across Virginia. Read more...
May 12, 2026, Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling

Metro to roll out redesigned website, Metro Pulse app to simplify trip planning, improve customer experience

Both the site and app were revamped with customer input in mind and focus on what matters most to customers: how to get around on Metro, fares, and customer support. Read more...
May 11, 2026, WMATA

Amtrak celebrates America's 250th anniversary with newly wrapped train

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy unveiled the Freedom 250 Acela train on Thursday morning. Read more...
May 7, 2026, 13 News Now

More regional funding for west entrance to Ballston Metro set for approval

The second Ballston-MU station entrance is planned for the intersection of Fairfax Drive and N. Vermont Street. Construction is slated to begin later this year and run through 2029. Read more...
Scott McCaffrey, May 8, 2026, ARLNow

The new website Find The Right Bike helps you navigate the route to a car-lite or car-free lifestyle

In 2024, Viktor Köves began a project of interviewing and photographing Chicagoans of all walks of life with their bicycles. His goal: demystify city riding for everyday needs and get more people on bikes.  Read more...
Sharon Hoyer, May 7, 2026, Streetsblog USA

Metro resumes Crystal City construction project with shuttles replacing trains for six weekends

Crystal City will be closed to build a second entrance?at the station?as part of Arlington County’s Crystal City Sector plan.?The new entrance will accommodate growing ridership at the station, support new development in the area, and play a key role in a broader effort to make Crystal City a walkable community. Read more...
May 8, 2026, WMATA

The last bit of track, finally, is laid for the Purple Line

After a decades-long planning process dogged by resistance, the project broke ground in 2017 with an expected opening five years later.  Read more...
Sophia Solano, May 7, 2026, The Washington Post

County leaders vote reluctantly to trim Fairfax Connector bus service

County Executive Bryan Hill had proposed reducing Connector service by 48,500 hours in his advertised fiscal year 2027 budget, stating that adjustments on 13 “low-performing” routes would affect an estimated 600 passengers per day. Read more...
Scott McCaffrey, May 8, 2026, FFXNow

A major win for active transportation

On May 5, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors took a landmark step toward a safer, healthier, and more connected future by approving the Active Fairfax Transportation Plan Study. For everyone who bikes, walks, rolls, runs, or uses micromobility to get around Fairfax County, this is a big deal. Read more...
May 8, 2026, Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling

Purple Line connecting Montgomery, Prince George's counties another step closer to reality

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said connection is one the goals of the project. “We’ve had, for a very long time, the Metro system that has those north-south spikes, but the whole idea of the Purple Line was we needed to connect communities east to west, in many cases, communities that had been left behind,” Van Hollen said. Read more...
Kyle Cooper, May 7, 2026, WTOP

MDOT MTA launches Rider Experience Lab to gather rider feedback

“Riders are at the center of everything we do,” said MTA Administrator Holly Arnold. “This program creates another way for us to incorporate the voice of our riders as we continue to build a transit system that is responsive to the communities we serve.”  Read more...
May 6, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine

Alexandria participating in Bike to Work Day with prizes, giveaways next week

The free event “encourages the public to consider bicycle commuting as an affordable, fun, and environmentally friendly mode of transportation to get to work,” according to a city announcement. Read more...
Katie Taranto, May 6, 2026, ALXNow

In this economy? Consider the bicycle

Gas prices may rise and fall. Markets may fluctuate. But the bicycle remains—quietly, steadfastly, waiting in your garage or on your rack. Read more...
May 6, 2026, Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling

Red Line service suspended between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights this summer

At an informational meeting held in Bethesda Wednesday evening, officials said they plan to install dedicated bus lanes along portions of MD 355 to help support the shuttles. Read more...
Josh Rosenthal, May 6, 2026, Fox 5 News

Transit Diary: The good, the bad, and the nonexistent M Street bike lane

The lack of a bike lane on M Street is not a minor inconvenience or a niche-cyclist issue; it is a safety crisis that needs to be treated as such. Read more...
Grace Freeman, May 6, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

Metro wants to fully automate the Red Line; there's already a train doing that in the DMV

“Have you ever been to Dulles Airport and gone between terminals? You’ve been on a train without an operator,” Metro general manager Randy Clarke said on April 23 after the transit agency’s board of directors approved a $913 million plan that could bring full automation and platform screen doors to the Red Line as early as 2032. Read more...
Tom Roussey, May 5, 2026, ABC7 News

Montgomery County completes transit depot microgrid project

“This microgrid project will support the county’s very aggressive zero-emission bus transition goal of having an emission free fleet by 2035,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. "We are aggressively moving towards cleaner energy and cleaner transportation, and we are leading the way. This project is a model for counties nationally.”  Read more...
May 5, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine

Tysons commuters encouraged to cycle for National Bike Month

For National Bike Month, the community development organization has launched a “Tysons Trek & Treat” challenge where commuters can win prizes for traveling via bike, walking, scooter or other methods of transportation that don’t involve sitting alone in a car. Read more...
Angela Woolsey, May 5, 2026, FFXNow

Road pricing in DC will benefit drivers the most

On March 10, Mayor Muriel Bowser released a long-suppressed report on how road pricing could work in Washington, DC. There’s a lot to unpack in its 101 pages, but a crucial topline is that drivers in the region, especially those in Virginia and Maryland, stand to benefit most if the District charges them for their trips downtown. Read more...
Kai Hall, May 4, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

Never mind the new technology, does the bus run on time?

With so many new, transformative forms of transportation tech, mobility experts caution, don’t forget about the basics like a fast, frequent and comprehensive bus system, or finished sidewalks. Read more...
Skip Descant, May 4, 2026, Government Technology

Capital Bikeshare expanding to Mason District, Mount Vernon Trail

The remaining 11 stations will widen the rental bicycle system’s presence in southern Fairfax County, with additional locations in Huntington and Belle Haven and along the Mount Vernon Trail. Read more...
Angela Woolsey, May 4, 2026, ALXNow

New shuttle between King Street Metro and George Washington's Mount Vernon launches Friday

Starting this Friday, May 8, $10 roundtrip shuttle tickets will be available with service to Mount Vernon on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through June. Each shuttle departing the King Street Metro station can hold up to 20 passengers for an approximately 20-minute ride to the historic estate. Read more...
James Cullum, May 4, 2026, ALXNow

18 Ride On bus schedules to change in Montgomery County

18 Ride On bus route schedules across Montgomery County are set to change on Sunday, May 3, according to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). MCDOT said these changes aim to improve efficiency and provide more reliable service in high-demand areas. Read more...
Kaitlyn Dillon, May 1, 2026, DC News Now

Road closures start today for VRE bridge replacement project at Alexandria Union Station

Additional construction periods with road closures are scheduled from 7 a.m. Friday, May 15, to 10 p.m. Monday, May 18, and from 7 a.m. Friday, May 29, to 10 p.m. Monday, June 1. Read more...
James Cullum, May 1, 2026, ALXNow

Help represent FABB at Bike to Work Day pit stops

Bike to Work Day is one of the most visible biking events of the year. Thousands of riders—many trying biking for the first time—will be out on our roads and trails. Read more...
May 1, 2026, Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling

Metro expands contactless payments to include parking

Metro’s contactless payments are rolling out to parking garages.  Read more...
Adam Tuss, April 30, 2026, NBC4 Washington

Will labor unions destroy D.C. transit?

The Washington region’s Metro system has recovered from the covid pandemic better than most American transit agencies. Yet taxpayers who don’t take the train or bus are increasingly subsidizing those who do, and it’s not sustainable. Read more...
May 1, 2026, The Washington Post

Capital Bikeshare to open 27 new stations across Fairfax County

According to FCDOT, the expansion will include new stations in Annandale, Seven Corners, and Bailey’s Crossroads. Additional stations will also be added in the Belle Haven and Huntington areas, and along the Mount Vernon Trail.  Read more...
Kaitlyn Dillon, April 30, 2026, DC News Now

Good public transit + good public funding = good public health

The authors identified seven healthy outcomes directly linked to public transit — such as basic physical activity, cleaner air, fewer crashes and expanding social networks — but Danneberg emphasized that transit officials shouldn’t merely recite the list, but create messaging. Read more...
Jack Guan, May 1, 2026, Streetsblog USA

Metro celebrates expansion of Tap.Ride.Go. at parking facilities with College Park event

“Expanding Tap. Ride. Go. to our parking facilities is about making every part of the trip easier for customers,” said Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke. “From tapping to ride to tapping to park, we’re building a faster, more flexible experience across the system.”   Read more...
April 30, 2026, WMATA

Amtrak Virginia carried record number of passengers

Nearly 1.5 million people climbed aboard one of the four state-supported routes originating or terminating in Norfolk, Newport News, Richmond or Roanoke. It’s a nearly 8% increase from the previous year. Read more...
Brett Hall, April 28, 2026, WFXR

WMATA board approves $4.8B budget, no Metro bus/rail fare increase planned

The budget includes improvements on select Metro Bus routes in Washington, D.C., and Virginia, while rail riders will see increased weekday off-peak service on the Orange, Silver, and Blue lines, as well as additional late-night frequency on the Red Line. Read more...
April 29, 2026, The MoCo Show

HRT launches interactive map to tell story of transit

HRT notes that the interactive tool was created in partnership with  WSP USA Inc. and supports HRT initiatives to address long-term and sustainable funding for public transportation in Hampton Roads, including efforts such as the System Optimization Plan that’s aimed to drive efficiency and reduce costs. Read more...
April 29, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine

Bikeshare Beat: Spring temperatures revive Capital Bikeshare as traffic booms around 15th Street bike lanes

March’s Capital Bikeshare ridership more than doubled the trips taken in February 2026, but the system remains in a slump through the first quarter of the year. CaBi has now experienced year-over-year ridership decreases for seven consecutive months. Read more...
Samuel Littauer, April 29, 2026, Greater Greater Washington

WMATA board approves $4.8 billion FY27 operating budget

WMATA notes that the approved budget reflects its commitment to financial management and efficiency. While working within regional economic constraints and still improving service, this budget increases jurisdictional subsidy to less than 1.8%, notably below the inflation rate and the 3% regional target. Read more...
April 28, 2026, Mass Transit Magazine