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.

Virginia opens new Beltway express lanes, but link to Maryland in limbo

Starting Sunday, drivers can travel the Virginia side of the Beltway between Springfield and McLean on tolled express lanes, the biggest change to the highway around D.C. in over a decade. Read more...
Rachel Weiner, November 22, 2025, The Washington Post

Virginia starts construction in Alexandria to improve passenger rail

Plans call for a new fourth track extending for six miles between Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia, to increase capacity for Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express commuter trains; improvements at the Alexandria VRE station; and the replacement of two older railroad bridges adjacent to that station. Read more...
Dan Zukowski, November 21, 2025, Smart Cities Dive

Cutting federal transit funding won't close budget gaps — but will make transportation less affordable

These changes, which must be approved by Congress, would slash transit agencies’ budgets, cutting funding by 15 to 20 percent overall according to my analysis, leading to reduced services, delay of urgently needed repairs and improvements, and higher costs of living for millions of Americans. Read more...
Yonah Freemark, November 20, 2025, Streetsblog USA

Metro awarded $50.3 million federal grant to support bus fleet modernization

The funding will help Metro procure 50 new 40-foot diesel-electric hybrid buses, replacing aging vehicles that have exceeded their useful life. The new buses will be deployed throughout the region and will enhance Metro’s ability to provide safe, efficient, and reliable service for riders. Read more...
November 21, 2025, WMATA

$2 Billion announced for transit projects across the US

The funding, which will come from the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program and the Low or No Emission Grant Program, is set to be used to deliver 2,400 buses, as well as improvements for country-wide bus infrastructure and traffic congestion. Read more...
Joey Stoate, November 20, 2025, Bus News

WMATA launches Tap. Ride. Go. contactless fare payments on Metrobus after success on Metrorail

Since Tap. Ride. Go. launched for Metrorail in May, WMATA says that riders have used contactless payment for more than six million trips. Stations with high concentrations of tourist populations traveling through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Dulles International Airport, Arlington Cemetery and Navy Yard-Ballpark are seeing the highest usage rates since the launch. Read more...
November 20, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine

Weekend track work: Modified service on Green and Yellow lines; single tracking on Green, Orange, and Silver lines

Crews will conduct platform edge lighting replacement on the Orange and Silver lines and grout pad rehabilitation for smoother rides on the Green Line. Read more...
November 20, 2025, WMATA

I-495 Express Lanes extension to open Saturday before holiday rush

The 495 Express Lanes northern extension includes two new express lanes in each direction of I-495 that connect with the existing 14-mile 495 Express Lanes near the Dulles Corridor Interchange and extend north to the George Washington Memorial Parkway before the American Legion Bridge into Maryland. Read more...
Kyle Cooper, November 20, 2025, WTOP

Amtrak closes FY25 with record ridership, revenue

According to Amtrak, it saw $3.9 billion in total operating revenue that includes payments from state partners for state-supported routes, a 9.1% increase over FY24. The company also saw unaudited adjusted operating earnings improve by 15.1% over FY24.   Read more...
November 19, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine

Alexandria to receive $10.9 million in funding for DASH, senators announce

The funding is part of a near-$70 million package awarded through the United States Department of Transportation’s Low- or No-Emission Program and Buses & Bus Facilities Program.  Read more...
Katie Taranto, November 19, 2025, ALXNow

Metro, Rushmark Properties, EYA launch major transit-oriented redevelopment at West Falls Church

The Falls Church Gateway Partners will transform 24 acres of Metro-owned parking lots into a vibrant neighborhood that enhances transit accessibility and supports affordable housing. Read more...
November 19, 2025, WMATA

D.C. agencies endorse Metro modernization plan

“This is a pivotal moment for our region,” Metro general manager and CEO Randy Clarke said. “A reliable and well-funded Metro system is essential to our region’s economic vitality. These recommendations provide a roadmap to modernize our transportation network, deliver safer and more reliable service, and ensure Metro continues to connect people to opportunities for generations to come.” Read more...
Liz Carey, November 19, 2025, Transportation Today

Karantonis endorses $460M in annual Metro funding, but says the region needs more

The non-binding proposal sets two main goals: improving capital-projects funding for Metrorail while developing pathways to give the bus network priority over other vehicular traffic in congested corridors of the region’s roadways. Read more...
Scott McCaffrey, November 19, 2025, ARLNow

H Street corridor's biggest draw laments the DC Streetcar's last ride

The D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT) framed the streetcar termination as a budgetary and ridership issue. According to a DDOT spokesperson, “The mayor’s budget had funded the streetcar through July 2027, when the current contract was set to expire. But Council reduced that funding, forcing the District to exit the contract earlier than planned.”   Read more...
Ellen Tannor, November 18, 2025, The Wash

Trump Administration proposes to divert billions from mass transit to highways; advocates sound alarm

One proposal would eliminate the mass transit portion of the Highway Trust Fund and reallocate the money to road projects. A second would “eliminate the Federal Highway Administration's eligibility to fund transit projects and wants to prohibit states from using highway formula dollars for transit projects.” Read more...
Diana Ionescu, November 18, 2025, Planetizen

WMATA, Washington COG, NVTC endorse plan that provides $460 million to modernize, support DMV region's transit

The recommendations outline a unified regional position for a seamless transit network that supports economic growth, efficiency and safe, reliable access across the National Capital Region.  Read more...
Noah Kolenda, November 18, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine

Pop-up at West Alexandria Transit Center tomorrow offers more info on final design

Once complete, the six-bay center will serve several DASH and Metrobus routes and two Bus Rapid Transit routes, in addition to functioning “as a gathering place and crossroads for the community,” according to the center’s webpage.  Read more...
Katie Taranto, November 18, 2025, ALXNow

Paying for the bus just got easier: Tap. Ride. Go. contactless payment launches on Metrobus

Since Tap. Ride. Go. launched for Metrorail in May, customers have used contactless payment for more than 6 million trips. Stations with heavy visitor populations travelling through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Dulles International Airport, Arlington Cemetery, and Navy Yard-Ballpark are seeing the highest adoption rates.  Read more...
November 18, 2025, WMATA

Commuter bus fare increase begins Dec. 1

Beginning Dec. 1, Loudoun County Transit will increase the one-way trip fare by $1 for all commuter bus routes traveling to Crystal City, Rosslyn, the Pentagon and Washington, D.C. because of rising operational costs. Read more...
November 18, 2025, Loudoun Times- Mirror

New legislation passed in Prince George's County to protect cyclists in bike lanes

Prince George’s County leaders are making sure people riding their bikes can do so safely — that means banning cars from driving or parking in bike lanes. Councilman Eric Olson said that on Monday morning, council members voted unanimously to pass the new legislation. Read more...
Tim Reid, November 17, 2025, DC News Now

COG and Metro boards endorse plan to provide $460M to modernize Metro, transform regional transit

“This is a pivotal moment for our region,” said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke, “A reliable and well-funded Metro system is essential to our region’s economic vitality. These recommendations provide a roadmap to modernize our transportation network, deliver safer and more reliable service, and ensure Metro continues to connect people to opportunities for generations to come.” Read more...
November 17, 2025, WMATA

Groundbreaking ceremony held for portfolio of Virginia rail projects

The projects support VPRA’s Transforming Rail in Virginia (TRV) initiative and coincide with TRV’s Long Bridge Project, targeted for completion in 2030. The initiative aims to expand and improve rail service by separating passenger and freight trains. Read more...
Melina Druga, November 17, 2025, Transportation Today

Building more apartments near public transit can help address the housing crisis and climate change

Metro areas from Los Angeles to Boston have taken the lead in tying new housing developments to their proximity to public transit, often teaming up with developers to streamline the permitting process and passing policies that promote developments that include a greater number of units. Read more...
November 17, 2025, Daily Commercial News

Inside the huge new factory that will build DC's Metro trains

Hitachi recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the plant, offering a first look at the 307,000-square-foot facility. The huge building sits near a FedEx distribution center on what was until just a few years ago farmland. Read more...
Ike Allen, November 17, 2025, Washingtonian

App alerts Virginia drivers to blocked railroad crossings

Forty solar-powered sensors at railroad crossings in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Suffolk enable the app to alert users in real time when trains are blocking roadways. Read more...
Sandra J. Pennecke, November 14, 2025, Government Technology

Amtrak modernization efforts advance across the Northeast

The Washington project centers on the Ivy City Rail Yard, where crews start phased construction of a new maintenance facility described in more detail in Amtrak and Partners Break Ground on Ivy City Rail Yard Modernization Project in Washington, D.C. For many commuters, this still sounds abstract, but it directly underpins the coming Airo train rollout. Read more...
November 16, 2025, Railway Supply

One third of DC's Circuit Rideshare trips are to grocery stores

A rideshare program in Southwest Washington, D.C. helped local residents access grocery stores, with data from its two-year pilot showing that 32 percent of trips made using Circuit Rideshare were made to and from grocery stores. Read more...
Diana Ionescu, November 14, 2025, Planetizen

Metrorail's signaling system is showing its age. Here's why it needs a new one

Modern train control will make the system more reliable. This technology would replace these rooms filled with racks of relays and decaying wires with digital systems that allow trains to detect one another directly, rather than relying on track-based circuits. Read more...
Theresa Impastato, November 14, 2025, Greater Greater Washington

Officials break ground on railway improvement projects at Alexandria Amtrak station

Planned undertakings at the 120-year-old station include the construction of a fourth railway track, as well as the replacement of two aging railroad bridges at King Street and Commonwealth Avenue. The streets underneath the bridges are also slated for renovations. Read more...
Katie Taranto, November 13, 2025, ALXNow

As part of safety push, motor assist on DC e-bikes is slowing down

The city’s thousands of undocked e-bikes will have a limit on how fast they can go. Now, the boost feature on Lime e-bikes won’t be able to go faster than 18 miles per hour, the company said in a statement.  Read more...
Scott Gelman, November 13, 2025, WTOP

Fare free transit is great, but reliable services are better

Overall, removing the direct costs to transit riders should not be overlooked as a meaningful way to improve transit access. However, if local, state, and federal leaders are looking to improve livelihoods, they must build their transit systems and supporting policy platforms on what outcomes are most desired when it comes to improving transit services.  Read more...
Elisa Ramirez, November 12, 2025, Transportation for America

Study: Metro systems cut driving significantly more than other forms of transit

Using data from 400 cities, researcher Rafael Prieto-Curiel examined the share of car trips compared to active mobility and public transit. “In cities with a metro, the average share of car trips is 37%, compared to 50% in cities with trams only and 54% in cities without rail systems.” Residents of metro cities also use transit much more frequently.  Read more...
Diana Ionescu, November 12, 2025, Planetizen

MDOT selects development partners for Odenton MARC transit-oriented development

The group will work alongside MDOT, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and Anne Arundel County to renovate a 10-acre parking lot on the west side of the Odenton MARC Station into a connected development featuring new housing, retail and public spaces centered around accessible transit. Read more...
November 12, 2025, Mass Transit Magazine

N. Va. officials show initial support for proposed transit funding increases

Last week, both groups finalized proposals for dedicated funding for Metro and, in the case of the legislative subcommittee, the Virginia Railway Express and Northern Virginia’s regional bus systems. Read more...
Scott McCaffrey, November 12, 2025, FFXNow

Good transit is simple: lessons in good route design

If 97 percent of transit trips happen on a bus or a train, our mandate should be to ensure those trips are convenient, reliable and dignified. Frequent transit service gets you well on the way. If you want to keep going, sound route design is next. Read more...
Joshua Woods, November 11, 2025, Planetizen

Train travel surges as air travel chaos continues

Travelers at Union Station are making sure they get to their destinations on time, either by bus or on Amtrak. Read more...
Daniel Hamburg, November 11, 2025, DC News Now

No need for SmarTrip card, new payment coming to Metrobus

Metro is preparing to launch its “Tap. Ride. Go.” payment system on all Metrobuses by mid-November, according to a recent presentation to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board.  Read more...
Luke Lukert, November 11, 2025, WTOP

Fairfax City evaluates zero-fare policy for CUE buses as pilot is set to expire

CUE saw a steady decline in ridership between 2008 and 2020, according to James Gomez, transit project manager with the consultant Kimley Horn, which has been leading the evaluation. Ridership started increasing after the suspension of fare collection in 2020. Read more...
Acacia James, November 10, 2025, FFXNow

Payment options expanding for Metrobus riders in coming weeks

Despite the forthcoming change, Metro officials say they anticipate SmarTrip cards will remain the main payment option for the foreseeable future. To date, the new Tap-Ride-Go effort does not connect to employee transit benefits, but work is ongoing to enable that, Metro officials say. Read more...
Scott McCaffrey, November 10, 2025, ARLNow

Bus driver befriends curious kid who's now a fellow Metro employee

When Sam Mencimer was 10 years old, he took the 54 bus from Takoma to L’Enfant Plaza daily. Every day, he would have a whole host of questions for bus driver Joy Kenley. Fast forward 11 years, and Mencimer is now all grown up with a college degree and working in Metro’s signal engineering division.  Read more...
Alan Etter, November 7, 2025, WTOP

Travelers turn to trains, cars amid government shutdown

As Congress prepares to reach a potential deal to reopen the government, many travelers have already felt the weight of the US’s longest shutdown. Read more...
Lionel Donovan, November 9, 2025, WUSA9

Metro ridership sinks during shutdown, taking toll on D.C. businesses

As the stalemate in Washington continues and the shutdown drags on, the number of commuters — whose money is the lifeblood of public transit and the network of nearby businesses — has nose-dived, delivering another blow to a local economy that has already suffered a pummeling during the first phase of the Trump administration. Read more...
Olivia George/Federica Cocco, November 10, 2025, The Washington Post