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.

To increase job access, try dedicated bus lanes, this study says

Priority lanes for transit buses, if kept clear, can be key to increasing equitable access to employment opportunities, said researchers behind a March study from the Urban Institute. Read more...
Dan Zukowski, April 25, 2024, Smart Cities Dive

D.C. says axing Circulator won't hurt riders much. Some riders disagree.

The demise of the Circulator stems from Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s (D) $21 billion budget proposal for the next fiscal year, which would make cuts to many programs amid a projected multibillion-dollar budget deficit in the coming years. Read more...
Danny Nguyen, April 26, 2024, The Washington Post

Report examines cybersecurity in transit

“Public transportation agencies that are not currently taking cybersecurity risks seriously must invest in understanding their exposure and take action to build more resilient cybersecurity programs,” the report said.  Read more...
Melina Druga, April 26, 2024, Transportation Today

Metro avoids drastic cuts, but fares are going up in new, nearly $5B budget

Metro is also freezing hiring and wages, cutting administrative costs by $50 million and moving $181 million over from its preventive maintenance fund. The rest of the gap is being closed with a combined $463 million in funding promised by D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Read more...
Jacob Kerr, April 25, 2024, WTOP

Ward 8 residents cry foul in Circulator elimination

The Circulator bus system was born out of a desire of city governmental and business leaders in the mid-1990s to have a small transit system that could get residents and tourists around the downtown areas quicker than WMATA buses. Read more...
James Wright Jr., April 24, 2024, The Washington Informer

Metro unveils plans for dedicated bus lanes for commuters to get around Red Line summer shutdown

The Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma stations will all be closed over the summer, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Closures are expected to run from Jun. 1- Aug. 31.  Read more...
Matt Pusatory, April 24, 2024, WUSA9

Metrorail track work on four of six lines, station closures this weekend

On Saturday and Sunday, the work zones and station closures will change on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines. Four stations will be closed Saturday – Deanwood, Minnesota Ave, Benning Road, and Capitol Heights.  Read more...
April 24, 2024, WMATA

FTA recognizes transit agencies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Nearly 240 transit agencies participated in the FTA’s Sustainable Transit for a Healthy Planet Climate Challenge, which encouraged actions and investments to help tackle the climate crisis. Read more...
Melina Druga, April 24, 2024, Transportation Today

Seven miles of Georgia Avenue will have a bus-only lane this summer

Part of Georgia Avenue in Montgomery County will be converted into a designated bus lane this summer to accommodate the scheduled closure of the Metro’s Red Line north of Fort Totten, county and WMATA officials announced Tuesday. Read more...
Arya Hodjat, April 23, 2024, Washingtonian

How transit architecture impacts real and perceived safety

The article describes a failed SEPTA effort to deploy an AI-powered surveillance tool to scan for firearms in stations and trains, as well as how the architecture of stations can improve visibility and openness and make riders feel safer. Read more...
Diana Ionescu, April 23, 2024, Planetizen

Metro and transit partners announce travel alternatives for summer Red Line closure, additional bus only lanes to prioritize shuttles

In partnership with MDOT SHA, more than seven miles of bus only lanes will be created along sections of Georgia Ave between Glenmont and Silver Spring and adjustments to signal timing to prioritize buses.  Read more...
April 23, 2024, WMATA

Metro unveils plan to dampen impact of summer Red Line work that will shut down 5 stations

Metro says free shuttle buses traveling in special bus-only lanes through parts of Montgomery County, Maryland, will help riders affected by the shutdown of five Red Line stations this summer. Read more...
Thomas Robertson, April 23, 2024, WTOP

MTA riders raise concerns about proposed cuts to DC-bound bus routes

One of the chief concerns for riders who spoke to WTOP are that remaining lines will only serve the Capitol Hill and Pennsylvania Avenue areas without stops for those who work along North Capitol Street, Massachusetts Avenue and the K Street corridor. Read more...
Mike Murillo, April 23, 2024, WTOP

Navigating the summer shutdown: Metro's Red Line bus shuttle plan

The work will be executed in two phases. From June 1 through June 29, Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring, and Takoma stations will be closed.  Read more...
April 23, 2024, Source of the Spring

Metro ready for Red Line summer work, partners with MDOT, Montgomery County, DDOT to prioritize shuttle buses

Free, Local, and Limited-Stop Shuttle buses will be provided between Glenmont and Fort Totten, and free Express Shuttle buses will run directly between Silver Spring and downtown DC. Read more...
April 22, 2024, WMATA

What could the region do to ensure WMATA not only survives but thrives?

After Virginia’s General Assembly included $149.5 million for Metro in its recently released biennium budget, the three jurisdictions WMATA serves appear ready to close the agency’s $750 million budget gap that could have cut 67% of transit service in the nation’s capital.  Read more...
Wyatt Gordon, April 22, 2024, Greater Greater Washington

MTA riders raise concerns about proposed cuts to DC-bound bus routes

One of the chief concerns for riders who spoke to WTOP are that remaining lines will only serve the Capitol Hill and Pennsylvania Avenue areas without stops for those who work along North Capitol Street, Massachusetts Avenue and the K Street corridor. Read more...
Mike Murillo, April 23, 2024, WTOP

Senators introduce bill to make public transit more accessible

Nearly 20% of all transit stations in the U.S. aren't accessible to people with disabilities and don't fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities act, according to the Federal Transit Administration.  Read more...
Kris Van Cleave, April 22, 2024, CBS News

Pedal into spring with 2nd annual Pedal with Petals bike ride!

Pedal with Petals is returning for its vibrant second year in Tysons on Saturday, May 11.  Read more...
April 21, 2024, Fairfax Alliance of Better Bicycling

Google Maps introduces new transit, EV features

For electric car drivers, Google Maps will collect user-generated data to find the nearest EV charging locations, and, in some cases, real-time port availability. Read more...
Diana Ionescu, April 19, 2024, Planetizen

The state of e-scooters in the US

Eight years after shared e-scooters were first introduced in US cities, the industry still teeters on the edge of success, hindered in part by limited infrastructure. Read more...
Diana Ionescu, April 18, 2024, Planetizen

All aboard! Amtrak to possibly add new stops in Christiansburg and Roanoke

The Virginia Rail Authority said these routes would be an extension process down from Roanoke to the New River Valley and a new stop in Christiansburg. Read more...
Rachel Tillapaugh, April 18, 2024, ABC7 News

Fairfax supervisors urge General Assembly to reject Youngkin's proposed metro funding cuts

The General Assembly passed the FY 2024-2026 biennium budget in March which included $149.5 million from the state to address WMATA’s funding shortage in FY 2025 and FY 2026, according to the letter. Read more...
Acacia James, April 18, 2024, FFXNow

Prince William County board agrees to partially fund OmniRide budget shortfall

The agency – the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission – previously warned it will be forced to cut service if it can’t secure enough local funding to offset its rising costs, although it’s not immediately clear what those service cuts might look like. Read more...
Ben Peters, April 18, 2024, Inside NoVa

How transit agencies can get more people 'on board' with transit tech

Increasing usage of public transit has an important role to play in our fight against climate change, along with contributing to the vitality and resilience of cities.  Read more...
Konstantin Spasov, April 16, 2024, Metro Magazine

Capital Bikeshare offering new users free rides for limited time

Curious about trying a bikeshare service in the District? Capital Bikeshare says now is the perfect time — it’s offering new users a code to unlock a bike for free for a limited time. Read more...
Makea Luzader, April 17, 2024, DC News Now

Alexandria Transit Company Board approves FY 2025 Alexandria Transit Strategic Plan

Proposed service changes have been made by the Alexandria Transit Company, which operates DASH bus service and the King Street Trolley, as part of the Alexandria Transit Strategic Plan (ATSP) for Fiscal Year 2025.  Read more...
April 17, 2024, Mass Transit Magazine

New Fairfax County ordinance requires drivers to stop, rather than yield, for pedestrians

The new ordinance aligns Fairfax County with a 2023 Code of Virginia change requiring drivers to stop — rather than yield — for pedestrians crossing in the driver’s lane, in an adjacent lane, or approaching the driver’s lane. Read more...
Vernon Miles, April 17, 2024, FFXNow

Metro to resume repairs at Stadium-Armory after 5-week pause

Efforts will continue on Metro’s Aerial Structures Rehabilitation Project on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines. Crews at the station will work to reinforce its structural integrity, closing a section of the track where the three lines intersect, WMATA said in a press release. Read more...
Gabby Allen, April 17, 2024, DC News Now

Do you ride the Circulator in D.C.? We want to hear about your experience.

D.C. has proposed ending the Circulator bus service next year. The Washington Post wants to hear about your experiences with the Circulator and how you use it. Read more...
April 17, 2024, The Washington Post

Youngkin proposes using NoVa investment fund to support Metro

In a state budget amendment, Gov. Glenn Youngkin pledged to support Metro with an additional $133.7 million amid a projected shortfall for the transit agency. The pledge came with a caveat: It would strip funding from a transit investment fund used by Northern Virginia jurisdictions. Read more...
Nathaniel Cline, April 17, 2024, Virginia Mercury

Amtrak releases RFI for next phase of zero-emissions

All qualified parties are encouraged to respond to the RFI, which supports the US National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization by 2050. Aiming to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2045 sits at the heart of Amtrak’s Climate Commitment. Read more...
Metro Magazine Staff, April 16, 2024, Metro Magazine

DC cyclists aren't giving up on Connecticut Avenue bike lanes

Adding protected bike lanes to the busy avenue has been a major initiative of the cycling advocacy group for years, which says that the six-lane, 30-mph roadway posed dangers for pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists alike.  Read more...
Omega Ilijevich, April 15, 2024, Washingtonian

This weekend: Aerial structure repairs to close section of Blue, Orange, and Silver lines outside Stadium-Armory

During the weekend, free shuttle buses will replace trains between Stadium-Armory and Benning Road on the Blue and Silver lines, and between Stadium-Armory and Minnesota Ave on the Orange Line. Additional work is also planned in this same area the following weekend, April 27-28.    Read more...
April 16, 2024, WMATA

Offer to donate land to Montgomery Co. sparks optimism that White's Ferry service connecting Md. and Va. will resume

The current owners of White’s Ferry, Chuck and Stacy Kuhn, have made a formal offer to donate the ferry landing property to Montgomery County. They hope this could help bring back ferry services between Poolesville, Maryland, and Leesburg, Virginia. Read more...
Kate Ryan, April 16, 2024, WTOP

DC bikeshare system breaks ridership record

In a proposed budget revealed on April 3, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser pledged $3 million to support Capital Bikeshare operations, maintenance, and growth. Read more...
Diana Ionescu, April 16, 2024, Planetizen

Transit worker safety the focus of FTA plan updates

The National Safety Plan also looks to address the hundreds of bus-to-person collisions that occur every year.  Read more...
Dan Zukowski, April 15, 2024, Smart Cities Dive

8 years into America's e-scooter experiment, what have we learned?

Ultimately, researchers see two factors that determine the overall climate impact of e-scooters: how users ride them, and how operators manage them from manufacturing to disposal. Read more...
Syris Valentine, April 15, 2024, Route Fifty

Metro begins auto doors function on select trains for 'safer and more reliable' commuting

This is the second stage of rollout for the system. The Red Line started this last December and WMATA said there have been more than 750,000 successful, safe, and faster door openings since. Read more...
Joy Wang, April 16, 2024, ABC7 News

Youngkin would slash extra Metro funds, shift burden to Northern Virginia localities

Amendments from the governor received in the House of Delegates April 8 eliminate that extra funding entirely in the first year and reduce it in the second year to less than $36 million — a roughly $113.5 million delta. Read more...
Dan Brendel, April 15, 2024, Washington Business Journal

Biden-Harris Administration awards $23.6 million to help 112 communities deliver transformative infrastructure improvements

The program provides two years of no-cost, intensive technical assistance to under-resourced and disadvantaged communities to help them identify, develop, and deliver transportation projects to achieve locally-driven economic development, health, environment, mobility, and access goals.  Read more...
April 15, 2024, Transportation.gov

OmniRide driver places 4th in 'Virginia Bus Roadeo'

OmniRide hosted the 2024 Virginia State Bus Roadeo April 5 – April 7 at the organization’s Western Facility near Manassas. Thirty-four bus operators and seven maintenance teams from across the state took part in this safety and operations competition Read more...
Uriah Kiser, April 14, 2024, Potomac Local News

Metro to begin Auto Doors certifications for operators on Blue, Orange, Silver, Green, and Yellow Lines

On Monday, customers may notice doors opening faster on some Blue, Orange, Silver, Green and Yellow line trains as Metro begins certifying operators who have been trained to use the Auto Doors function. The certifications will happen over the next few weeks.  Read more...
April 12, 2024, WMATA

The D.C. Circulator's days are numbered. Could Metro step in and fill the void?

Funding for the six D.C. Circulator bus routes that loop around some of the District's most popular tourist destinations is slated to expire in a little less than a year, but city officials are hoping Metro will step in to fill the void. Read more...
Nate Doughty, April 12, 2024, Washington Business Journal

6th Annual Mount Vernon District Environment Expo

Organized by Supervisor Dan Storck, in collaboration with the National Park Service, this event promises an educational and engaging day for the whole family.  Read more...
April 11, 2024, Fairfax Alliance of Better Bicycling