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.

Several Metro stations closing this holiday weekend

Due to planned maintenance, parts of the Red Line will be closed, and shuttle buses will replace trains at certain stations. Additionally, Metro will operate on a holiday schedule on Monday for Indigenous Peoples' Day and Columbus Day. Read more...
Samantha Gilstrap, October 11, 2024, WUSA9

Developing a common language for microtransit providers

Rural transit agencies could benefit from an emerging technology called  Transactional Data Specification (TDS), which “establishes a common language allowing transportation providers to share data related to customers, their destinations or scheduling,” according to a report from the Shared-Use Mobility Center with AARP. Read more...
Diana Ionescu, October 10, 2024, Planetizen

In observance of Columbus Day/Indigenous People's Day, The Mobile Commuter Store will be closed on Monday 10/14/2024.

In observance of Columbus Day/Indigenous People's Day, The Mobile Commuter Store will be closed on Monday 10/14/2024. Read more...

Metro moves forward with process to enable credit card tap-to-ride system

Although he couldn’t guarantee a date, GM Randy Clarke said Metro’s goal is to make fare gates accept credit cards and smartphones linked to credit cards before the big World Pride celebration next year.  Read more...
Tom Roussey, October 10, 2024, ABC7 News

WMATA takes fare evasion fight to Metrobus

While WMATA has implemented evasion safeguards on Metrorail through new faregates, more security officers and surveillance cameras, the scope of the problem is bigger for the bus network. Read more...
Matt Pusatory, October 10, 2024, WUSA9

Bike-friendly campuses can inspire the rest of car-centric America

When campuses get bike-friendliness right, though, they can serve as prototypes for what every city could be if we treated our places like true communities for people. Read more...
Kea Wilson, October 10, 2024, Streetsblog USA

Most Metrobus riders don't pay their fares. Will a local government incentive help?

Riders skipping out on fares has been a problem for Metro that surged after the pandemic. In September, Metro Transit Police reported writing more than 10,000 citations for fare evasion this year alone. Read more...
Mike Murillo, October 11, 2024, WTOP

DC launches pilot to charge e-bikes with solar power

The initiative, which started last week, aims to “really make a difference in terms of our charging operations,” said Aaron Goldbeck, who manages the sustainable transportation programs team at D.C.’s Department of Transportation. Read more...
Scott Gelman, October 10, 2024, WTOP

20 safest and most dangerous US cities for pedestrians

A new study by shoe company Kuru Footwear ranks 36 most populous U.S. cities according to how foot-friendly they are. The study used pedestrian death data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration combined with overall Walk Score to calculate its results.  Read more...
Mary Hammon, October 10, 2024, Planetizen

How the White House influences transportation grantmaking

Priorities vary among administrations, an Urban Institute report found. “The president actually has substantial discretion over a lot of these programs,” a researcher said. Read more...
Dan Zukowski, October 9, 2024, Smart Cities Dive

DC Circulator employees continue to push for answers amid layoffs by: Mariel Carbone

Employees were originally told they’d work through March of 2025, but the city decided to end the service earlier, pushing the date to the end of 2024. The first round of layoffs began on Sept. 30. Read more...
Mariel Carbone, October 9, 2024, DC News Now

Arlington County, Va., works to improve transit service

Arlington County notes it will take a holistic approach to addressing the needs of a multimodal network, including the many ways people get around within the physically constrained public right-of-way.  Read more...
October 9, 2024, Mass Transit Magazine

King Street Pedestrian Zone could move forward this fall

Hillary Orr, deputy director of Transportation Planning and Mobility, said the city worked with the fire department, police department, city attorney and traffic operations to review the proposal. Read more...
Vernon Miles, October 9, 2024, ALXNow

Alexandria City Council approves bus lane and new bike path near Bradlee Shopping Center

The changes will take the access two-way road parallel to the Bradlee Shopping Center and turn it into a one-way westbound street with a dedicated bus lane and a two-way bicycle trail. Read more...
Vernon Miles, October 9, 2024, ALXNow

Metro board to consider funding measure aimed at reducing fare evasion on bus, rail

It’s a proposal to make changes to what’s called the “funding formula” that Metro uses to determine how much tax money it requests from state and local governments in our area. Read more...
Tom Roussey, October 8, 2024, ABC7 News

DC-area traffic now is just as bad as it was pre-pandemic, report finds

Not only that, congestion has actually gotten slightly (1.1%) worse as well, and while the increase in congestion is relatively small, it translates to real hours lost over the year, “especially in places where congestion is already high,” according to the report. Read more...
Luke Lukert, October 9, 2024, WTOP

'Road map' for dedicated transit funding still work in progress, N. Va. officials say

Local leaders long have dreamed of the prospect of gaining a dedicated funding source — perhaps a sales, fuel or recording tax — to support the Metro system, local transit networks and Virginia Railway Express Read more...
Scott McCaffrey, October 8, 2024, FFXNow

Weekend track work and service information for Indigenous Peoples' Day and Columbus Day

This weekend crews will work to replace switches, remove vegetation, maintain gates, and perform cable insulation testing. The repairs will require station closures at four Red Line stations: Shady Grove, Rockville, Twinbrook, and North Bethesda. Read more...
October 8, 2024, WMATA

70% of bus riders in D.C. area don't pay. Here's what Metro is doing about it.

Research indicates that riders at all income levels are more interested in better service than eliminating fares, and that making buses free doesn’t reduce car use.  Read more...
Rachel Weiner, October 8, 2024, The Washington Post

FRA opens $1B intercity passenger rail grant funding round

The funding, part of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, is available through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program. Read more...
Dan Zukowski, October 7, 2024, Smart Cities Dive

October is Pedestrian Safety Month: Use crosswalks for safety

October is Pedestrian Safety Month, and the Prince William Police Department is urging both pedestrians and drivers to prioritize safety on the roads.  Read more...
Aya Karouane, October 7, 2024, Potomac Local News

Virginia Passenger Rail Authority speeds toward modernized, dedicated system

The rail authority's ambitious plans aim to make passenger rail a more attractive option for Virginians, with incremental improvements leading to a more comprehensive rail system by 2030. Read more...
Trimmel Gomes, October 8, 2024, Public News Service

How AI is helping cities drive improvements in infrastructure and citizen satisfaction

Equipping vehicles to look for critical infrastructure and quality-of-life issues that can plague communities helps city partners deliver proactive government and equitable public service across all zip codes. Read more...
October 7, 2024, Smart Cities Dive

Transforming mass transit with AI and advanced analytics

Video surveillance cameras coupled with new AI-enabled analytics can support the success of any enterprise operation, including mass transit systems, by going beyond security use cases. Read more...
Anthony Incorvati, October 4, 2024, Metro Magazine

Franconia-Springfield escalator replacement

The five escalators will be replaced with brand-new ones that are more durable and reliable. The escalators are being installed as part of an ongoing effort to replace 139 escalators across the Metrorail system by 2028. Read more...
October 7, 2024, WMATA

Checking in on Greater Washington's largest ongoing transportation projects

And these projects enhance public and private forms of transportation, from transit to roadways to airports, are touching nearly every corner of the region. Read more...
Nate Doughty, October 4, 2024, Washington Business Journal

Some of the most sweltering DC neighborhoods lack bus shelters. Cooler spots have them

According to the DC Policy Center, the Northeast and Southeast quadrants of DC are not only the hottest, but are home to people most sensitive to high temperatures, because of age, underlying conditions, lack of health insurance, or low income. Read more...
Madeleine Bartin, October 3, 2024, Greater Greater Washington

Work on pedestrian connection to Innovation Center Metro Station begins

In addition to a 10-foot-wide, 1,450-foot-long asphalt shared-use path, the project includes two 14-foot-wide pedestrian bridges over Horsepen Creek and the installation of trail lighting along both the path and bridges. Read more...
Fatimah Waseem, October 3, 2024, FFXNow

Council passes emergency legislation to protect DC Circulator workers

Councilmembers Charles Allen and Brianne Nadeau are calling on the DC Department of Transportation and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to require a better plan for the transition, and support for workers. Read more...
Matt Pusatory, October 12, 2024, WUSA9

Subway elevators are not just a nice lift, but a basic civil right

Unfortunately, the work of installing elevators in far more stations — and getting the elevators we already have working better — depends not only on surmounting legal obstacles but on getting over financial, logistical and bureaucratic hurdles that may be larger still. Read more...
Sasha Blair-Goldensohn, October 3, 2024, Streetsblog

Micromobility on the rebound in 2024

2023 also set the stage for industry growth. Ridership of shared bikes and scooters grew last year; Lime’s global ridership set a new record for the company. Read more...
Dan Zukowski, October 2, 2024, Smart Cities Dive

Time to reset the transportation funding equation

Transportation funding in the U.S. is facing an ever-growing imbalance between the needs of the nation’s road and bridge network and the funds available to satisfy them.  Read more...
Evan Burgstahler, October 2, 2024, Route Fifty

Arts Focus: Moving Words Student Contest — ten winners' poems on Arlington Transit Buses

Out of 415 submissions from 266 students, these standout poems will soon be seen by thousands of Arlington commuters as they grace ART buses across the county from October 2024 through March 2025.   Read more...
October 2, 2024, ARLNow

You might be able to tap your credit card to pay for Metro next year

Tapping in to ride Metro may get even easier next year. Metro may roll out the option to tap digital credit cards to pay fare, rather than tapping a SmarTrip card. Read more...
Helen Carefoot, October 1, 2024, TimeOut

Circulator operators' union demands better transition

As of Tuesday, Oct. 1, the Rosslyn-Dupont Circle service route (RS-DP) has been terminated, and roughly 90 Circulator employees have lost their jobs. Read more...
Liberty Simmons, October 1, 2024, DC News Now

USDOT issues $2.97 million in research funding to develop Mobility Equity Research Center

“Mobility and accessibility are at the core of good transportation—and the Biden-Harris Administration is making sure that’s true for people of every age, ability and location,” said USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Read more...
October 1, 2024, Mass Transit Magazine

Public transit agencies eye service cuts as pandemic aid runs out

Among the trillions of dollars approved by Congress to keep the economy afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic were about $70 billion for the country’s public transit systems. Read more...
Henry Epp, September 30, 2024, Marketplace

With the end of the Circulator, Georgetown has even fewer public transit options

While students can still use Metrobus lines and the Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle, the Circulator has been one of the more convenient options to access downtown D.C. and other parts of the District. Read more...
Katie Doran/Samantha Monteiro, September 30, 2024, The Georgetown Voice

OmniRide plans new Front Royal commuter service on I-66 corridor, eliminating Gainesville-Reston route

This decision comes after thorough studies identified the need for expanded services and better resource utilization.

  Read more...
Uriah Kiser, September 30, 2024, Potomac Local News

Union fights for DC Circulator staff as system phase out begins Tuesday

This is part of the city’s phase-out process to a bus system that has been around for two decades. Since 2005, it has had an attractive, popular bus system. The DC Circulator bus system had 1.9 million riders last year and nearly 300 employees. Read more...
John Gonzalez, October 1, 2024, ABC7 News

Overdue Old Town bridge replacements could come with pedestrian improvements

At a City Council meeting last week, City Council member Sarah Bagley said the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is moving forward with the replacement of a pair of bridges that passes over King Street and Commonwealth Avenue. Read more...
Vernon Miles, September 30, 2024, ALXNow

Can 'transit-oriented entertainment' help end the national ridership decline?

Cities across the U.S. continue experimenting with a variety of strategies to boost transit ridership. While these efforts are commendable and have achieved some modest successes, getting a meaningful number of Americans to try transit in the first place has proven a very thorny problem. Read more...
Terenig Topjian, October 1, 2024, Streetsblog USA

Lime may get a lift from Lyft's DC departure

Lime is also vowing to rein in reckless riders and haphazard parking of its scooters and bikes, both communicating more frequently about the rules of the road with riders and dedicating more time and staff to rebalancing vehicles and replacing mis-parked ones throughout the District. Read more...
Jeff Clabaugh, September 30, 2024, WTOP

Metro might finally get tap-and-pay next year

Metro general manager Randy Clarke wants an "open payment" fare system ahead of next year's World Pride 2025 event, he told the WMATA board during a meeting last week. Read more...
Mimi Mongtomery, September 30, 2024, Axios

FMCSA's grant award season: Millions allocated to improve highway safety

Just as movies captivate audiences with gripping narratives and top-notch performances, FMCSA grants are awarded to projects that play a role in making our roads safer and our commercial drivers more prepared. Read more...
September 30, 2024, Smart Cities Dive

Transit agencies, state DOT's come together to participate in See Tracks? Think Train® Week

The week was launched by OLI in 2017 to focus attention on the importance of making safe choices when driving or walking near railroad tracks and trains. Read more...
Brandon Lewis, September 27, 2024, Mass Transit Magazine