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.

Study: Automobile dependency reduces life satisfaction

Automobile dependency has negative implications for wellbeing. This academic study finds that relying on a car for more than 50 percent of out-of-home travel is associated with significant reductions in life satisfaction. Read more...
Todd Litman, December 10, 2024, Planetizen

Metro GM proposes extending weekend hours in new budget

Metro wants to extend its hours so you can get a ride. It’s part of next year’s proposed budget posted online Tuesday. There’s great news for people who work or play late on weekend nights. Read more...
Daniel Hamburg, December 10, 2024, DC News Now

Metro gets green light for automatic trains 15 years after deadly crash

“Going into automatic mode will regulate the speed of the train automatically so the operator can pay attention to conditions ahead of them,” said Tiffani Jenkins, the senior vice president of Communications and Signaling for WMATA. Read more...
Adam Tuss, December 10, 2024, NBC4 Washington

Due to maintenance, the Mobile Commuter Store will not be at the Pentagon City location today, 12/11.

Due to maintenance, the Mobile Commuter Store will not be at the Pentagon City location today, 12/11. Read more...

DASH hosting Holiday Market Dec. 12 at Ramsey Rec Center

DASH is also conducting the DASH for Good fundraiser this year. It benefits ALIVE!, Carpenter’s Shelter, and Casa Chirilagua. Each organization will have a table at Thursday’s event. Stop by and learn more about the work they do that helps so many in our community. Read more...
Kevin Dauray, December 9, 2024, Zebra

From 9-to-5 to anytime: How telecommuting changes the traffic game

As cities continue to grow and evolve, the future of urban mobility will rely on creative solutions, from smarter infrastructure to updated transit options, to keep America’s cities moving in this new, work-from-anywhere world. Read more...
Andreea Neculae, December 10, 2024, Planetizen

Regional taxes, longer I-66 toll hours on table for dedicated N. Va. transit funding

A full range of funding options for Metro and other public transportation systems was presented to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) on Thursday (Dec. 5), including new taxes and fees. Read more...
Scott McCaffrey, December 9, 2024, FFXNow

Metro area leaders discuss regional funding source for transit system

The Dec. 2 discussion on developing a regional Metro funding source was part of a months-long effort to collaborate through an initiative known as DMVMoves, led by Metro and the Council of Governments. Read more...
Nathaniel Cline, December 9, 2024, Inside NoVa

Major developments in 2024 pave the way for the future of Union Station

"We're going through a space planning exercise to try to figure out. 'OK, we know retail, we need the same amount, but maybe we need it in slightly different places,'" Amtrak President Roger Harris told us in October. "It's really about increasing fluidity of the station for the benefit of the customer." Read more...
Daniel J. Sernovitz, December 9, 2024, Washington Business Journal

Freedom to Move: Investing in transportation choices for a clean, prosperous, and just future

The new Union of Concerned Scientists study, Freedom to Move: Investing in Transportation Choices for a Clean, Prosperous, and Just Future, shows that a transportation system that gives everyone more transportation choices will be more equitable, save trillions of dollars, and fight climate change.  Read more...
Todd Litman, December 9, 2024, Planetizen

Interstate 95 closures in Dale City begin Monday

The closures are part of preparations for the I-95 bridge replacement project, which will begin in 2027, and drivers should expect delays and use alternate routes. Read more...
Aya Karouane, December 7, 2024, Potomac Local News

Metro area leaders discuss regional funding source for transit system

The group also reviewed proposed scenarios that would maintain existing service levels and keep Metro efficient, reliable and consistent with repairs and maintenance throughout parts of Virginia, Maryland and the District. Read more...
Nathaniel Cline, December 6, 2024, MoCo

MDOT issues RFQ for Odenton MARC Station

According to MDOT, the 13-acre surface parking lot on the west side of Odenton MARC Station is a development opportunity to provide new housing, retail and enhanced connectivity adjacent to transit with regional accessibility and close proximity to Maryland’s largest employment center – Fort Meade.  Read more...
December 5, 2024, Mass Transit Magazine

Bikes deserve just as much of a place in the road as cars

Not everyone can bike, and no one bikes for every trip, but imagine if more people did. How happy would the remaining people driving a car feel? They could get to their destination quickly.  Read more...
December 5, 2024, The Washington Post

Amtrak breaks all-time ridership record during FY 24

Amtrak says its commitment to building new bridges, tunnels, trains and more will enhance safety and reliability, expand capacity, spur economic growth and improve accessibility.  Read more...
December 5, 2024, Mass Transit Magazine

Fairfax County approves higher accessible parking standards for new development

The first major overhaul of parking requirements in 35 years, it aimed to reduce parking-lot sprawl in more urban areas of Fairfax County. Read more...
Scott McCaffrey, December 5, 2024, FFXNow

Metro releases festive wrapped train, buses for the holidays; Metro holiday sweater photoshoot planned

This year’s theme is “Treat yourself to a sweet ride this holiday season.” Metro is always your best bet for getting around the DMV region this holiday season -- and your fast, reliable, easy trip can be made even better by catching these limited-edition vehicles. Read more...
December 5, 2024, WMATA

Dulles International Airport to see $500M expansion, modernization effort

The new concourse is funded in part by federal grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for airport improvement projects, as well as by a collaboration between United and MWAA and other local funding. Read more...
Liz Carey, December 5, 2024, Transportation Today

Family Biking Matters: Biking in the cold

Winter biking with your kids requires a different mindset, preparation, and equipment. With a little bit of planning you can enjoy some of the coziest and most delightful riding of the year with your kids on your bikes. Read more...
Will Handsfield, December 5, 2024, Greater Greater Washington

'Unified vision' for capital region public transit starting to emerge

Members were presented with three main questions, starting with what they believed the baseline required investment would be for the region’s transit systems to meet the area’s needs in the next 10 years and beyond – perhaps better than they do now.  Read more...
Morgan Sweeney, Decemvber 4, 2024, The Center Square

Maryland will use AI tech to manage traffic in the near future

A series of sensors will be placed at intersections around Maryland that will use cameras and radar to visualize and anticipate traffic flows — cameras to see the intersection and radar to track speeds and movements. Read more...
Alan Etter, December 5, 2024, WTOP

Using increased officer visibility, Metro cracks down on bus fare evasion

In an effort to address that, the transit agency launched a targeted campaign this week, hoping that officer visibility and efforts will make customers think twice before avoiding the cost. Read more...
Scott Gelman, December 4, 2024, WTOP

Defensive driving campaign launches on Virginia Express Lanes

The campaign uses messaging that urges motorists to drive defensively due to the hazards posed by other travelers’ unsafe behavior, such as speeding, texting, and aggressive driving. Read more...
Jazbia Chaudry, December 3, 2024, Potomac Local News

Artwork from GMU students to Be displayed in Metro stations

Those animations will now get to shine in the Crystal City, Farragut North, NoMa-Gallaudet U, Gallery Place-Chinatown, L’Enfant Plaza, and Metro Center stations. They will be on display for one year, beginning in December.   Read more...
Maggie Roth, December 3, 2024, Northern Virginia Magazine

Could ChatGPT make America more walkable?

If easy-to-use programs like ChatGPT can do a passable job, though, no city can claim that it simply has no idea where sidewalks, bus shelters, or trash cans are — and can get to work on actually replacing the ones that are missing. Read more...
Kea Wilson, December 4, 2024, Streetsblog USA

Record 32.8 million people rode Amtrak in 2024, according to company report

Ticket revenue increased 9 percent year-over-year, reaching $2.5 billion, while total operating revenue increased 7 percent to $3.6 billion. Adjusted operating earnings grew 9 percent year-over-year, reaching $705.2 million. Read more...
Melina Druga, December 4, 2024, Transportation Today

How do Metro trains transition from manual to automatic modes? WTOP got a firsthand look

Even as trains operate in automatic mode, they still have an operator. While a computer starts and stops the trains along the line, the operator remains responsible for closing the doors and transitioning back into manual mode should circumstances warrant it. Read more...
Scott Gelman, December 4, 2024, WTOP

Falls Church bike-share ridership hits all-time high

Statistics show the ride-share program is most widely used during morning and evening commute hours, highlighting its role as a last-mile transportation option for people commuting to and from the Metro.  Read more...
December 3, 2024, The Falls Church Independent

Ride free in Hagerstown with toy donation

Riders on the Washington County Transit system can ride without cash Dec. 12-18 by swapping a new, unwrapped toy for bus fare. The toys will be given to Toys for Tots. Read more...
December 3, 2024, LocalNews1.org

Maryland launches Road to Careers grant program

Grants will fund workforce training and support services, creating a new generation of workers to build the state’s critical transportation infrastructure. The program will invest $4 million annually over six years.   Read more...
December 2, 2024, Mass Transit Magazine

DMV leaders discuss how much new funding Metro needs, and how to pay for it

Members of the DMVMoves Task Force so also discussed a number of possibilities for how much Metro funding should be increased. Under the first scenario they discussed, Metro would receive an increase of $480 million a year, which would then go up a certain percentage each year. Read more...
Tom Roussey, December 2, 2024, ABC7 News

Metro demos automatic train operation ahead of implementation

Metro announced just a few months ago that it planned to roll out ATO on the Red Line by the end of the year, and a goal to employ it throughout the system by next summer. But that all hinges on the safety commission’s approval. Read more...
Jess Arnold/Sophie Rosenthal, December 3, 2024, WUSA9

CaBi is a huge success. Will the program structure allow it to keep growing regionally?

CaBi’s current governance structure puts the power in the hands of local jurisdictions, and operations in the hands of a private company. Would a regional governance structure like, say, WMATA, make bikeshare more equitable, regional, and insulate it from the whims of a private operator? Read more...
David Meyer, December 2, 2024, Greater Greater Washington

The hardest job in Washington: redeveloping Union Station

It'll take 13 years, estimates say, and cost three times as much as One World Trade Center. It may define whether America can still build public megaprojects — this being the once-in-a-generation overhaul of Washington's Union Station. Read more...
Cuneyt Dil, December 2, 2024, Axios

Metro adopts bus route redesigns for Northern Virginia areas

The transit agency is planning to make changes in Alexandria, Fairlington and West Falls Church and Fairfax County after a two-year comprehensive review of the existing bus network called the 2025 Better Bus Network. Read more...
Nathaniel Cline, November 29, 2024, WTOP

Metro adopts bus route redesigns for Northern Virginia areas

In Alexandria, the Better Bus Network plan proposes to preserve rush hour service in Brookville along Taney Avenue, Park Place Condominiums and South Fairlington. The proposal also consolidates and streamlines service between Shirlington and South Fairlington. Read more...
Nathaniel Cline, November 29, 2024, Virginia Mercury