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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Nathaniel Cline, November 29, 2024, Virginia Mercury