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.

Amtrak's police strategy: more officers aboard trains, fewer in stations

Amtrak is shifting many of its police officers from stations to trains to bolster their visibility in response to an increase in crime on board, the company said. Read more...
Luz Lazo, February 21, 2020, Washington Post

Fairfax County hopes to improve pedestrian safety with ActiveFairfax plan

There were 16 pedestrian fatalities in Fairfax County in 2019, according to Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, who chairs the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors transportation committee. Read more...
Angela Woolsey, February 21, 2020, Fairfax County Times

Fairfax Connector bus workers say they're prepared to strike

Drivers and maintenance workers for the Fairfax Connector say they’re prepared to go on strike against Transdev, the contractor that operates the bus service for Fairfax County. A strike would affect service for an estimated 30,000 riders. Read more...
Margaret Barthel, February 20, 2020, WAMU

Watchdog group seeks ethics investigation of Md. Gov. Hogan's transportation funding

A D.C.-based government watchdog group has filed an ethics complaint with the Maryland State Ethics Commission against Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. Read more...
February 20, 2020, WTOP

Lime CEO: We made a lot of mistakes and we've learned from them

Lime CEO Brad Bao admits his company has had its fair share of missteps on its way to building the world’s largest scooter-sharing company. Read more...
Matt McFarland, February 19, 2020, WTOP

Montgomery County Council, state delegation urge WMATA to restore Metrobus funding

Montgomery County Council members and state lawmakers are urging the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) to maintain service levels for four Metrobus routes targeted for cuts. Read more...
Dan Schere, February 19, 2020, Bethesda Magazine

Dulles Airport tops Reagan National in total passengers for second consecutive year

The addition of several new international flights and a significant increase in service by United Airlines pushed the passenger count at Dulles International Airport up in 2019. Read more...
Jeff Clabaugh, February 19, 2020, WTOP

D.C. lawmakers want civilian panel to review Metro Transit police abuse complaints

An unsanctioned competition between some Metro Transit Police officers to make arrests has D.C. lawmakers questioning the transit agency’s policing practices. Read more...
Abigail Constantino, February 19, 2020, WTOP

Northern Virginia pedestrians, cyclists to see better paths

Safety improvements for seven areas in Northern Virginia got the OK during the February meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board. Read more...
Liz Anderson, February 19, 2020, WTOP

Metro GM: Silver Line likely delayed until mid-2021

The long-delayed Silver Line extension to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County will likely not be ready for riders until spring or summer 2021, Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said Wednesday. Read more...
Max Smith, February 19, 2020, WTOP

Metro Blue Line extension into Prince William? Virginia lawmakers want a study.

Virginia lawmakers have included language in the state budget for a $2 million study of how Metro’s Blue Line could be extended through Fairfax into Prince William County to expand mass transit in the heavily congested and rapidly growing Interstate 95 corridor. Read more...
Katherine Shaver, February 19, 2020, Washington Post

What will it take for Va. to get all-electric school buses?

In Virginia this year, lawmakers are reviewing just how significant the climate and public health impacts would be if the state swapped its current school buses for all-electric alternatives -- and what it would take to get that done. Read more...
Wyatt Gordon, February 19, 2020, GGWash

Va.'s first electric, self-driving bus is coming to Fairfax

This method of transportation, called Relay, will take passengers from Dunn Loring-Merrifield metro station to the popular Mosaic District. Read more...
February 18, 2020, WUSA9

What are your thoughts on Metro's proposed fares, service changes?

Metro is seeking feedback on its proposed budget for the next fiscal year. Read more...
February 18, 2020, Reston Now

Next-Gen Acela enroute to TTCI

The first of 28 new Acela Express high-speed trainsets that Alstom is building for Amtrak in Hornell, N.Y., departed for the Federal Railroad Administration facility in Pueblo, Colo., for high-speed testing on Feb. 17. Read more...
David Briginshaw, February 18, 2020, Railway Age

Multibillion-dollar deal promises more VRE trains, weekend service

The deal is expected to vastly increase the number of trains VRE can offer commuters, including the addition of weekend service. Read more...
Jared Foretek, February 17, 2020, Inside NoVa

Fairfax Connector bus drivers again warn of a strike

Two months after Fairfax Connector bus drivers and maintenance workers in Virginia returned to their jobs following a brief strike, more than 500 members of the Amalgamated Transit Union are threatening to walk off their jobs again on Thursday. Read more...
Dick Uliano, February 17, 2020, WTOP

Metro will close three Orange Line stations for three months this summer

Metro is preparing to shut down three stations on the Orange line from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day due to deteriorating conditions at several platforms. Read more...
Natalie Delgadillo, February 17, 2020, dcist

Metro must address train operator fatigue, maintenance issues

An exhausted train operator dozed off and forgot to stop a Green Line train at the Waterfront station during morning rush hour last June, a Washington Metrorail Safety Commission report on the incident revealed. Read more...
Margaret Barthel, February 17, 2020, WAMU

Proposed light rail for Southern Maryland aims to relieve some of America's worst traffic

This 18.7-mile-long light rail project, first proposed in the 1990s, would stretch from Branch Avenue at the southern end of WMATA’s Green Line in Prince George’s County to White Plains in Charles County, just south of the area’s largest community, Waldorf. Read more...
Alex Holt, February 17, 2020, GGWash

Gentrification in the D.C. area pushes people from homes and away from transit

The District’s most vulnerable residents, who had not historically relied on a car because they lived in dense urban zones, are being pushed into areas where having a car is necessary. Many can’t afford one. Read more...
Yulia Panfil, February 14, 2020, Washington Post

First look at I-395 toll lane use and financial returns finds Transurban made $25M

New financial disclosures are shedding light on the early months of tolling and activity on Interstate 395 in Virginia. Read more...
Max Smith, February 17, 2020, WTOP

Man who fell onto Capitol South Metro tracks uses 'refuge area' to avoid oncoming train

In the train business, they’re called “under-platform refuge areas” and a man used one at the Capitol South station around 11 a.m. Sunday to avoid an approaching train after he tumbled onto the tracks. Read more...
Kristi King, February 16, 2020, WTOP

Your old bike can change a life

Bikes for the World collects and redistributes new and used bikes to provide people a means of transportation that allows them to gain employment, get an education, and receive health care. Read more...
February 16, 2020, FABB

Climate Ride heading from Philly to D.C.

September 10-13, 2020, bicyclists will be riding from Philadelphia to Washington, DC on a peer-to-peer fundraising ride. Read more...
Jonathan Kincade, February 15, 2020, WABA

Metro safety audit shows a lack of checks, records and rules

The new safety commission overseeing Metrorail found several problems with how Metro maintains its tracks, including a failure to consistently check for heat-related buckling and kinks that could lead to derailments. Read more...
Justin George, February 14, 2020, Washington Post

Surface parking at East, West Falls Church & Vienna to close for most of 2020

According to a press release, the transit authority will close surface parking lots at both East Falls Church and West Falls Church -- and at Vienna -- metro stations for seven to nine months starting Sunday, March 15. Read more...
Matt Delaney, February 14, 2020, FCNP

Man struck by Metro train at Minnesota Ave.

D.C. Fire and EMS freed the man from beneath the train and took him to a hospital with critical injuries. Read more...
February 14, 2020, NBC Washington

Metro plans major parking cuts ahead of summer Orange Line shutdown

Months ahead of a summer-long rail shutdown, Metro is dramatically cutting back parking at two key stations for staging work, a change that could lead to hundreds shifting to other stations -- or not riding at all. Read more...
Max Smith, February 15, 2020, WTOP

Tech issues, conflicting standards hold back smoother Metro rides

A newly available internal review details Metro’s struggles in returning to faster, smoother automatic train operation after more than a decade. Read more...
Max Smith, February 14, 2020, WTOP

No scooter companies have applied to operate in Fairfax County

Six weeks after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors opened up permits for shareable e-scooters, it’s still waiting for a company to apply. Read more...
George Kevin Jordan, February 14, 2020, GGWash

Va. renews its push to ban cell phones while driving

Road safety advocates are hopeful that 2020 will be the year Virginia requires drivers to put down their phones. Read more...
Wyatt Gordon, February 14, 2020, GGWash

Metro train operator fell asleep at the switch, investigation finds

A Metro train operator fell asleep at the controls, leading to a rush-hour train blowing right through a station without stopping last year, a newly-finalized investigation concluded. Read more...
Max Smith, February 13, 2020, WTOP

Your dog is now welcome in (some) DC Ubers

Uber has launched Uber Pet in D.C. meaning Uber riders can bring along their dog or cat for an extra fee. But not all Uber drivers are available. Read more...
Jeff Clabaugh, February 12, 2020, WTOP

Significant problems found in Metro track safety and inspection department

Metro must fix inadequate, inconsistent or outdated track safety and maintenance policies that lead to some track workers essentially winging it and others skipping key maintenance or inspection procedures, the first-ever audit from the independent Washington Metrorail Safety Commission found. Read more...
Max Smith, February 13, 2020, WTOP

Dangerous Tysons intersection gets a safety upgrade

The Virginia Department of Transportation added a new traffic signal at Westpark Drive and Westbranch Drive, which VDOT says sees more than 11,000 vehicles each day. Read more...
George Kevin Jordan, February 13, 2020, GGWash

Metro Transit Police held a competition to encourage arrests, other enforcement

Metro Transit Police held a weekly contest to encourage arrests and other enforcement actions last summer before top commanders learned of the unsanctioned competition and shut it down, the transit agency confirmed Wednesday. Read more...
Justin George, February 12, 2020, Washington Post

Reps suggest slugging at Pentagon during summer Metro shutdown

Members of Congress called for feds to look into pick-up and drop-off points at the Pentagon ahead of disruptions in the I-66 corridor. Read more...
Emily Leayman, February 12, 2020, Arlington Patch

Close calls, reform ideas shared at MoCo road safety forum

Montgomery County residents flocked to Wheaton High School on Sunday to discuss traffic safety at a Vision Zero town hall. Read more...
Alessia Grunberger, February 10, 2020, Takoma Park Patch

DASH looks to upgrade mobile app

Alexandria’s DASH bus system is looking to improve its mobile ticketing smartphone application, but city officials want the app to be compatible with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s SmarTrip cards. Read more...
James Cullum, February 12, 2020, ALX Now

Va. toll lane extension could worsen traffic

Virginia is moving forward with a toll lane extension on the Beltway that will make at least some traffic worse unless a planned widening of the Legion Bridge and toll lanes into Maryland are done by the time the extension opens. Read more...
Max Smith, February 12, 2020, WTOP

Interactive map promises to reduce traffic woes

Seeing where Metrorail, commuter rail, streetcars and Bus Rapid Transit exist now, and is proposed and planned for the future, promises to be a helpful tool for leaders who have a goal of putting 75% of new area housing near high-capacity transit or activity centers. Read more...
Kristi King, February 12, 2020, WTOP

Metro has spent $3.8 million and five years building two unfinished bike racks

Metro has spent $3.8 million and taken five years to build two unfinished bike racks -- at East Falls Church and Vienna Metro Stations. Read more...
Sam Sweeney, February 12, 2020, WJLA

Alexandria to evaluate water taxi for commuters

During last summer’s Metro Shutdown, Alexandria eased restrictions allowing for the Potomac Riverboat Company’s water taxi to ferry commuters from the city’s waterfront to the District Wharf. Read more...
James Cullum, February 11, 2020, ALX Now

Trump again asking Congress to slash Amtrak funding

The proposal to cut Amtrak’s subsidy by more than half renews the administration’s calls to reform the passenger rail system to focus on more profitable intercity routes. Read more...
Luz Lazo, February 11, 2020, Washington Post

Are electric vehicles really better for the climate?

The latest data affirms that driving on electricity produces significantly fewer emissions than using gasoline and is getting better over time. Read more...
David Reichmuth, February 11, 2020, Union of Concerned Scientists

WMATA wants your opinion on its next budget

The agency posted an online survey about the budget proposals. There will also be three public hearings. Read more...
David Alpert, February 11, 2020, GGWash

Gas tax changes among votes on Virginia's 'crossover' day

Gas taxes would rise less than initially proposed and car inspections would remain an annual requirement under the latest version of a major Virginia transportation funding overhaul set to be approved by the state’s Senate on Tuesday. Read more...
Max Smith, February 11, 2020, WTOP

Capital Crescent Trail tunnel weighed for Montgomery County budget

The planned tunnel would take pedestrians and cyclists on the Capital Crescent Trail under Wisconsin Avenue/Route 355, and would be located near the planned Purple Line station. Read more...
Kate Ryan, February 10, 2020, WTOP

Alexandria tests first electric 'accordian' bus

Alexandria is testing out its first articulated electric bus in the DASH transit system this week. The 60-foot bus runs on battery-electric power, releases zero emissions, and can carry more than 120 people at a time. Read more...
Elliot C. Williams, February 10, 2020, dcist