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Thanks for the write up. This is the right thing for all the wrong reasons. The very dense neighborhoods just north of Mt. Vernon are still greatly underserved by rail service and subject to the service cut debate annually as they try to solve budget woes.

This has been a crusade of mine since 1998 when they stripped the Yellow Line and full service from U Street and opened the Columbia Heights and Petworth stations completing the inner Green Line. We had both yellow and green full time during rush hour and off peak from 92-98. The fight then was for extended hours, (ended at 12am on weekends) and frequency of trains.

There are another 2500 units of housing being built on the U Street stop alone over the next few years, not to mention all the growth planned for Shaw that will greatly strain the ability of even this modified service to meet. There does need to be a continued call for expanded service to serve the dense urban areas that got short changed when they cancelled the original plans to take the Yellow line to W. Hyattsville and spur off there and instead opted for the turn around at Mt. Vernon because of decade long delays in green line construction in the 80's.

Glad to finally see a train that traverses directly across the region from SW to NE connecting the VRE and MARC lines and BWI and National Airports. For the sake of off peak travelers I really wish they would continue this service during the whole day, something they do have the train cars available to make happen.

Long time spent waiting for this change that is only happening because of the crisis of the tunnel backups and delays.

by Scott P on Jun 12, 2012 6:27 am • link • report