WMATA expansion plans

Transit

by David Alpert • January 21, 2006 7:18 pm

New York City's subway first opened in 1904, and Boston's in 1908; but by the 1960s, Washington DC still had no subway system. A comprehensive plan designed at that time has by now been built, with a few changes. Therefore, WMATA has developed a new master plan to keep systems in good repair, extend trains to eight cars, make pedestrian access improvements, etc. And most excitingly, the plan also contains a variety of system expansion plans from Bus Rapid Transit to light rail to heavy rail.

The proposals listed include the Orange Line or BRT extension to Dulles Airport, a variety of line extensions or light rail lines feeding existing Metro lines, the

2 comments — Share	— tags: DC, transit, WMATA

Dulles needs an express rail line (Oct 9, 2009)
Prince George's transportation plan, part 2: transit alignments old and new (Feb 13, 2009)
1990s Metro fantasy map (Aug 11, 2008)
Greater Baltimore & Washington Transit Future version 2 (Feb 25, 2008)
Chicken, meet egg on Dulles rail line (Jan 25, 2008)

Comments

good luck with that. the WMATA is like the red-headed stepchild of the MTA. It's a multi-state & multi-county agency with no guaranteed source of revenue. I grew up 1/2 mile from the "future" Reston Ave station on the dulles rail line and remember that the first completion date of that line was 1989.

it's so sad that they can't get their act together.

by mfs on Jan 21, 2006 7:50 pm

I wonder if the political tide has shifted somewhat. Just look at the way traffic congestion was a big issue in the recent Virginia gubernatorial election. In LA's Westside, residents were opposed to a subway for decades, and Congressman Waxman dutifully blocked it (citing "methane"), but now the people and the Congressman want it. When suburbanites want trains, maybe a sea change is at hand.

Nonetheless, it's true that this is a sort of "wish list" for WMATA, and while the Dulles rail line is sort-of making progress, most of the others are still pies in the sky. And Maryland's governor Ehrlich is spending money on freeways instead of Purple Lines.

by Alpie on Jan 22, 2006 12:07 am