Posts about Greyhound

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Union Station Intermodal meeting recap

by David Alpert   •   May 30, 2008 9:21 am

Dan from BeyondDC, Ralph of Sierra Club DC, reader Steve P., and many others attended the Union Station Intermodal Transportation Center public meeting last night.

Photo by StarrGazr on Flickr.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who secured the three Federal earmarks that are paying for this project, spoke briefly about the many years she's been working on this in Congress. Union Station was once "a slum owned by the Federal Government," and this project gives us the opportunity to turn it into "the centerpiece of a true intermodal system."

The DDOT people are going to consider every need in this study, from pedestrians to cars, emergency egress to delivery trucks. Streetcars will definitely be factored in, to give the future H Street line a place to turn around and service vehicles.

I asked about the potential new Blue Line. The project reps had only learned about that project yesterday, didn't have specific details (yet) and suggested speaking to WMATA. Of course, WMATA would do the actual engineering, but we should minimize the chance that something built from this study further complicates the future task of building the Blue Line.

As for Columbus Circle, there is actually already a detailed engineering design done by Parsons (the same consultants working on this project) that's awaiting NCPC and Architect of the Capitol approval. I'm working on getting a copy of that design.

Dan asked about bike sharing; the DDOT folks assured us that they are working hard on creating a bike sharing facility on the west side of the station.

There was a usual crop of "antis" there to push for as few people walking around the neighborhood as possible and as many lanes for traffic as possible. One resident complained that the Technical Advisory Committee was weighted toward those with an interest in "getting more customers in, getting more people to the Capitol." What a tragedy if we get more people going to the Capitol! Every public meeting I've been to also included a few people complaining that they didn't get enough notice about whatever is being discussed, and this was no different.

ANC 6B01 Commissioner Dave Garrison asked about tour buses dropping people off at Union Station who are going to the new Capitol Visitors Center. DDOT Mass Transit Director Freddie Fuller spoke up to "dispel innuendo" and assure people that they "have not designated Union Station as the primary transfer point for the Capitol Visitors Center." They have increased headways on the N22, which runs from Union Station right past the Capitol on its way to Eastern Market and the ballpark.

Anyone want to illuminate exactly what the issues are here? Do residents want the buses at Union Station or do they want them driving down to the Capitol? Is having the buses stop in the garage at Union Station and people walk the four blocks to the Capitol undesirable? It seems it would minimize traffic compared to having buses go down First Street and end up turning around/idling in the neighborhood. And I'd think residents would be pushing for the buses to be at Union Station while the tour operators would want to drop people off right at the Capitol. Can anyone shed more light on this?

Finally, on the topic of Greyhound, Akridge may be building facilities for Greyhound as part of the project, but Rick Rybeck of DDOT added that they are pushing for the buses to go to Union Station right away rather than waiting the 10-15 years that Burnham Place will take to build. The bus deck in the garage currently has extra room, Rybeck said, and they're looking to move Greyhound operations there. (One resident piped up about not sacrificing any public parking spaces. Rybeck explained that the bus deck has no public parking to lose. Though, if moving Greyhound to the train station meant losing a few parking spaces, I wouldn't shed any tears.)

Transit

Union Station Intermodal Transportation Center meeting tonight

by David Alpert   •   May 29, 2008 11:09 am

DDOT is conducting a study "analyze the feasibility and impact of creating enhanced access to multiple modes of transportation at Burnham Place, Union Station and the surrounding transportation network." There's a public meeting tonight from 6-8 pm at the Columbus Club at Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave NE.

With many projects potentially happening around Union Station in the near future, including the Burnham Place development over the rail yards, plans for streetcars from Union Station to H Street, and talks about moving Greyhound buses to the Union Station garage, we need a comprehensive vision to prevent one project from interfering with another. Akridge, the Burnham Place developers, are already signed up to build the new concourse and bus intermodal transportation center as part of the deal to build on top of the rail yards.

Burnham Place will include a new rail
concourse and intermodal bus center.
Photo from Akridge.

• Baseline Transportation Improvement Studies
  
• New Rail Passenger Concourse
  
• Upgraded Amtrak passenger concourse
  
• Improved Emergency Access & Egress
  
• Improvements to the Existing Rail Concourse
  
• Tour Bus & Commuter Parking Accommodations
  
• Streetcar Integration
  
• Pedestrian Tunnel from Union Station to 1st Street, NE
  
• New Metrorail Entrance from the H Street Bridge
  
• Baseline Environmental Requirements Study

I also hope that the study factors in the possibility of the Blue Line across H Street as WMATA is suggesting.

Also, is pedestrian and vehicular access in front of the station part of "baseline transportation improvement studies"? Because Columbus Circle (half circle, really) is horribly pedestrian-unfriendly, requiring tourists and Senate workers to cross numerous concentric roadways for Mass Ave traffic, taxis, etc. The area is designed so cars go to the grand main entrance and pedestrians slink in the side door. We should consider making a stately path worthy of our beautiful station for people to walk from their trains down Louisiana and Delaware Avenues to the Capitol and Mall.

Transit

Greyhound terminal may move to Union Station

by David Alpert   •   May 12, 2008 1:55 pm

New York's bus terminal has its own subway stop and is a block from Times Square. Boston's is in (one of) its downtown railroad stations. Philadelphia's is right downtown. Meanwhile, DC's bus terminal is in a forlorn (for now) area several somewhat sketchy blocks' walk from Metro and Union Station. DC is the only city I know of where the Chinatown buses stop in a much more convenient location than the "real" buses.

We once had a downtown bus terminal
(in a very nice modern building too)

Greyhound has taken a step toward moving by selling its property in NoMA, which it will lease back until it finds a permanent home, reports the Washington Business Journal (via DC Metrocentric). The logical place is Union Station, but the operators of the station refused in 2002 because of overcrowding concerns; talks are ongoing.

Union Station would be best (use some of that ugly parking garage thing), but anywhere near some real buildings and Metro would be great. As it is, DC never looks more like a third world capital than when arriving by bus.