Last week, Metro revealed several preliminary concepts that would change the Silver, Orange and Blue lines.
The concepts are a part of a two-year study to address both short- and long-term needs.
For people in Tysons, one option would let trains turn back at different areas along the Orange, Blue or Silver Lines, like the West Falls Church or East Falls Church Metro stations, while another option would create new Silver Line connections north or south of I-66.
Now, Metro wants to hear from community members that would be affected by any changes.
People can provide feedback about the ideas at several meetings this month, including a Tysons-area meeting next week.
The meeting is set to take place on Tuesday (Dec. 17) at the Courtyard by Marriott Tysons-McLean (1960A Chain Bridge Road) from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
People can also provide feedback via an online survey that will be open until Jan. 6.
Yesterday, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) released several preliminary concepts for alternative routes affecting Metro riders in Northern Virginia.
For people in the Tysons area, two concepts would create new Silver Line connections by I-66 — one north and another south of the highway.
The concepts stemmed from a study to find solutions for bottlenecking of the Silver, Orange and Blue lines at the Rosslyn Metro station, according to WMATA.
“This bottleneck limits the number of trains that can serve customers during rush hour,” according to WMATA. “In addition, running three lines on one track requires precision, and even a minor problem with a single train can impact the entire rush hour for all three lines.”
WMATA is looking to get community feedback on the ideas and plan to host a meeting on Tuesday (Dec. 17) at the Courtyard by Marriott Tysons-McLean (1960A Chain Bridge Road) from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Let Tysons Reporter know what you think of the new concepts and which one(s) would affect you. Feel free to share ideas in the comments below.
Metro riders could see some new routes for the Silver, Orange and Blue lines in the future.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority released today (Thursday) several preliminary concepts for the three lines that include alternative routes. The concepts are a part of a two-year study to address both short- and long-term needs, according to WMATA.
More from WMATA:
Today customers on Metro’s Blue, Orange, and Silver lines experience delays, crowding, and congestion due to limitations in the system’s design. The three lines share one set of tracks from the Rosslyn tunnel, through downtown DC, to Stadium- Armory. This bottleneck limits the number of trains that can serve customers during rush hour. In addition, running three lines on one track requires precision, and even a minor problem with a single train can impact the entire rush hour for all three lines.
The BOS Study has identified several draft concepts to improve service and position Metro to serve the future needs of our region. Input from the public and stakeholders will help Metro evaluate the concepts and recommend a comprehensive strategy with a “locally-preferred alternative” to move forward with federal environmental review, design and funding in late 2020.
For people in Tysons, one option would let trains turn back at different areas along the Orange, Blue or Silver Lines, like the West Falls Church or East Falls Church Metro stations.
Another concept would create new Silver Line connections north of I-66:
Concept: Provide new Silver Line service through a new tunnel under the Potomac River into DC and Maryland, north of I-66.
A new tunnel under the Potomac River would provide a new Silver Line “corridor” north of I-66 that could operate as local service, express service or a mix, with different service options:
Option A: Operate new Silver Line service between West Falls Church, Mid-City DC, Union Station, Northeast DC and Prince George’s County.
Option B: Similar to Option A, but Silver Line service would operate from McLean instead of West Falls Church.
Option C: Operate new Silver Line service between Tysons, Bethesda or Friendship Heights, northern DC and Prince George’s County.
Yet another concept would create new Silver Line connections south of I-66:
Concept: Provide new Silver Line service through a new tunnel under the Potomac River into DC and Maryland, south of I-66.
A new tunnel under the Potomac River would provide a new Silver Line “corridor” south of I-66 that could operate as local service, express service or a mix, with different service options:
Option A: Operate new Silver Line service from West Falls Church along Route 7 and Columbia Pike, then across the Yellow Line Bridge to Southeast DC and Prince George’s County.
Option B: Similar to Option A, but the Silver Line would turn southward to Crystal City and National Airport rather than heading to DC.
WMATA plans to solicit feedback from the public about the ideas at several meetings this month. The Tysons-area meeting is set to take place on Tuesday (Dec. 17) at the Courtyard by Marriott Tysons-McLean (1960A Chain Bridge Road) from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
The online survey will be open until Jan. 6.
People can find more information about the preliminary concepts online.
Metro releases preliminary concepts for public feedback to improve service on Blue, Orange, Silver lines https://t.co/bFqZLN1iwX #wmata pic.twitter.com/mm3vvVdaPH
— Metro Forward (@wmata) December 5, 2019
Two images via WMATA
A strike against the contractor of Metrobus could affect service by the Fairfax Connector.
The union that represents Fairfax Connector drivers indicated that a strike is possible amid an ongoing labor dispute with Transdev, the operations contractor of the Fairfax Connector service.
The county has recently warned that ongoing negotiations for a new labor agreement with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1764 could result in service delays.
Here’s more from the county:
The Fairfax Connector operations contractor, Transdev, is currently negotiating a new labor agreement with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1764, which represents Fairfax Connector drivers and mechanics. Even though Fairfax County is not a party to any labor negotiations between Transdev and labor unions, Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) has encouraged negotiations in good faith with the goal of completing a new contract prior to the expiration of the current one on Nov. 30, 2019.
FCDOT strives to provide effective communications and excellent customer service to our customers. We understand that you depend on us to take you where you need to go with reliable service. If the current negotiations are not successful and labor action occurs, FCDOT will communicate with passengers about service impacts and travel alternatives.
The county offers updated about Fairfax Connector service online. Residents can also sign up for email service alerts through the county’s BusTracker.
NEW: Metro’s leader sends letter to both sides involved in ongoing Metrobus strike in Northern Virginia – urging them to find a mediator and come to a resolution #wmata @nbcwashington @ATULocal689 @Transdev pic.twitter.com/Sze0Z4C2MX
— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) November 13, 2019
This story was written by Fatimah Waseem
New Route 7 Rapid Bus System Plans — “A new conceptual engineering report lays out 18 specific bus rapid station locations from Tysons to Alexandria. It also details the spots where buses would have their own lanes in the middle of the road or on the outside of the road, and where buses would share lanes with car traffic.” [WTOP]
Update on Park Police Shooting of Tysons Man — “The two U.S. Park Police officers who fatally shot unarmed motorist Bijan Ghaisar in 2017 will not be charged with any crimes in connection with the incident, federal prosecutors said Thursday. The decision came just days before the second anniversary of the slaying.” [Washington Post]
Orange Line Work Next Year — “Orange Line trains could run on a single-track at West Falls Church, and Orange and Silver Line trains could pass through East Falls Church without stopping. The closures would run as long as May 23 (Memorial Day weekend) through about Aug. 28 (before Labor Day weekend).” [WTOP]
Residents Displaced From Falls Church Fire — On Saturday, firefighters battled a “fire in a garden-style apartment building in the 7300 block of Lee Highway in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County. Multiple people have been rescued.” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter]
Questions About American Legion Bridge’s Reconstruction? — The Washington Business Journal has answers about how much the bridge work will cost, who is paying for it and more. [Washington Business Journal]
Metro ridership might be plummeting overall, but ridership in the Tysons area is continuing to increase.
All four stations in the Tysons area saw increased ridership in the spring of 2019 as compared to the year before, continuing an upward trend this year.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission’s new stats compared ridership in April, May and June of 2019 with the same period in 2018.
Ridership at the McLean Metro station by the new Capital One headquarters has continued to spike. Out of the four, the McLean station saw the largest increase in ridership during the three-month period, rising 25% over the last year.
On the other side of Tysons, the Greensboro Metro station spiked to 18%.
Meanwhile, ridership at the Spring Hill station increased 7% and Tysons Corner station increased 5%.
“Ridership at the McLean station has now gone up dramatically for three quarters in a row: first by 18.6%, then 20.6% and now 25%,” Tysons Partnership tweeted, thanking Capital One and The MITRE Corporation.
As for Greensboro, the partnership pointed to Meridian Group’s The Boro development.
“Ridership at the Greensboro station has now gone up dramatically for two quarters in a row: first by 18.4% and now by 18%,” Tysons Partnership tweeted.
Graph via Tysons Partnership/Twitter
A new chicken-focused restaurant plans to open just a short walk away from the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station.
Building permits indicate that GAMA Chicken & BBQ is coming to 2727 Merrilee Drive, Suite G.
The eatery is looking to serve wine, beer and mixed beverages, according to the liquor license application in the window of the spot.
The restaurant will join a plethora of restaurants and retailers, like Lost Dog Cafe and Blackfinn Ameripub, on the ground floor of apartment buildings right by the Metro station.
Work planned for four Metro stations next summer will impact riders in Vienna, Merrifield and Falls Church.
The Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church and East Falls Church Metro stations on the Orange Line are slated to be affected next summer, along with four Green Line stations in Maryland. The work is a part of a multi-year project to reconstruct 20 station platforms.
Currently, Metro shut down Yellow and Blue lines south of Ronald Reagan National Airport this summer.
While that reconstruction plan was announced more than a year ago, more details on the Orange Line shutdown are set to get announced in September or October, WTOP reported.
“It is unclear how much of the work will be done with total shutdowns, and how much could involve single-tracking,” WTOP reported.
Until the plans are announced, let Tysons Reporter know in the comments if the Metro work next summer will impact you.
(Updated at 9 a.m.) If you faced delays on Metro’s Silver Line in the Tysons area during yesterday’s evening commute, you might have a goose to blame.
A Metro spokesperson confirmed that an injured goose caused the delay yesterday.
The Fairfax County Police Department said that the Animal Protection Police Officer removed the goose, which had an injured wing and leg, and took it to a nearby animal hospital. Police did not have an update to share about the goose’s condition Tuesday (July 30) evening.
Metrorail Info tweeted around 4:30 p.m. Monday (July 29) that an animal on the tracks at Tysons Corner was causing single-tracking and delays in both directions between the Tysons Corner and McLean Metro stations.
Shortly after 6 p.m., another tweet said that single-tracking had ended, but that residual delays continued in both directions.
Silver Line Delay: Trains are single tracking btwn Tysons Corner & McLean due to an animal on the track at Tysons Corner. Expect delays in both directions.
— Metrorail Info (@Metrorailinfo) July 29, 2019
UPDATED: Silver Line Delay: No longer single tracking. Residual delays continue both directions following an animal on the track at Tysons Corner.
— Metrorail Info (@Metrorailinfo) July 29, 2019
Goose is the correct answer. An injured goose. #wmata
— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) July 29, 2019
A person has been struck by a train at the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station.
The incident was first reported by Fairfax County Fire and Rescue around 2:15 p.m. Firefighters were “working to access” the person struck by the train, the fire department said via social media; the person has since been extricated from under the train and taken to a local hospital.
Orange Line trains heading toward Vienna are instead terminating at West Falls Church, Metro said, with shuttle buses running between the West Falls Church and Vienna stations.
UPDATE – person struck by metro train in the 2600 block of Avenir Place in Merrifield: person has been extricated from under metro train. Crews will be transporting to an area hospital momentarily. #FCFRD #FairfaxCounty @MetroTransitPD pic.twitter.com/kwGypBi761
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) July 17, 2019
Orange Line Alert: Trains originating from New Carrollton will terminate at West Falls Church due to a person struck by a train at Dunn Loring.
— Metrorail Info (@Metrorailinfo) July 17, 2019
Orange Line Alert: Shuttle trains operate between Vienna and West Falls Church only due to a person struck by a train at Dunn Loring.
— Metrorail Info (@Metrorailinfo) July 17, 2019
