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Wiedefeld announces retirement as Metro CEO
Paul J. Wiedefeld, the general manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, plans to retire in six months, the transit authority board chairman announced Tuesday. Wiedefeld was hired in November 2015 to lead the authority, which manages the Metrorail and Metrobus transportation systems in the Washington, D.C., region. In a statement, Wiedefeld […]
Metro to keep reduced service levels through end of year
Metro customers will see reduced rail service through the end of the year, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced Monday. The transit system authority attributed the disruption to its 7000-series fleet, the newest rail cars, still being out of service. These trains make up much of Metro‘s fleet but have been sidelined since October. […]
Metro unveils major Falls Church redevelopment agreement
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has signed an agreement to redevelop the West Falls Church Metro Station site as a more than 1 million-square-foot mixed-use development. Construction is expected to begin in 2023. The agreement was reached with FGCP-Metro LLC, a joint real estate development partnership involving Bethesda, Maryland-based EYA LLC, Washington, D.C.-based Hoffman [&[...]
Silver Line will miss Labor Day target
Problems plugging Silver Line Phase 2 into the rest of the Washington transit system are delaying the project’s transfer from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The transfer’s target date was Labor Day, but it’s not clear how long the transfer will be delayed, according to Marcia McAllister, […]
Virginia public transit grapples with reduced ridership, zero fare
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia public transit systems from Northern Virginia to Hampton Roads are looking for a path forward after losing riders and revenue during the pandemic. Some transit systems have been harder hit than others. “We are serving a market of essential workers that can’t stay home; they have to use our service,” said […]
Metro committee approves $4.7B budget for FY2022
With an injection of federal funding, Metro will be able to maintain current service and accelerate repairs on the public transportation system. On Thursday, the Metro Board of Directors’ Finance and Capital Committee approved a $4.7 billion operating and capital budget for fiscal year 2022, which begins July 1. The full board is expected to […]
Loudoun announces major mixed-use development along Silver Line
Loudoun Economic Development unveiled plans Wednesday for Rivana at Innovation Station, a 4.4 million-square-foot mixed-use development adjacent to Metro‘s Silver Line extension on a site Loudoun once proposed for Amazon.com Inc.’s HQ2 East Coast headquarters. Rivana is the first phase of Innovation Station, a 103-acre development to be built on the border of Fairfax and […]
New Metro railcars set to be built in D.C. region
Metro’s new fleet of railcars will be built in the Washington, D.C., region, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced Wednesday. Hitachi Rail Washington LLC, an entity related to Japanese manufacturer Hitachi, has been awarded a contract worth up to $2.2 billion to build up to 800 railcars. The base order for the system’s 8000-series […]
Metro awards $179M contract to replace escalators
Metro will begin replacing 130 escalators in 32 stations in May, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced Tuesday. The transportation authority that runs the Metrorail and Metrobus lines in the Washington area has awarded a $179 million, seven-year contract to KONE, a Finnish elevator and escalator company with its U.S. headquarters in Illinois. Metro‘s […]
Metro plans station closings during inauguration week
Metro will close 13 stations starting Friday, Jan. 15 and continuing through Thursday, Jan. 21, the days around the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced Wednesday. Eleven stations — including Arlington Cemetery — will be closed on Friday, and Metro Center and Gallery Place stations will be closed […]
Roanoke clears path for more downtown development
Roanoke developer Lucas Thornton hopes to break ground this summer on a multimillion-dollar renovation project that will transform what is now Campbell Court Transportation Center, the city’s rundown bus station, into an office tower and another building with apartments and retail space. Thornton’s $35 million development, tentatively named Randolph Street, inched closer to becoming re[...]
Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn St. stations to close during holidays
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced Thursday that the Blue Line Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street stations will be closed for safety improvements from Dec. 19 through Jan. 3. “Doing this work during the holidays will help minimize the number of riders affected by the closures,” according to a WMATA statement. “Ridership at the […]
